Hard to know what your concept was. The lighthouse seems almost irrelevant as photographed but maybe it is important to your concept. Can you relate what you were hoping to express?
Like Judith, I am a little puzzled by this image. Partly because of the short focal length, it seems overwhelmed by the exaggerated bulk of the cleat (or pylon, or whatever it is called). There is a leading line to the lighthouse, but the line is near the top border, and because of the perspective, the lighthouse is tiny.
Hi Judith and Dan,
Just trying a bit of "deep focus" photography, I feel the two subjects have a direct relationship to each other; both a way of protecting ships. Thanks for commenting.
To me, this is a bollard.
I can see potential in the idea, but find those railings overly distracting.
Hi Geoff,
I thought the railings would give an interesting added element; instead they added issues although while taking the photograph they too gave me some protection from falling over the edge. In a reshoot I would probably shoot through the railing rather than over it.
Hi John,
Yes, a bit puzzling. To me, the important elements are the light, the empty harbor and the moody low hanging clouds.
So I'm wondering - suppose you cropped the right half, say, cutting off the fence and splitting the cleat, making the image much more vertical, and maybe a bit off the bottom; and then, with the light in the background, no boats in the water and no rope on the cleat, plus the moody overcast, I can see the completely empty harbor being be a "closed for the winter" sailing harbor.
Just dreaming, John. Thanks for sharing.
Zen
Hi Zen,
Thanks for comments and suggestion, the edit is doable and I'll see how it looks, I think if there was a boat in the water it might obscure the lighthouse unless I timed it correctly as it entered the frame; although if I had a focal length smaller than 24mm I might be able to fit all within the frame.
I agree that the cleat and lighthouse have a relationship, though I see that as shape more than conceptual. Comments that others have made about reframing have potential. Hope you will try again!
I too had a little confusion, until i read your clarification; i think a suggestive caption would have saved the situation
I suppose you could try a fairly substantial crop of the right side to reduce the amount of railings but leave the bollard base plate intact. End up with a vertical widescreen size, maybe something like 1 x 2 ratio?
That is exactly what I was thinking about, John.
if this is someplace you go from time to time (Lake Ontario), it might be worth trying it with a longer focal length to avoid the perspective distortion on the bollard. Just a thought.