robertbody

It is a great shot, I like it a lot... I would replace the dead plant however, I find it to be the weakest part of the picture. Instead I would use a lush green one, perhaps same height as in picture, or a bit taller.
Also I prefer the original framing, looks like it was cropped [or most likely originally framed that way in camera] to just include the umbrella on the left, and just include the right on the right -- I think that's great framing. I don't agree with the cropping that tighter, it takes away the tile pattern which I think works [to be left in the picture], and i would not cut the plant in half with cropping.
Depending on the size, that cropping suggestion would make it look even worse, i think if it's printed in 16x20 or more, you would absolutely not be wanting to cut the plant in half.

Nice picture... which exposure was it? And which percentage of crop is this from original? Just a 500mm lens without a teleconverter? I used a 300mm on D300 and my moon was almost edge to edge at 4% of the crop.. ouch, way small. Which time of day was this?

 

-Robert

The eyes look like one eye copied... I would make them look different by removing the white in upper left from one of them, and probably the one in lower right too, so that it looks more realistic -- now it just looks like 1 eye cloned.

Very nice. I prefer the color version of this shot to b/w..... it's warmer....skin color...

 

I would crop top and bottom to minimum. same vertical size....

It's very nice.

 

"standard railway shot" or not, I like it. It's sale material, worth a 11x14 frame.

Ralph, I like it.

Good start. :).

Below is a little help i did to your picture.

1) crop it - it becomes more powerful

2) sharpen it - maybe your picture was ok, but scanning blurred it

 

-- i used Photoshop to "Unsharp 100% radius 2.0 pixels, threshold 3 levels" it and crop it.

- Robert

OK, do this: use both hands, cover up the sky... and cover up the right bush.........

 

now you have a simple picture, where the boat is a STRONG subject.... you feel the peaceful lake more...

The picture tells a story.

Steve, good idea.

crop more. (when you're composing the picture)

I would cut the sky, but definately cut the bushes ot the right. FOreground ground is ok.

 

You reminded me of a boat picture by Boyd Norton, "The Art of Outdoor Photography". I just looked at it now in my book. in one shot he as the boat on the left of the picture (looking at the front of the boat), grass in the background, tiny bit of grass to the left. NO SKY.

in the other he has the back of the boat showing, some sky, but the sky is "green"..greenish..it's really low light.. close to sunset..or early misty morning.

 

if the sky is white or pale.. you're better off not including it... or sometimes just including a tiny strip of it.

 

I would have also photographed the boat from different angles, closer... more to the left... the more time you put into it... the more it will show. -Robert