Seasick

well, maybe too obvious but it was one helluva ride;7 meter waves at time and lots of very sick people on the ship...

Love the tones here, great theme fit. Compositionally I think your crop on top is too tight. Also the blobs (water?) over the middle top dark object are a bit distracting. Ditto for the shadow middle left border. Could not control that I guess - tough you could crop left.

 

Dont care too much for your frame, though. Apart form that great shot!

 

Tom

With TOm on this one, the crop is indeed too tight imo, a larger one would amplify the effect of tha waves.

 

regards, calin

Why is the wave so unnatually dodged? I understand that you were probably trying to highlight it, but I think you've gone too far. I agree a wider angle may help. Your poor camera equipment!! I'm glad I wasn't there... I'd have been chumming.

This is right out of the camera, Nikon N-80, Ektachrome, indoors, thru glass, Tamron 28-200. Only photoshop was sharpening and cropping. The darker grey objects in the upper right frame near the top are rain or sea water drops out of focus. I am almost 10 meters above the roiling sea and the boat is rocking in all directions. I am having a real difficult time just hanging on and the photo is taken with one hand. I am able to get off a bunch of shots but very few are usable. The ride was better than anything in any amusement park. Ship employees said it was the worst they had seen in over 15 years.

think this photo has a lot of potential. PT, you have successfully shown several key things that contribute to the mood of this shot: 1) the tilt of the boat relative to the horizon 2) the rough sea crashing against the hull 3) the rain and splash of the waves on the window, both in the form of drops and streams of water flowing down the window. Not bad at all. In addition the colours are weird and rather moody. What's happening around the ladder (it looks grainyer there) is rather nice too.

A few tweaks would IMO turn it into a really strong shot (and since you suffered the ride, it's well worth some work).

 

I offer a modified version in which 1) cropped off the mast and most of the life rafts, which gives a less centered composition and IMo brings the ladder out nicely 2) dodge one drop above the islands 3) modified colours (less red, more green) and 4) a bit lighter.

 

And, oh yes, a different frame ... but I won't elaborate on that.

 

 

I for one like Dominique's crop.

 

Not too fond of her frame (or lack thereof) either in this case :)

 

Tom

The crop is a bit too claustrophobic for my tastes, and I find the noise / grain level in the sky a bit too much, but it is certainly dramatic. IMO the blobs of water help to involve the viewer more. Nearly, but no cigar!

This one is a real storm for sure and as such fits the theme nicely. The splatter on the lens adds to the effect and the timing is good with the crashing wave really providing the interest. Out of your control i realise, but how much stronger would that interest be if there was a lone human figure hanging on to the rail for grim death? Doms' crop is good as it loses the frame but bad as it also loses the lifeboat pods which add a needed balance to the wave IMO.

 

Cheers

 

Darrell

This is my first post here on PT, but I figured I'd start with a good one. Being a mariner myself, I think this is an excellent photo. It captures the motion and energy of the storm perfectly and the colors are very true to life. Seeing this photo makes me feel like I'm out to sea. The only minor change I would make would be to remove some of the white graininess from the skyline. Otherwise, it is an outstanding shot.

OK, here is a much less cropped version of the original with a less gregarious frame

This photo is attracting many interesting comments - and certainly deserves it.

 

I'd like to take the discussion further (I'm not in any way trying to sell "my" version, just curious) so I'd be interested to hear others response to these :

 

1) are the orange blobs and (to a lesser extent) the lifeboat pods a distraction or a balancing element?

 

2) cropping them out gives it a sort of timeless feel (the pods look very modern) - any feelings on this?

 

3) more wave and less boat, more boat and less wave or half and half?

 

4) perfect storm yes, almost perfect photo, but ideas please for a perfect frame?

 

Great shot PT.

 

Quite frankly given the circumstances I'm surprised Pt caught anything on film except water or sky. So congrads on the acrobatics and the strong stomach.

 

With all due respect Dominique I don't think this one needs to be analized part for part. For me the image encapsulates one moment in time which will never come again. Sure similar photos could follow depicting similar ellements but again considering the nature of the environment I don't think it's reproducable. Given its temporal nature i don't think the debate of whether or not the orange dots are distracting is needed. Normally I'd agree with you and find value in that kind of discussion but not here. Just my opinion

Damn. What some people won't go through to get that PT shot. I do like Dominique Dodge-Wan's

modified version better. But I'm new at this and think many times you can improve "The Capture". But should we?

Just a thought.

 

I like this. Good theme fit, and takes me directly to the time and place.

 

Aesthetically, I do find the breaking wave almost distractingly bright, and I can't decide whether the two islands are helping or hindering the image for me. (but you can't exactly move a couple of islands and reshoot can you :) ). Overall I think I prefer the uncropped second version. The added width on the left hand side helps my eye balance within the picture, and gives a bit more context to the tilt.