Distant Thunderby
cowboy221977Comment by JakeKurdsjuk: Critique Club Comment:
OK, nice sky, nice colors, nice scenery, making for a "nice" picture. But these elements are combined with a couple flaws in composition that I would consider rather considerable, causing me (and 55 others) to give this a 5.
Problem number one is the rather minor one that none of the various elements give you any grounding on a solid vertical or horizontal. Perspective combined with the rolling hills and the angle of the cannon leave me wondering if your one vertical line (the left cannon wheel) really should have been? Both wheels appear to be mounted slightly askew, so I'm wondering if a slight rotation to the right would have fixed this (I believe it helps).
Problem number two is the big one for me - cannon direction. The subject of a photo needs to have a way to interact with the rest of it, regardless of what it is. Unfortunately, your cannon flows directly off the left edge. Were it oriented even with the rotational issue, but facing left, it would improve this 100%. Had you walked to the left and composed the image so the cannon sat on the right 1/3 line instead of the left, it would improve this 100%. As is the entire image just points left.
It's not that the composition itself is off - the elements play straight into the rule of thirds - it's that the subject's direction within that composition doesn't play into the image, it plays out of it. If your subject was a person walking you want them to have somewhere to walk to within the photo, not look like they're walking out of it and you just caught them late. If they're staring you want their gaze to lead you through the photo not out of it. The cannon is pointing the viewer away from the rest of the photograph, and ultimately that keeps this from working.
Otherwise, the processing and compositional elements of this shot are all solid.
Photographer found comment helpful.
