Image No 7.

[weirdo109]

All I can say is that I'm dissapointed.
But I would appreciate it now being left at that.

After finally getting a picture on here to get some positive feedback in terms of votes, I would appreciate you guys letting me know what made you pick my image above the others.

Please keep this thread as positive as possible in terms of the compo thread.

Thanks again.

http://www.rseymour.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/medium/0065.jpg

Flying High

Exif Data
Camera Manufacturer - Fuji F610
Width and Height - 4048x3040
Exposure (1/sec) - 1/950
Aperture (f number) - f8.0
Flash Used - No
Focal Length - 8.50
ISO Speed Rating - 160

[pkr]

I didn't vote for it but it was shortlisted.

I liked the almost High Key effect, the motion of the kite and the effect of the light on the child ( silhouette ). Almost like the aliens in Close Encounters ...

Also, not a busy image, but plenty to look at. I liked that.

[Radiohead]

I didn't have a chance to vote but would have had it in my top 3. Lovely surreal and other-worldly feel to it, like a personal memory of a happy childhood.

[GreyJackal]

Please keep this thread as positive as possible in terms of the compo thread.

Don't worry, I think everyone appreciated it was a simple mistake. Thems the rules and all that :)

I hadn't got around to vote yet but it would have been in my top 3, certainly. Its interesting but simple, evocative too. I like the inclusion of the boat. I think most people would have considered that "in the way" and tried to angle around to get the child and kite on their own. Yet your inclusion of it "works".

Lovely pic and one that I could see easily selling as a print :thumbs:

[Radiohead]

I'd echo GJ's comment about it just being the rules and keeping it the same for all. One thing you should take out of it is that you've an excellent eye for a composition. It's a lovely image.

[GreyJackal]

One thing I've just realised - the break of the horizon by the boat. That is what sets it apart from a "normal" shot. I was admiring the choice of angle that kept the child under the horizon when I twigged that keeping the boat under would have made for a much more boring image.

[dbarker]

I actually went to the trouble of cloning out the boat in photoshop to see whether I preferred it. purely aesthetically I do. The boat drags the balance to the left, it has nothing to match it on the right, it's a bit close to the edge & the arc of the kite pushes your eye directly down to the boat - which makes it a really strong focal point when it feels like it would be better as background detail.

having said that, including the boat says a lot more about the place than the shot does without. actually it looks like a book jacket without. removing the boat changes the mood entirely & it ends up looking a bit cliche & sentimental - i much prefer it as it is on that level.

the only thing I would definitely change about the photo is to straighten the horizon.

fantastic shot & would definitely have been in my top 3.

[Boink!]

Didn't see the image in the compo thread, but it certainly is an excellent photo. The composition, exposure, framing and processing all fit. Shame it wasn't entered in the weekly comp a few weeks ago.

Echoing the comments above, you have an eye for a great photo. I would have been extremely happy to take a photo like that.

[GreyJackal]

I'm going to go out on a limb and ask whether the horizon has already been straightened a bit but you couldn't do any more without losing some of the boat?

[weirdo109]

"Greyjackal" Your right I did straighten the horizon a little and as you say if I had gone further it would have cropped the edge of the boat slightly.

Thanks for all the positives and technical information.

I don't have the insight that alot of you seem to have in analysing an image.
I just take lots of pics of what I feel looks good with the equipment I can afford.
I always have my camera with me in the hope of getting some good shots.

[sideshowbob]

I had a tinker and you could straighten the horizon without losing anything, you just need to work with less than the whole picture.

http://www.bobweb.co.uk/photocomp/boyandkite.jpg

The above is just a quick go, it isn't perfect but you get the gist.

If you wanted me to have a go with the original file, I'd be happy to. :)

For the record, I liked the shot. It was my number 3 - the high contrast and silhouette were very striking and as GJ says, the boat's cool where it is.

[Teece]

I think it wouldn't be the same without the boat - I love the way the kit is 'pointing' towards it. The three 'shadow' elements work really well against the bright blue sky. Fantastic work, and a shame it had to be pulled. Keep it up! :thumbs:

[Boink!]

I don't have the insight that alot of you seem to have in analysing an image.
Don't be so harsh on yourself mate, usually if it feels right to you, it is right.
I just take lots of pics of what I feel looks good with the equipment I can afford.
I always have my camera with me in the hope of getting some good shots.
That's as much as anyone can hope for (apart from Ken Rockwell).

Anyway the whole appreciation of art / photography is rather subjective, I often worry about my work if my Mum likes it too much!

sideshowbob I didn't think the (slight) fixing of the horizon was necessary, but it does look better.

Anyhow, weirdo109 keep snapping and posting your photos here.

[sideshowbob]

sideshowbob I didn't think the (slight) fixing of the horizon was necessary, but it does look better.

It's wierd isn't it - I only rotated the portion with the boat, horizon and boy in by 1%. It's amazing how sensitive we can be to even minor flaws. Like you I think it doesn't really detract a huge amount anyway.

[danek]

I liked the way the angle of the shot made it look as if the boy was actually communicating with the giant sperm.

;) Actually no, I really liked the way that the reflected light made the ground the brightest part of the image, giving both the silhouette effect on the boy as well as the lovely textured contrast on parts of the sand. I also love the little touches like the boy's shadow and the couple in the distance. Thinking about it in terms of how I'd select pictures myself, the photo seems wrong at first glance as only the sky is exposed enough to give much in the way of detail. But then you realise that's what gives it its superb surreal quality.

This was my top photo. Shame about the rules and all that, but as the weekly comp thread was supposed to get people taking and discussing good pictures, I think this has done exactly that. Lovely shot.

[GreyJackal]

"Image No 7" is quite a nifty title for the picture too, in a slightly poncy, abstract way :D

[Teece]

:suspect: Who is no.1?

[Brozyniak]

I am not a number

[weirdo109]

I have noticed in alot of pictures that I have taken that I seem to have trouble with the Horizon. Is this common and something you all just sort when you get it on the PC or do you make a concious effort when taking the photo.

[sideshowbob]

I think you make a conscious decision when you're shooting to get it straight, but it can be difficult to judge exactly, particularly if you're not shooting a static subject. If it's obvious it's generally easy to fix on the PC, although doing so can be problematic if you have a closely framed shot.

Some cameras offer a grid pattern which can help you get the horizon or other feature straight.

[Brozyniak]

Very often I will skew a picture clockwise slightly. Don't know why. It's not noticeable when I am taking the picture but stands out when up on the pc. Maybe my left leg is longer.

[GreyJackal]

Yeah I try to get it roughly right, but I also make sure I have enough leeway around the subjects should I need to crop.

[sideshowbob]

Very often I will skew a picture clockwise slightly. Don't know why. It's not noticeable when I am taking the picture but stands out when up on the pc. Maybe my left leg is longer.

Which way do you dress?

[t00thless]

I have noticed in alot of pictures that I have taken that I seem to have trouble with the Horizon. Is this common and something you all just sort when you get it on the PC or do you make a concious effort when taking the photo.
its a bad habit i seem to have picked up very well, i always try my best, but i think one of my eyes must be lower than the other giving me a false sense :p

[Brozyniak]

Which way do you dress?

:suspect:

not telling.

[peg20]

Which way do you dress?

Socks after pants but before trousers. Shirt last.

[Holden Caulfield]

What a strange image!!

The boy in the picture is looking at a 'giant sperm' flying across the sky, Its the kind of vision that one might expect if one were to eat the wrong kind of mushrooms.

...er so I am told.... :eek:

[sideshowbob]

Socks after pants but before trousers. Shirt last.

:lol: There's always one.