AustralianPhotography

image doctor

Out Standing

Image Doctor: Early Morning Paddle

Photographer: Liam Hardy

Added: 29-Jul-12

Camera Type: Canon PowerShot SX110

Lens: In-built lens (Non-exchangeable)

Shutter Speed:

Aperture:

Adjustments: Vibrance/Saturation, Curve adjustment, Contrast boost, minor sharpening.

Photographer's Comments: This is one of my earliest and favourite photographs, taken at my local beach. This guy heads out for a paddle on sunrise almost every single morning, depending on the conditions!

Image doctor's advice

Hi Liam,

What a gorgeous sunrise… and the sort of morning that I would probably prefer to be out in the kayak rather than standing on the beach making the photo!

There is not a lot to grumble about this photo… perhaps my only two concerns would be the placement of the horizon line being rather low in the frame and also the paddler who is rather close to the left edge of the frame.

Almost by default, I would normally place the horizon line on the lower third of the picture and then place the paddler on the left third but like any guidelines of design, they should just be a starting point and not a hard and fast rule.

By placing the paddler close to the corner of the frame I feel that you have created some tension. Now, because this is your photo, it is really your decision as to whether you think you want this tension. I'll leave that decision to you!

Cheers, Anthony

reader comments
  • Hi Liam, Well I understand the comments made by Anthony, but I think you've nailed it! The tension that you've generated in this image is exactly what this paddler must be feeling... any further into the image and the tension will be lost and the image becomes just a lovely sunrise. As for the horizon placement, there's much more to be said for the detail in the sky than in the foreground water - so IMHO you've done the right thing. Well done.
    Rob on 28-Sep-12 07:10 AM

  • I agree with the comment about the paddler being close to the edge of the frame - I'd probably have waited a few seconds for him to move to about the left 1/3 before taking the shot. I disagree however with the comment regarding placement of the horizon - what's amazing about this image is the colour in the sky, the water in comparison is rather boring, not really reflecting the colours of the sky at all, so you really want the image to include a lot of that spectacular sky!
    Tim on 27-Sep-12 11:18 AM

Commenting

Hi, we welcome your comments.

You may comment as many times as you like. We approve and edit comments at our discretion. Do not send us comments that are:

  • abusive or malicious
  • off-topic or excessively long
  • blatantly spam.

By commenting you agree to our Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy . If you wish to alert us about a comment, contact us

Thank you and happy commenting!

add a comment







Leave this field empty

* Required field

Recent image doctor critiques

  • Not Talking

    Not Talking

    by Greg Harris

    This  is  a  nice  landscape,  though  it  could  be  even  better  if  you  could  pull  a  bit  more  life  out  of  those  lacklustre  clouds.  You  could  try  adding  a  graduated  more

  • Let Me Run

    Let Me Run

    by Kip Hobson

    I  don't  doubt  that  the  dog  is  itching  to  get  going,  but  as  for  feeling  cold,  that  sounds  more  like  you  -  quite  understandable  judging  by  this  shot.  This  captures  more

  • Rachel

    Rachel

    by Louise Bishop

    You  have  done  fine  to  get  those  skin  tones  looking  good,  and  the  shot  itself  is  nice  and  sharp.  Where  I  have  a  problem  is  the  use  of  flash  which  more

  • Untitled

    Untitled

    by Bob Shaw

    Yes,  you  can  be  quite  happy  with  your  result,  but  is  that  because  it  was  a  test  of  your  skills  or  because  you  really  liked  the  gimmicky  aspect  of  the  more