Sunset by the Boat

[Kyle]

Took these sunset shots when I was visiting my Aunt who lives on a small lake. I like them but I feel like something is not right in them. I couldn't get the angle for the shot I had in my head so these are the best I was able to get. All c&c welcome of course.

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[bugster0121]

Hi Kyle:

Hopefully one of the more experienced will chime n here but it seems to me that the images are exposed for the sky leaving the subjects dark in the foreground. If you were on automatic mode most censors expose the brightest spot.... On images like this i would recommend that you HDR then you should get something from both the foreground and the background. If you have lightroom or something similar you may be able bring up the foreground which may improve the images using the graduated filter.

Thanks for sharing

Tim

[Kyle]

Thanks for the reply Tim. I intentionally exposed for the sky. I wanted to get a silhouette in the foreground. The boat really wasn't much to look at so I figured it might look better darker.

I did shoot some that were exposed for the foreground but they don't look very good. HDR was not an option since I didn't have a tripod so I don't think could have pulled it off. I'll play around with the lighter ones and see if I can get anything out of them.

[Kyle]

Here's an edit of one that I tried to expose for the boat and flag.

[NorthernFocus]

Hi, Kyle. There is definitely potential there in that sky. Some nice clouds and color. Enhancing the contrast in post would help a lot. Regarding the boat/foreground, this may be a case of trying to make a purse from a sow's ear. The water is too rough to reflect the sky but not rough enough to add drama. And the silhouette of the boat isn't interesting enough to capture attention. It was a nice sunset. Purely from a photographic point of view, focusing your attention on how to best render the sky may have served better. For you personally, capturing the scene with the boat may have been really important. But for a viewer with no personal context, the boat doesn't add anything IMO.

[Kyle]

Thanks for the advice Dan. You're very right about the boat. I think the shot looked better in my head and I just couldn't quite capture the scene the right way, or maybe it really isn't interesting enough to make a good photo. Unfortunately, I'm not sure the sunset was nice enough to focus solely on it.

[NorthernFocus]

Something else to consider, Kyle, when dealing with something like this boat. Moving either closer or farther away could change the whole scene dramatically. Getting in tight and only showing some detail like the tiller, the reflected sky on a bit of brightwork, etc. can be effective. Similarly backing off and getting the overall silhouette of boat/dock/shoreline can work. The thing about silhouettes is that they suggest something that elicit different thoughts in different viewers based on individual experience. We can each mentally fill in the blanks of what's hidden in the shadows. But in a scene with partial detail, our attention goes to trying to figure it out and concentrating exactly where you likely don't want the viewer looking. Good that your eye is identifying opportunity. You just have to translate it to the image.

[Kyle]

I actually tried to get a few different angles. Nothing really turned out better than what I have already posted. I am trying to see different angles when I find photo opportunities. I'll get there eventually, just need to keep practicing. Thanks again for the advice.

[Geoff F]

Simple option, Kyle, crop tighter on the bottom to reduce the amount of dark area then possibly brighten the scene slightly, but not so much that the sky gets ruined.

More complicated option, because there is too much movement to have shot for auto HDR. Do two conversions as layers, one exposed for the foreground and the other for the sky. Then merge bits from the two layers using masking.

But requires suitable software and a little bit of knowledge/skill.

[Downrigger]

Really like your edit, Kyle - looks and feels cold and raw and big-sky northern. I think you did a nice job with that short (wide) focal length.

[Shadowman]

I actually like the shot where you exposed for the boat. I think if you eliminate the flag from the composition you'll have something.

[Kyle]

Thanks for the comments everyone. Seems like there is a lot of varying opinion on this one. I'll see what edits I can make to really get the most out of these shots.