Ice Bound Canal boat **New Edit added**

Brocks

Brocks

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I decided to set myself some goals this year. I want to go from happy snapper to something a little more polished

My first goal is composition
Second, Light
Third Post processing

So with the first goal in mind I took this:

4251883175_af7f2502c7.jpg


Bigger here

The sky was greyed out with snow clouds so I converted to B&W. I tried to exclude vehicles from the shot and waited for a break in the traffic over the bridge. I wanted a shot that harked back to the old days. Although I know the satalite dishes and TV antennas spoil that.

I tried to put the boat on a horizontal third and the bow on a vertical. Shot in Av Mode f/16. Shot in RAW, Converted using Canon DPP and Processed in Elements 5.

So from a composition POV how is it? Any other Crit gratefully recieved.
 
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In concentrating on the angles and thirds you missed the tree protruding on the right and a there is something else in the bottom right corner that is distracting.

The other aspect is light. Basically there isn't any and as a result it's as flat as a pancake and no amount of converting it unless you perhaps look at infra red is going to introduce contrast that was missing in the first place.
 
For the post-processing side of things you could edit out the satellite dishes and areials? =)
 
The boat and the house seem to blend into one and don't give enough definition to your primary subject, the boat.

With not knowing, I'd have been tempted to shoot from the other side of the canal and from the front of the boat.
 
BouncyMelons said:
In concentrating on the angles and thirds you missed the tree protruding on the right and a there is something else in the bottom right corner that is distracting.

The other aspect is light. Basically there isn't any and as a result it's as flat as a pancake and no amount of converting it unless you perhaps look at infra red is going to introduce contrast that was missing in the first place.
Click to expand...

IRC I used the Elements IR settings as it brought out the most contrast. The bottom right is the nearside bank. I hadn't considered the Tree, Thanks.

For info here is a failed HDR of the same scene. Its full of errors I know but the colour image is at home and I'm in the office in Cheadle!

4252654206_d4c6d5cfb9.jpg


norvic-boy said:
For the post-processing side of things you could edit out the satellite dishes and areials? =)
Click to expand...

I could, and perhaps should.

slimboy fat said:
The boat and the house seem to blend into one and don't give enough definition to your primary subject, the boat.

With not knowing, I'd have been tempted to shoot from the other side of the canal and from the front of the boat.
Click to expand...

Do you mean stand on the opposite bank infront of the bow and shoot up stream with boat on the right of the frame and the house on the left?
 
The 'failed' HDR attempt looks far better than the B&W for me.

I would clone out the tree on the right and consider a more letterbox crop to get rid of some sky.
 
I like the colour version better and also think you have done the right thing by cropping the bottom right corner it was a bit distracting before.

There seem to be a round spot in the clouds just above the first chimney on the left, I dont know if you can see it or just my screen.

Looks good I like the shot.
 
Ok taking the above on board, Here is a new edit. Its the original colour version of the black and white image. I cropped out the nearside bank and cloned out the dishes and aeriels.I also cloned out the tree on the right, exterior security lights, Cropped out the sky aLittle and played with the contrast/ Highlights and shadows in elements to bring out the roof line and sky. I got ride of the marks caused by snow on the lens.

Any Better?

4254669793_2154c210a5.jpg
 
I much prefer this final version, a much better shot (well you know..)
 
The goal was composition. That doesn't always mean just getting things level and placing thing "on the thirds". The main problem for me is that there is no separation between the boat and the house - so there is no real "subject" as such, just a mixed scene...
 
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