What Is Your Opinion?

From this tiny picture, I cannot see anything wrong with it technically. And who doesn't love a beautiful sun over the ocean. :) But I do wonder why I would be interested in it. What are those posts? I find them a bit jarring/dominating and unless the posts represent something personal to me, I am not sure what to think. Maybe if the posts would of interest to someone because of their purpose the title can be compelling?

Hi, Melissa,

I think your landscape is actually a seascape! :-)

The posts speak to me; I like them and think they're situated nicely within the space. However, I think they'll benefit greatly from an appropriate title tie-in. Viewers will want to know why they're part of the scene.

One of my own seascapes shows two pilings front and center -- but you expect to see pilings there, so viewers easily accept them as part of the scene. Your enigmatic posts could use just a touch of explanation.

Best of luck -- it's a lovely image!

nice if the loupe was on. its ok. i'm not much for seascape. there isn't much of a subject in here, without the description i would have no idea what those things were or how large. if taken with a mean looking storm in the background, i think that would tell the story better.


the story is long in this, with too many technicals. if this was supposed to be a part of the house, i'd like to see more house, a few steps or something like that. otherwise its some wood for the most part and its a bit distracting.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

A word that comes to my upon seeing this fine, to me, evocative photograph :

"Sentinels"

Not a landscape

Melissa,

This shot just sold again:



It has sold many times before along with other seascapes.

You're relatively new here. Over a period of time you'll learn who to listen to, who to ignore. Opinions are just that - and they can be wrong.

Not every picture has to tell a story, elicit a response, trigger an emotion, or explain itself or its components.

Sometimes people just like to look at pretty, relaxing scenes.

And that's what your shot is. Simple, good composition, uncluttered, great soft processing and superb reflections on the water and on the sand. Keep up the great work.

those are pilings..... very common .... used to secure boats. I like it!

seascapes/landscapes usually won't have a story. its about wanting to be there. i can't imagine too many people wanting to stand behind a post.

---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

... and sometime people spend all day in this forum and just want to argue. You'll learn to ignore that, too.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter whether I nor anybody else likes the image.

What matters is what YOU think about it. Do you like it? Did you enjoy taking it and processing it? Are you happy with the results? If so, then it's brilliant. That's all that matters.

Correct me if I am wrong, but a "critique" or "feedback" thread is designed for people to give their honest opinions so that the OP can listen with an open mind and have it help them improve.

I wouldn't ask for a critique or feedback if I thought the image was perfect and without flaws. What's the point of that?

As Abbie says, if you just want a "pat on the back", your thread should say "Tell me what you like about this image..."

I don't think Melissa was just looking for only positive feedback...

Mike you need to get out more. The shot is very inviting, I can certainly see myself standing there. It's a good photo, as Dan said, simple and good composition.

Is it a landscape or seascape. It's both.

that's your opinion chuck.

remove the wood, its just a bland background. the wood itself doesn't add much to the shot. you can like it as much as you want... i don't. i think there should be more. she asked for a critique, i gave that. if you don't like it, too bad.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

So now instead of this thread being constructive to the OP, it's about attacking other people's opinions. It's about people who think that it is their job to only allow positive feedback to other artists. That any critique, no matter how helpful, is wrong unless it is complimentary.

Good luck Melissa!

Having spent most of my life living in homes beside the ocean, I have a visceral reaction to ANY seascape. If you think about it, the infinite moods of the ocean reflect the spectrum of emotions within us. Melissa captured one of them beautifully.

If someone asks for a critique on one of their images we should do just that.
We should not go on to disagree with what someone else says about it after they have given their time freely to help a fellow artist.
We are all entitled to our own opinion and we will all have different views on the same image.
A critique can have good or bad points or both.
I would not like to only have good points on my images if there are also bad points as well.How would we improve if we thought we were perfect.
Now to the image in question.Why are the posts there? Are they part of an old jetty that has got washed away in a storm.Is there a story to go with them?

Roy, I was just about to come in to officially 'interfere' but I don't need to. Your post is exactly what I was about to say.

Stop arguing with other people and just critique the image.

Melissa, many years ago when living at the seaside, I fell on a breakwater and got rushed to hospital bleeding profusely all the way. This brought back the memory of that but not in a bad way. I had been having such fun before standing on one foot at the top.

People cannot tell what's in another's heart and why a photo may attract.

Technically I'm not going to critique as I'm not a photographer. But aesthetically, I love it.

Wow Mike, what did I do to provoke that kind of response? I was teasing you a bit, but you took it too seriously. Maybe you had nails for breakfast this morning? Yes, it's all just opinions. It's like having a nose...

The posts, why do we need an answer to what they are? That's part of the photo, it's leaving us with questions that is. And that's what makes it work.

@Sharon on the flip side to your comments, a complimentary critique does not constitute a bad critique.

Without the posts the image would just be a surf sunset. I like it with the posts and I do not need an explained reason for their being. Sometimes I want my imagination to make up the story, people need more images like this to get their minds thinking.

I can hear the surf lapping the shore and rolling around the posts making patterns in the sand that are unique as their being there. I don't care they are there and would enjoy seeing their interaction with the surf.

The final minutes of a beautiful day on the beach. Too many look for hidden meaning in art, enjoy it for it's beauty.

the thing is, all too often when i critique something - more times then not i get a critique of my critique. its probably because i don't pad it, sugar coat it or compliment it. and the others feel they have to smooth it over for me by praising the image. but i think if someone wanted a critique then they want to know what people think. kidding or not, it puts down my efforts at rating something.

you can have a differing opinion without putting down someone else's thought.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Melissa,

I have a thing about skies and shooting the ground. Your shot is very very good. But your main focal point is the ground.

No matter how nice what is on the ground or whatever the focal point is the ground.

I often SUGGEST that photographers set up the horizon below the midway point of the composition. Then ever so slightly tip the back of the cameria downward so that there are now two focal points. One will be the horizon and the other just above the horizon. This sets up a tension between earth and sky. The image would be far more dynamic.

The sky stretches much further out than the ground. That is why it is much more dynamic to set up that tension.

In fact you are a very good photographer.

Dave

What ever Mike. I did not put down your thought. Take it anyway you want. Like you never put anyone's opinion down...

Mike,

You are coming in with the attitude that you will be the last man standing. Knock it off.

Dave

"mike you should get out more"...


dave, mind your own business. your not an op.


---Mike Savad
http://www.MikeSavad.com

Mike, I think that part of reason why people sometimes rush in to try to mitigate your critiques is that those who are new to the site don't know that you aren't being deliberately mean. You do offer straight up opinions that can sound quite harsh though they are usually right on. I've never had the nerve to ask you to critique any of my stuff but if I did and you cut me to the bone, I know you well enough to understand that it's not a personal attack. New people do not know that but hopefully they will come to realize that you have taken time away from your own work to try to help them.

Here's the really important thing to know about critiques. Every word in this thread has value. It's up to the photographer (critiquee?) to determine what to apply and what to ignore. As already stated this is all just opinions. All we can do is share our thoughts. Either way Melissa you will grow as a photographer.

stop

What part of stop did you all not understand? Stop! Now!

This thread is not about you!

Okay, I'll break my no critiquing rule and weigh in on this one. I think the image has great movement, a subtle "S" pattern to the composition. I love the mood, it's definitely evocative. I'm not a big fan of the posts, they do provide some good contrast to the softness and horizontal orientation of everything with their near verticality and hard edges, however I think the contrast is too strong, somewhat jarring given the softness and subtlety of the rest of the scene. I do think that interest would be lacking a bit without the posts but it would still be a good image. If there was a way to play down the posts, make them not stand out so much I think it would improve the image.

To me,

It's the chamfering of the 2 posts that makes all the difference...It transforms the 2 posts into "Sentinels" confronting the horizon and the sun

To me the seascape looks out of focus or did you use a soft focus filter....like an impressionist painting...I would prefer the image to be sharp and not soft focus, but that's just my opinion.

It is a very nice photo. Your portfolio has a bunch of them. You have a good eye...don't let someone's opinion change what you do...even though you asked for it..the irony.
You have been here since January and have almost a 100 followers and 2000 views. I have been here since december and have 4 followers and 950 or so views. Are you trying to make me feel bad? Not very nice....lol.

Beautiful photo, Melissa. If it hasn't already been mentioned, I think you should call this a seascape. The posts look like legs to a pier that has been washed away, and in that way, the composition is interesting to me.

Interesting aside perhaps.

If you look under the Subjects heading there are no seascapes. In fact you won't find seascapes under any of the titles, Shop, Collections, Subject, Art, Home, Tech, it is not there.

The nearest you can get to seascapes is under the title Subjects, and then the sub-title Landscapes and finally the sub-sub-title Beach.

Title: Kissed by the Sea. Kinda generic title (titles are really hard!) To me when I look at this I wonder, what were those wood posts originally? I think to myself, "What's left?" and try to imagine what was once there. If the title hinted at that in some way, then the imagination that I must use becomes a strong pull. That is the "communication" part of art. As some would say, the story in the photograph. You captured it well here.

Composition: Really strong verticals. Strong straight horizon line. Dark wave crossing the verticals. For the most part, the composition is about perpendiculars. But what I like is how there is also the zig zag compositional element of the waves, ending in the curved back wash over the rectangular piece of wood below the posts. Everything kind of leads to that spot, making it a good focal point. However, the posts are so dark against the horizon that they draw the eye very strongly upward, zooming out of the picture. Makes me wonder if the post tops were softer or lighter in value if they might let the eye drift downward more easily. There might be more of the story in that interesting piece of wood block.