Tying Upby
joezlComment by KiwiShotz: ::: Critique Club :::
Love to do a full critique on your image but it is difficult if you don't give us any information in your photographers comments. When we do a critique, we go past just the photographic result, that's what voters comments do. The critique looks at what you were trying to achieve, how you wanted it to look and what issues you had in getting the image captured and ready for voting.
First Impression - the most important one:
Captivating. Draws you immediately into the image looking for the story. The people play a big part in that immediate engagement.
Composition:
The bow forms a perfect leading line. The eye starts with the vibrant colour, and is taken by the bow to the people on the dock. Even the veritcal part of the bow is on a thirds line alough it's its almost impossible to strictly use thirds in an image like this, the concept is there. The people give the ship it's size.
Subject:
I love it. Heavy, massive and interesting. Just look at the bulb, it got me wondering about all the floating containers or sailboats it had met mid atlantic in the dead of night. You see, the viewer is engaged by this image because as I've just done, I start to weave stories into it. Superb stuff.
Technical (Colour and light):
Assuming that you were probably passing in another vessel and this was a spur of the moment snap (we'll never know, you didn't comment) makes it even more remarkable. The bright harshness of the sunlit orange contrasting with the silhouettes of the dockers is what gives this its depth beyond just 2D.
I'm almost certain that part of the drama in this shot is the way the light hits the bow itself. Bows are generally not razor sharp as this appears to be but the light has made it so and it is dramatic.
To get a Ribbon?:
It's hard to know how you can make this capture work any better. It's scored well and 88% is a damned fine place to be. I'd be interested in the effect of cropping at the water line but I suspect then that the bulb would teeter on the edge of frame with its impact lost.
I guess if you were doing this on assignment then you'd ask the port company to move the containers to give you a neutral backgound and maybe have the crew clean up the black smudgy bits.... :) It's the dirty part of the hull that is least pleasing to the eye and the only place I can see where it cost you a higher score.
Summary:
This image is not a one-off success, your portfolio shows that. I particularly like your minimalist eye in Wall and White. An average score of 5.7 is good and we look forward to your first top 10 and then ribbon. They're not far away.
Brett
Message edited by author 2005-12-11 15:02:51. 
Photographer found comment helpful.
