I Need Your Opinion.

What I see first is the tree right smack in the center of the frame and then the branches from the second tree coming in front the right. Then I notice that the sub doesn't seem to fit in the frame. Also, all of the vertical lines are leaning about .5% CW.

Shooting rainbows is very hard. I was going through my hard drive recently and came across a series I shot last year over a steel mill. My first thought was that the shots would be awesome because the sky was beautiful and the scene on the ground was industrial. (And there was a moving train involved!) It is still on my hard drive, not on FAA, though I may get around to posting it eventually. The shot I took just did not translate into pixels like I thought it would.

Thank you Joseph!

Definitely a lot going on there but it is still a nice image. I think your gut feel on this was correct. The image is a bit cluttered and it isn't clear what the subject is. It's ok to have multiple elements in a photo, but there should be one subject (is it the tree? The sub?)

The extra elements should only be there if they add a bit of subtle detail (such as a nice rainbow in the background) or if they help guide the viewer to the subject. If they draw the eye away from what you have chosen to be your subject, then you should not include them.

I'd suggest deciding ahead of time what your subject is. Then, find a perspective that shows that object fully (eliminate the extra stuff from the frame). A nice rainbow in the background is fine. Some tree branches at the edges of the frame are fine, if they serve to center the viewer's eye on your subject. Distracting elements (such as a kid making a face at the edge of the frame) or obstructing elements (the tree in the center of your image) should be avoided.

You were probably a bit restricted because of the position of the trees. You can't very well cut down a tree to take a photograph, but it might have been better to step to the side a little, because that tree in the middle of the picture tends to obscure the view of the boat and rainbow. A different angle might work better too, to avoid the building in the background lining up with the top of the boat. I'd also remove that post thing - it isn't doing anything for the scene.

Having said that, you were lucky to get the picture at all - rainbows don't come along very often and when they do, they always add interest.

Edit to add: Was there a reason for the flag flying at half mast? If so, it would be something interesting to add to your description.

there is too much of everything. the tree is out of place and blocks the shot of the boats. the rainbow doesn't really fit into the theme. the post at the bottom should be removed, as well as that bush. it shows too much as a park otherwise. its not that sharp up close.

you have to figure out what the story is in this shot. the tree is smack in the middle, it tells me you were on the sidewalk and didn't bother to move past the tree at all. and because the trees is in focus, the rest is not. the bridge in the background is distracting. take it at a lower angle and the boat will block it. a better angle would be looking straight down its nose at a lower angle. the rainbow doesn't add, so i probably wouldn't bother with it. avoid trees and unrelated things, especially pieces of trees. you want to avoid the typical snap shot from vacation by removing anything that doesn't fit the main story.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com