Victoria's Inner Harbour
by KarenNfld

Comment by bvy:
You've gotten so much great feedback on this image, I don't know that I can add much. I didn't vote in this challenge, but I probably would have given this a six. I love the contrast of the warm lights against the blues of the sky and water. The background lights do seem a bit harsh though. Someone recommended a higher f-stop to get a starburst effect from those lights. That might have helped. (That would also have increased DOF and added some clarity to the buildings in the background right.) The main subject should be the boats, but the background seems to be competing for attention instead of enhancing or complementing the main subject. That makes for a busy image.

Still, a near 5.7 isn't a bad score. I never look at place rankings in free studies -- there are so many entries!

Victoria's Inner Harbour
by KarenNfld

Comment by BHuseman:
I think this is a nice shot, but I have a hard time focusing on one thing. First I see the lights, then I see the sky, then I see the ships and the smooth water, then my eye is drawn to the dock on the left that was cut off. With all of that I can't take the image in as a whole. I don't know if it is my eyes at almost 1 am or what but the image also appears a bit soft to me.

I think this is a wonderful location and you have captured it well, but for this site it is needing a little more to get the score that you want.

Victoria's Inner Harbour
by KarenNfld

Comment by bassbone:
Karen
This is a great shot - the stillness and mirror-like quality of the water in the harbor, the backlit sky, the details still contained in the everdarkening foreground - really good work. I think your shot has suffered from the 720pixel issue. There is so much going on and so much to look at that many voters are a bit overwhelmed. I think a larger format viewing - a large print - would do this one better than a small screen shot for DPC.

DPC seems to have turned into one where only clean and simple images score well. In my FS entry, I got a 'too busy' for an image that was simple...I haven't quite figured out why the change recently, but alas, you have a great image and one that many of us enjoy.

Victoria's Inner Harbour
by KarenNfld

Comment by The_Dentist:
I saw your pic in bvy's comment thread, and you said it finished lower than expected. I voted a 6 and here's why: while the choice of subject and composition are good, and so is the exposure (good ratio of natural vs artificial light) it is the processing that made me deduct a point or two. The image looks slightly unnatural to me. I think it's a combination of over-saturated colors, too much contrast and too much Neat Image or similar.

Victoria's Inner Harbour
by KarenNfld

Comment by MelonMusketeer:
What I see first that looks a little out of right, is that the lights on the buildings are a overpowering the ambient light a little too much. I feel that you missed the narrow time window when that works right by a few minutes.
Shooting at f16 or 22 would have made the individual lights "star", and would have added to the shot IMHO. You may have shot at f4 on purpose to avoid that, so it was your call about that.
Otherwise, a beautiful scene, and well photographed.
Per your comment, those 3 flight changes in the air must have been quite a trick : )

Victoria's Inner Harbour
by KarenNfld

Comment by BeeCee:
I didn't even make into the freestudy for voting :(

This is a lovely capture. It's rare to see everything so still and, with all those lights, it's not as easy to shoot as one might think.

I agree with Jon :)

Set Your Spirit Free
by KarenNfld

Comment by timwest167:
Great texture and detail. The water and sky look quite menacing too. Very nice.

In the Bay
by KarenNfld

Comment by bobonacus:
Awesome shot, the buildings do give a great sense of scale and the red building adds great colour to the shot

Set Your Spirit Free
by KarenNfld

Comment by jgrieco:
The ice bergs add a lot of interest & pull the eye in. too bad they weren't bigger

Set Your Spirit Free
by KarenNfld

Comment by Alexgio:
Nice Photo