The Finishing Touches

This boat owner puts the finishing touches on an area of work on a

repainted hull on his large fishing boat at Moss Landing, CA. (See

capture details for interesting info). Your ratings and critiques

are invited and most welcome. If you rate harshly or very

critically, please submit a helpful and constructive comment/Please

share your superior knowledge to help improve my photography.

Thanks! Enjoy! John

The colors are entirely natural.

 

The boat hull is entirely red -- it is painted with red lead.

 

The boat owner's back is severely burned and tanned -- it matches generally the boat hull -- effective mirroring, which is partly why I took the photo.

 

Finally, all the coloring is affected by the setting sun which was very red -- this is an accurate depiction of the colors as they were at the time (see the white of his hat and the white line for a comparison to 'true white'.

 

Thus, the camera did an accurate 'white balance', and this is a true depiction of the 'natural' colors, as they were at the scene. (His pants were severely stained/marked by paint and were originally tan/off-white.

 

John (Crosley)

John, this image stands out from the rest of the pack. I have seen it more than once and decided to rate and comment. I do not get why this particular image did not get the attention it deserves. Interesting explanation about the colors. Adds even more interest. Regards, Howard

I thought so too, from the moment I clicked the shutter to the time I reviewed the image on my screen (there were several like it, all worthy). I resolved to post it as soon as possible.

 

I have started a thread about the 'worthy' 'evergreens' the unrated and unloved photos that get a tremendous number of views.

 

This is the contrary; a photo that I love that gets only 'folder views' and languishes for reasons one can only guess at.

 

We'll just have to scratch our collective heads . . . eh Howard?

 

I'm glad you noticed and liked this image/it's one I post and stick by regardless of what others think.

 

John (Crosley)

I went by this boatyard today and saw this guy working, horribly busy -- too busy to talk (hadn't even been near a computer to see this photo, which he knows of), and the boat is still in drydock and looks like it has much more work to do on than it had when I was there a month before . . . . humh.

 

Have I got the same boat . . . . and is this a multi-year project? It looked almost finished a month ago. Hmmmmh.

 

They seemed so busy, this nice guy and the fellow he was working with. Sometimes boats can have a multitude of hidden problems -- I hope they didn't uncover too many of them.

 

John (Crosley)

After seeing the yellow door photo, I came to look at some of your other images. This was one that caught my eye and made me look more closely.

 

The reds of the boat and his back are wonderful in their similarity. And the whites of the line and hat are the perfect contrast. (Again the "paired" colors) For me the shadow makes this image. It's almost as if it's the spirit of the boat guiding his hand from the inside.

 

I find my eye never making it to the right side of the image. It's only interested in the area from the man and leftward. I don't think that right side is wasted because it contributes to the overall redness of the image. But I do wish that part was on the left instead of the right so that the man himself would be slightly closer to the right edge. My eye might find the entire image interesting that way. But such a minor quibble...

 

It's as if you set out to photograph Red. And succeeded brilliantly.

In fact, what I did see was 'red' and I thank you for the kind compliment --

'brilliant' may be too kind a word, unless it means 'very bright in intensity' in which case I would then agree.

 

I absolutely was struck by the man's sunburned back and the redness of the hull effectively 'mirroring' or 'echoing' each other.'

 

I see such 'things' in all sorts of ways, not just in colors, but in shapes, sizes, arrangements, and so on -- have a look through my entire portfolio and count the number of types and ways in which there is 'mirroring' of one sort of another and I think you'll be astonished.

 

Thanks for such a coherent, well-written critique.

 

John (Crosley)

I think this is a far under-rated photo, frankly; it's one of my happiest, but it fell flat with raters and viewers.

 

You and I may think more alike, judging from another choice and well-written critique you left.(ed.)

 

Thanks.

 

John (Crosley)