Lifesaving ringby
kirsty_mcnComment by Louis: Saw this picture in the "You want comments" thread.
This is a wonderful photograph that tells a story. The "life saving ring" in front of the lake has an immediate impact, although I have to admit that I only know it's a life-saving ring from the title. The angle of the "ring" versus the angle of the field against the lake, plus the echoing angle of the distant hills, really work well together. The very straight distant shore beneath the hill in my opinion enhances the effect. The small spray of grass seeds coming up in a kind of fan behind the ring and against the lake really frame the lower portion of the image excellently. There is a lovely soft glow above the distant horizon that frames well too, and the flat sky is a perfect complement to the very textured grass. For that reason, the slight mottling in the sky detracts slightly; a perfectly smooth sky would work better (jpg artefacting perhaps? That's really a pet peeve of mine, because it's so avoidable).
Colours are wonderful and understated, perfect for this story.
The bottom of the photo has some kind of unsettling border. I don't know why it's there, but it probably should have been cropped out, because it detracts from this wonderful picture. I also see something along the right edge, and also less so along the left edge.
All in all, I really like this picture. Congratulations.
Photographer found comment helpful.
