Hand in Hand

[WereUThere]

Hi Guys! I’m a newbie and I’ve just got myself a 30D after much consideration. Here’s one of my shot from my trip to Surfer’s Paradise, Australia. I would like your most honest comments from all u pros out there! I’ve already cropped the original image so the emphasis would be on the father and son instead of the sunrise. But is it working? Or would it be better if I zoom in a lil more? I wanted to show the sunrise, but found the 2 subjs interesting. TIA!

Handheld
0618 local time
f/20
1/400
Iso 100
50mm focal length

[nysheng]

u should have cropped further. i thought the pic ended where the dark part began.. and frankly i think it should have ended there =)

[WereUThere]

Is this a better composition?

[sinkasa]

Originally Posted by WereUThere Hi Guys! I’m a newbie and I’ve just got myself a 30D after much consideration. Here’s one of my shot from my trip to Surfer’s Paradise, Australia. I would like your most honest comments from all u pros out there! I’ve already cropped the original image so the emphasis would be on the father and son instead of the sunrise. But is it working? Or would it be better if I zoom in a lil more? I wanted to show the sunrise, but found the 2 subjs interesting. TIA! Handheld 0618 local time f/20 1/400 Iso 100 50mm focal length

I would prefer the original pic.

The overall concept is nice but the sun is a tad to bright.

Also most importantly, the subject which is the woman and child, I cannot see them. You should move yourself such that the silloutte of the two is clearly seen.

You could probably do away with the black portion below.

just my opinion.

[WereUThere]

Thanks for ur comments..ha I've only got a 17-50 lens,so if i moved myself nearer to get a clearer silhouette, I would haf intruded into their space..ha

[night86mare]

Originally Posted by WereUThere Thanks for ur comments..ha I've only got a 17-50 lens,so if i moved myself nearer to get a clearer silhouette, I would haf intruded into their space..ha

Not really, even if you stand on their reflections (which imho are not necessary for what you seem to be trying to achieve), there's still a lot of space.

A simple way to make the silhouette stand out would be to take it from a lower angle, so that it would be against the sky not against the waves, which you should be avoiding like the blazes, since you are already underexposing significantly to achieve your effect.

Otherwise, I thought the moment at which you pressed the shutter was a very nice one, I like the positioning of the boy and the father, it really brings out the idea of father and son, and not just plain ol' silhouettes.

Another thought would be that (well you were there, not me, so I have to take your word for it) is that the silhouette -does- end up looking like the father is a lady because of the manner of shorts that he seems to be wearing, hee hee. =)

[espion]

the key element is the silhouettes which however is truncated ... so what do you think?

it could have been a better composition without these indistinct silhouettes and just sun, sky, sea and beach, albeit boring.

so lower your shooting angle as suggested or take 2 steps to the left so that the people are directly in the sun making the silhouettes distinct. The reflections are a nice echo then.

[WereUThere]

hi night86mare,thx for ur comments..ha that was the lowest i could have gone without putting my precious on the sand..ha and that is really the father cuz he's wearing those kinda board shorts,somewhat lk 3/4's and he's carrying a bag on his left

[sprintist]

Originally Posted by espion the key element is the silhouettes which however is truncated ... so what do you think? it could have been a better composition without these indistinct silhouettes and just sun, sky, sea and beach, albeit boring. so lower your shooting angle as suggested or take 2 steps to the left so that the people are directly in the sun making the silhouettes distinct. The reflections are a nice echo then.

This was exactly what I was feeling when I first saw it. The silhouette couldn't be made out distinctively and immediately causing strain to my eyes.

The shadows are great and like what espion suggested, to shoot at a lower angle. But then think again, I am not sure whether you can still include the shadows. Nevertheless, having a distinctive silhouette of the people is a better subject than their shadows on the ground.

[Autumnite]

it would be better if the silhouette shape is more defined from the background...

[WereUThere]

Hmm..Thanks for ur help guys..Can I just ask u pros out there shooting wif digital..do u guys compose the picture in ur viewfinder then wait for the right moment to fire the shutter or do u guys juz keep firing away and select the best shot?
When i took this picture,I only intended to capture the sunrise,but this father and son came into the picture so i thought it'll make a gd foreground interest