Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by cbeller:
converting to B&W or a sepia type tone may have given this photo a little more impact. Looks like the lighting is a little harsh as well, like it was taken around noon time.

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by Kylie:
Fresh and exciting treatment of composition and detail. Terrific lighting. True photography wonderfully practiced.

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by asij:
Really nice textures here but it´s a pitty you can´t see the eye

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by marbo:
Lots of detail here but lighting looks a little harsh.

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by Kathryn8:
Very, very nice...Love the subdued colors and texture. I can see this one making a wonderful print.

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by geewhy:
Great detail in this..you can almost feel the texture of the hide.
Good work

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by rmtm333:
Great image and cropping. Title is perfect. Well done.

Ancient One
by RLS

Comment by samtrundle:
Nice and crisp - perhaps cropping even closer would add a little to this. I do like the thought behind it though.

Midway
by RLS

Comment by Artyste:
Hello from the Critique Club.

Initial Thoughts

What I first thought of when I saw this was, "Where's the focal point?" I had a tough time deciding if I wanted to look at the ship.. or the lookout point.. or the sail-boats. (ok, not the sailboats so much :))
I feel that you're almost teasing the viewer with a hint of this huge carrier, and then.. that's it.

Composition / Content

I would have liked to have seen more focus on the Carrier/Battleship, as it seems to be the thing that cries for the attention here, but is instead, put to the side, almost as an afterthought. The composition suffers because of that fact, leaving the viewer wondering what, exactly, they should be looking at.

Background

A *touch* busy, but out of your control for the most part, and is good for the setting. The problem is, the Ship becomes, in this photo, a part of the background, instead of being the focal point.

Camera Work - Technical

A nice focus on the ship, but the shot seems pretty noisy, and overexposed in many areas, especially in the sky to the left hand side. I suspect that your metering was done on a darker spot of the area, as your aperature (f8) should have been good for a daytime shot. This may have contributed to the noise levels as well.

Digital Processing

Don't have any information on what you did in post, if anything. Problem with over-exposed shots is that they're almost impossible to really fix in post. Looking at the picture, I feel that you may have over-sharpened too much, however.

Fits the Challenge

With a Free Study, everything fits.

My Opinion on the Photo

I feel, as I've mentioned, that it lacks a strong focal point. You give the viewer too much to look at, the over-exposure makes it a little more difficult to look at, and the shot, having so much potential, is kind of a let-down for me. I wanted so much to see more of the carrier/battleship, but alas. A good try at capturing a unique subject, but we, the viewer, demand more :)

Midway
by RLS

Comment by cghubbell:
Unique composition... Great level of detail captured on the ship, and tack sharp.