The Cross

[manthos]

I felt this one was a little more special, so I post it seperately. Any feedback is welcome. Thanks for viewing!

[Donald]

Giannis

I wondered if there was too much dissociation between the two people - that they are two far apart to be part of the same picture?

I actually wondered if there were two pictures in this - one of the woman lying in the surf and another of the man? If you split the image across the centre, there are, arguably, two images in it.

I think your control of the tone and the light is very good and the conversion brings out a wonderful richness and depth in the scene.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Giannis,

I couldn't think what to say, but Donald has solved that problem I think.

If shot from a step or two backwards (or move the lady forwards), it could solve that issue and also not crop the shadow - however, these are only my interpretation and you may not see either as an issue.

One more thing, cloning out a handful of splashes in front of his left arm would give a stronger cross shape.

You're spot on with the timing though, well done.

Cheers,

[manthos]

Thank you both for the comments.

Indeed, there are two pictures in this. I tried to crop it just to have an idea of what it would look like. I also tried to remove one figure. In both my tries the result just didn't look right. In my eyes the connection between the two people may be vague but it's there. Perhaps it could be emphasized more by giving more space to the bottom of the picture as Dave suggests.

[Donald]

In my eyes the connection between the two people may be vague but it's there.

And that, I think, is a hugely important statement and one that all of us need to note and remember.

We were not there. We do not know these people. We do not know what they mean to the photographer (Giannis).

And if we hold to the notion that a great photograph must have the photographer in it - his or her emotions and feelings, then we must always respect the photographer's right to present the image that he or she had in their mind when they captured the photograph.

Sometimes we will feel that the idea that the photographer had has worked beautifully and will all, equally, appreciate the work of art. At other times, we might not understand or agree with the photographer's vision. That is fine, so long as we don't try to insist that the photographer is wrong, but just say that we might have a different view.