QUIPMENT:
I took this with a Z7 ii @ 1/640, f5.6, 28-300 Nikon Zoom @ 300mm, iso 500.
IMAGE DESCRIPTION
I took this image in a park along the Potomac river outside of Washington, DC in Virginia. I actually went to the park to take photos of the bluebell flowers that were just blooming in the area. As I was walking along a woodland path a fellow photographer pointed out the kayaker which I had not seen before. I took several shots.
INTENDED EFFECT
My intention was to shoot the kayaker with the peeks of sun beating down on the water reflecting those highlighted white colors. I really liked the haziness of the sun hitting the water to the left of the kayaker. After capturing him I got around to shooting the bluebells.
POST PROCESSING
I did very little cropping and changes. I added some exposure to the woodland area so it may be more interesting . I exposed him and his kayak a bit more so it would be more important to the photo. I particularly wanted to capture the rock to the left which provides some depth and juxtaposition but it also limited how much cropping I could do and still keep the rock in the photo. I would have liked to be able to keep the kayaker in the left upper third of the frame but that was not possible.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 4 comments posted
Craig Callan
It see,s to me that this image is about 12 to 2/3 stop overexposed. The kayaker's skin is dead white, and the woods and the kayak would benefit from a little more saturation. The glare on the water also seems excessive. I'm not sure that there is enough of that rock in the frame to be meaningful. Had you thought of just pointing the camera a bit more to the left? You might have gotten a sufficient portion of the rock in and moved the kayak off-center to make better use of the rule of thirds. Posted: 04/12/2023 01:41:52
David Kepley
Owen, like you I was out shooting VA bluebells near the Potomac River! I agree with much of what Craig said. The horizon line is not straight. This is of course easy to fix in LRC. The kayaker is dead center. I'd crop off much of the left side to give him room to kayak into. Then you lose the rock, but I don't think it helps you that much. The kayaker is also a little soft. Perhaps try run ning him through Topaz Sharpen AI? Posted: 04/19/2023 13:17:16
Alan Kiecker
What bothers me most about this photo is that the kayaker is placed dead center in the image. I would crop placing her in the left of the image giving her room to move. In the attached image I also tweaked the curve adding more contrast. Posted: 04/19/2023 15:20:07
Josh Lohff
Hi Owen. I'm behind this month, and it seems like Craig, David, and Alan have covered everything that I would have added. Posted: 04/23/2023 14:16:11
