Beach Runner

[Donald]

I liked the idea of the young woman bottom left juxtaposed with the harbour wall top right. However, some people will feel that we have two main areas competing for attention in the diametrically opposed corners and that it doesn't work.

What do you think?


40D, Sigma 120-400 F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS @400mm. ISO 100. 1/1000@f5.6

[stardelta]

Donald for me this works really well, my eyes are drawn to the young woman, then to the water, which she is approaching.
Then as the water comes in, my eye drifts to he harbour wall.
It works really well because,the young woman is the sharpest point in the scene, and due to your skill the water and harbour wall are nice and soft on the eye.
As usual a superb image.

[Geoff F]

I suppose cropping tighter so the wall is about the same size as the runner might be worth trying.

[Shadowman]

It depends on how a person reads a photograph. If read from right to left, the rock formation can serve as a leading line towards the femaler runner. If read from left to right it leads our eyes out of the photograph. I think if more of her shadow was in the frame it would really throw the eyes around the image.

[JPS]

Donald,
I may be in the early stages of learning; but I still know what I like and this picture is very much too my liking.
I agree with the lady being sharp and the harbour and sea nicely softened, I think it works well.
Congratulations.

[MrB]

I agree with all the positive comments in these replies, Donald. However, I also wonder - where is she going?

Philip

[speedneeder]

Looks good to me Donald. I wonder, is there any more to the frame on the left? I want to see just a little more space there.
Do you think a lower perspective might add some interest?
Thanks for posting.

[Donald]

Thank you all for, as always, the helpful comments. It's always good to get the perspective of others so that you can check out/confirm/amend your own thinking.

I wonder, is there any more to the frame on the left? I want to see just a little more space there.

No. What I normally do when shooting for a square image, is have the camera in portrait orientation; i.e. up-and-down. I compose using what is then the bottom, left edge and right edge of the viewfinder/backscreen (when in Liveview) and know that what I'll be cropping is from the top. So, there is nothing more to the bottom, left or right. What's gone is all from the top.

I know people say you should really build the composition around the centre, because of any quality drop-off at the edges. But that would mean being able to 'see' both the bottom and top of the final image in the screen .... and that's too hard for my little brain. It's easier if I just have to envision one of the edges, i.e. the top, with the other three actually being there. I suppose you could train yourself to do it, but I'm not sure the quality difference makes it worth the effort.

[speedneeder]

You know, looking at this again today, I take back my comment on subject placement. Looks good.
Though now I'm thinking that the rock and the surf seem to have some weird looking edges? Is that a sharpening artifact?
LOL, not to worry, I'm sure it will look great tomorrow

[Donald]

You know, looking at this again today, I take back my comment on subject placement. Looks good.
Though now I'm thinking that the rock and the surf seem to have some weird looking edges? Is that a sharpening artifact?
LOL, not to worry, I'm sure it will look great tomorrow

Thanks, Brian.

No, it's not sharpening. All those areas got was capture sharpening in DxO at the RAW stage. If there is something weird in there, it might be a 'feature' of the lens?

[Daisy Mae]

I LOVE it!

Is it one from Crail?

It has an American 'feel'...if that makes sense.

[Donald]

I LOVE it!

Is it one from Crail?

It has an American 'feel'...if that makes sense.

Thank you ma'am.

No, it's St Andrews. Just at the very start of West Sands with the fairway of the 1st hole on the Old Course just at my back. The American 'feel' must come from all those US dollars swimming about in the hotels of St Andrews and that are developing the property overlooking the 18th Green.

Once I left St Andrews early last Saturday morning, I headed for Crail. Watch this space!

[speedneeder]

You don't see kind of a double edge on the rock?

[Armand]

I wonder how it would have been at F/20-ish. Also I feel that the woman should have been just a little more on the right, a bit more centered. Just my 2 cents.

[Donald]

I wonder how it would have been at F/20-ish. Also I feel that the woman should have been just a little more on the right, a bit more centered. Just my 2 cents.

Your 2 cents worth is as welcome as anyone else's 2 cents worth and your views as legitimate and important as anyone else's.

On the question of aperture, if I'd used something way down at f20 or similar, that would have put everything into focus. My idea was very much to throw the background out-of-focus so that our attention would, primarily, be put onto the young woman. I wanted the background to be very much the supporting part of the image.

My thinking about the composition was that if she was more to the right (and indeed she doesn't sit on any of the 'thirds'), there would have been too much space then on the left and the balance with the wall in the background that I feel exists, would have been lost.

That was what was going on in my head.

[Armand]

Okay, but then you might try to strengthen the bokeh a little bit, because now she's in focus, but at F/5,6 the other part of the picture isn't too blurry, maybe use PS to blur the background a little more would make the girl stand out more. But I like the captured moment. By the way I've never shot at that long focal length - 400 mm but I was expecting more bokeh at 400, even at 5,6.

[paul17]

I like the fact you had the time to compose the shot I take she was moving I to wonder where she is going, the fact that rock is diffused works as I am left wondering can she get round the rock at the bottom and what is the other side. I may break some traditional rules but as a nice diagonal line from bottom left to top right which what is drawing the eye in.

(omg sounds like I know what I am talking about)

[Donald]

Paul

Thank you for commenting. What you say makes perfect sense - So you do know what you're talking about

I like the fact you had the time to compose the shot I take she was moving

This is one of those where you compose the shot and wait (and hope) that the subject (the runner) goes into the place in the frame that you want her to. I could see what she was about to do; i.e. go onto the beach and start running. There was only one direction she could go in, so there was a reasonable chance she would go to where I needed her.

[blakemcguire]

I like the focusing as is. It's not a portrait, so the details at the back add to the picture in my opinion. Wonderful shot, 400mm's are fun to work with, eh?

[MrB]

I agree with all the positive comments in these replies, Donald. However, I also wonder - where is she going?

I like the fact you had the time to compose the shot I take she was moving I too wonder where she is going...

This is one of those where you compose the shot and wait... There was only one direction she could go in...

This is a fine composition Donald, and nothing needs to be changed.

It is, however, the picture's "story" that is still something of a mystery. Why would the girl run straight at the sea?... wearing headphones?... wearing socks and shoes?... why only "one direction" - why not run along the beach?... is she meeting someone not in view?... where did she go?

Just curious!

Philip