The Old Fishing Platform

[Donald]

40D, 17-85 IS USM @ 17mm. ISO 100. 1/45@f8. 16:18

This is way off the beaten track and somewhere I pass when we look after dogs. It's a place I take them for a walk.

I think it's an old fishing platform - in the days when the area was probably a big sporting estate (huntin' shootin', fishin'). Can't think of any other reason for it being where it is.

Anyway, today has been dreich (old Scots has some lovely descriptive words) - grey damp, misty. The sort of day where you get cold and wet. But I got this in a number of variations on a theme that I'm going to work on.

[carregwen]

Very good, Donald. I like its sense of eerie foreboding. Good conversion

[Wirefox]

Donald

As you know I am not the greatest fan of fluffy water and receding jetties but this one is edgy and not at all fluffy bunny. Excellent work you must be very pleased with this one

Regards

Steve

[Donald]

Thanks guys. It's been so long since I had the camera out of the bag that I had to remind myself which end to point at the subject! So, it was good to get back in harness, even if the weather was awful.

I was working quite quickly because of the drizzle. I got soaked as the jacket was being used to cover the camera on the tripod, but it was great fun. Think I've got another 2 or 3 out of the shoot (and they're not fluffy bunny ones Steve).

[Alis]

Wonderful, Donald! I totally agree with on the feel it gives out.

Since it is such a symmetric image, you may want to try to clone out the diagonal piece of "four by four" on the left bottom corner.

Also, revealing some of the mountains/hills in the background may add a lot to the composition. Not sure what and how much you have there in the background.

[Bootsy]

great photo i really like the feel of it

[Donald]

Thanks to you, Ali and Bootsy.

Ali - Note your point re the 4" x 4". Re:-

revealing some of the mountains/hills in the background may add a lot to the composition

That was mother nature at work, I'm afraid. Indeed, 10 minutes after this, you would barely have seen the end of the platform. It's at about 800/900 feet altitude and the cloud was very low and closing in. So that was as good as the visibility got.

[Shadowman]

Your decision to name the place gave it a bit of story telling. I can imagine this as one of those motivational posters where the goal has obvious obstacles.

[Klickit]

Donald, I love, love, love this. Such a strong composition, but you do seem to have a good eye for that. The dapply raindrops falling on the water are beaut too. And the transition from the hard foreground interest to the soft and gentle distance. I'd clone out that pesky bit 'o wood, too, but not the grasses seen on either side, as they anchor the whole thing and give some extra texture.

Psst....dare I say it, but it looks like hdr b & w.

[Donald]

Psst....dare I say it, but it looks like hdr b & w.

Go and wash your mouth out!!

Thanks for the comment. I don't have any of that software that's designed to merge images; i.e. what we have come to know as HDR software. If I need to blend more than one image, I do it the old-fashioned way, with layers masks and paintbrushes. But I prefer the GND's on the camera.