hi everybody :)

tictacsmurf said:

if one were to make any changes to this photo, what would it be? feel free to edit this photo to help out an amateur. Thanks!

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Hi.

It's a snapshot, apparently taken with little thought. Sorry, but it's true.

I can't edit this to improve it because what's needed is moving the camera.I can see at least four possibly interesting shots: the man on the left, the tall buildings, the people on the right, the jetty with the orange-capped posts. Unfortunately I would not have shot any of them from that camera position.

I would have started by standing midway between the man on the left and the woman bottom right, taking two shots in opposite directions. For the buildings and jetty I'd probably have gone as far as the edge of the grass.

One needs to be there to exactly choose a viewpoint.

--
Albert
(The one in France)
Every photograph is an abstraction from reality.

tictacsmurf said:

if one were to make any changes to this photo, what would it be? feel free to edit this photo to help out an amateur. Thanks!

Click to expand...

It's an interesting shot with potential. If you move a bit to the left and bring the horizon down a bit while placing the man in the lower left corner you'll be able to create some great leading lines and a more pleasing shot. You can adjust the focal lengths and even rotate the camera to get the perspective you want.
--
My Blog

My Website

tictacsmurf said:

if one were to make any changes to this photo, what would it be? feel free to edit this photo to help out an amateur. Thanks!

Click to expand...

I have to agree with Monsieur Albert, it's lacking in composition and purpose, but thought I' have a try at tidying up the image and hopefully making an improvement

This was done by cropping the distracting foreground,and cloning out some remnants.At least it gives the skyline and buildings more prominence

I also adjusted Levels to brighten up the image.

The simplest thing is the light. Regardless of anything else, this would look much more interesting if the light was slanting in at an angle rather than coming from more or less directly overhead. It might come in from either side, or from the back or wherever -- but not from directly overhead and not from the front.

In my view it's a pleasant picture but as Albert says, it is a simple record photo, albeit nicely done.

BUT a serious photographer would be looking at the light and thinking: I will come back in about 4 hours OR I will come tomorrow 4 hours earlier than this, to get a really good shot of this scene.

Now -- the sunbathers might be of major interest to you. They might not be there later (or tomorrow). If they are, then you shot is your shot. If you just included them for a bit of human interest and color, then maybe ditch them and go for a composition more like Aleg suggested.

ABOVE ALL, though, is the matter of light.

tictacsmurf said:

if one were to make any changes to this photo, what would it be? feel free to edit this photo to help out an amateur. Thanks!

Click to expand...

tictadsmurf....

My advice is free. So feel free to ignore it.

Let me try the compliment sandwich:

Image appears sharp and in focus without motion blur. So you have down the mechanics.

Rule of thirds: At first I thought you had placed the horizon at the upper third due to the buildings and the more I look the horizon is dead center. So I would read up on the rule of thirds.

Message: When I look at a photo I ask what is the emotional message or beauty. Here I do not see a clear message. Is it about folks enjoying nature in the middle of a crowded city? If so, I would move in much closer to say one of the folks enjoying nature. Or simply tilting the camera downward so the natural portion of the scene dominates thus including the flowers in the foreground. You could even shoot close to one of the subjects with a wide f stop and blur the city a bit. That would be an experiment to see what the city scene would look like blurred, similar to the old days shooting with a polaroid back before committing to film.

You are asking for advice which shows a high level of self confidence. Good for you.

Jeff

Respectfully, I kind of agree this is more of a snapshot. I'll be the first to admit that your eyes are the best camera you have, and sometimes you try to cram the whole feeling into a shot and it doesn't always work out. Maybe there was more going on than what was captured and at the time, it seemed like a great shot, but to an outside viewer, it doesn't look that exciting. I think my biggest problem with this image is that it's not symmetrical that I can tell. Buildings are stacked to the left and there's a big gap in the middle. It just makes it look empty. Exposure is decent.

Wow thanks for the insight! Definitely very helpful

Yeah I'm just starting out and thought the only way to get better is to be critiqued right? So thanks a lot for taking the time

Thanks! I be sure to try a different position/focal point next time

Hmmm I think I see the flaws in my photo now. Thanks for pointing it out!

Yeah, I guess I was trying to capture too much in one photo, which is becoming a bad habit haha

Well there's always humor..





Also, were you out with a photography class, or was this guy just a remarkable fluke?