I was visiting the Bodensee lake in Austria and somehow felt attracted to this scene. Fuji X-A10 + Fuji 18mm F2. Developed with SILKPIX DS 8 and converted B/W with Silver Efex.
I would have been as well...I like the image a lot. I would have liked to have the man just a little bit to the left, right or an elevation to separate the head from the far object across the water. Excellent caption.
Thank you! I agree! I wish he was a little bit more on the left too, this would make the shot just perfect! I was quite lucky, not long after I took the picture he got up and went way.
I think that I am going to be unpopular, but it doesn't work for me. I'm a rule of thirds man, except in extreme circumstances. This seems to be a rule of two eighths, or thereabouts. I also believe that the light column is discordant and distracting. I would heavily crop, removing roughly the right hand side third. But these things are very subjective. There are the possibilities of a fairly 'tight' extra print of just the column. Enlarged substantially, it should have impact. I will stand still when you come to shoot me!
Your - and other members' critique - of my critique, would be welcome! That is how views and appreciations develop.
I know, I answered your comment yesterday late evening before sleep and couldn’t think straight (was falling asleep), soon as I have some free time today I’d be more than happy to answer you. Have a nice day! Later!
I don't think you're wrong on your idea. Probably it would be the "correct" (technically speaking) shot, but here, I wanted to oppose the sole man set on that little wall to the sole light post and to the wide scene. I wanted to transmit the feeling of loneliness that this moment gave me, and I thought more "space" opposed to two single subjects (man and light pole) opposed in their position and with lots of distance between them would do a good job to transmit that. I hope I could explain myself well, in case something is not clear or confused, please let me know. I promise to answer this evening when I'm back home. Gotta go now... my stomach is asking for some food!
Thanks for that! Let me explain my thoughts. Two distinct foreground subjects in this sort of scene can cause problems, especially when they are a distance apart. In this case, in my view, particularly so. You were very fortunate, in what otherwise would have been a slightly bland scene, to have the man sitting looking over the water. You often will see paintings where the artist has 'performed' that situation in a landscape/seascape etc, and for good reason. We instinctively follow where he is looking: that should make the picture. We look at what he is looking at. Unfortunately, in my mind, that instinctive reaction is interrupted by the column, which is, of itself, very distinctive. I see nothing wrong with the principle you were working too. I'm not sure it just was suited to this situation. But these things are subjective....
