Sentosa Boardwalk

[cyanide24]

Hi, C&C welcome.

1. in what area is critique to be sought? Composition, Colours, Post Processing, any others. 2. what one hopes to achieve with the piece of work? Just a nice inviting photo to Sentosa Boardwalk. 3. under what circumstance is the picture taken? (physical conditions/emotions) Windless warm night. 4. what the critique seeker personally thinks of the picture Some distractions (leaves) in the foreground.

 

[foxtwo]

Let me ask some questions.

1) Identify your main subject on the photograph.
1.1) Is it an attractive subject? Is it obvious to those viewing that it is the main subject?
1.2) Is there anything distracting around it?
1.3) Is it well lit? Does it contrast well against its background?

Read through your own answers, you should be coming up with even more questions in reply.

 

[ZerocoolAstra]

1) Composition looks messy: no focal point. Many distracting elements, eg. leaves in the foreground, orange light along left edge, etc.
2) Very dark. Lots of large areas of black.

 

[melissacsy]

it is a good try! but you might wish to leave the shutter speed for a longer time, probably try bulb, to let the photo look more 'fresh' in a way! i agree that this photo is too messy as the trees got into the way and the word 'sentosa' didnt really stand out. in addition, you might want to obey the rules of third to give a more artistic look!

 

[cyanide24]

Let me ask some questions.

1) Identify your main subject on the photograph.
1.1) Is it an attractive subject? Is it obvious to those viewing that it is the main subject?
1.2) Is there anything distracting around it?
1.3) Is it well lit? Does it contrast well against its background?

Read through your own answers, you should be coming up with even more questions in reply.

Hi Foxtwo,

Thanks for taking time to critique.

1.1) I guess the main subject is the Sentosa word. But I agree that it is not too obvious. I was trying to use the sidewalk to lead to Sentosa word
1.2) From my vantage point, I can't take away the distracting trees.
1.3) I think the subject is quite well lit.

Any advice on how the composition can be improved?

Thanks.

 

[cyanide24]

1) Composition looks messy: no focal point. Many distracting elements, eg. leaves in the foreground, orange light along left edge, etc.
2) Very dark. Lots of large areas of black.

Thanks for your critique.
Will take note of them.

The orange lights along left edge was there to lead to the Sentosa word.
Guess it didn't work too well.

Thanks.

 

[kei1309]

Thanks for your critique.
Will take note of them.

The orange lights along left edge was there to lead to the Sentosa word.
Guess it didn't work too well.

Thanks.

at this angle you can't see the words on the signage properly. even with leading lines, the subject is not obvious. even if next time you get a clear shot of the words, remember to keep the frame neat and clean, rather than have things popping out all over the place.

 

[foxtwo]

Hi Foxtwo,

Thanks for taking time to critique.

1.1) I guess the main subject is the Sentosa word. But I agree that it is not too obvious. I was trying to use the sidewalk to lead to Sentosa word
1.2) From my vantage point, I can't take away the distracting trees.
1.3) I think the subject is quite well lit.

Any advice on how the composition can be improved?

Thanks.

Caught me by surprise there. With your title and description I thought your subject was the boardwalk. In any case, since the Sentosa word is the main subject, you have to figure out what's the attraction of the word and how to bring it out in the best way. Distance makes scale of subject a problem, not to mention from this angle the word is slanted and can't be seen clearly. You might also think the subject is well lit but it actually isn't. Depth in an image is very important lest things look flat & 2D. Utilising certain composition techniques like leading lines help, but it has to work hand in hand with good usable lighting. Depending solely on fixed artificial lighting whilst outdoor is usually disastrous, I cannot agree with the look. For example, SENTOSA spotlights only purpose is for lighting up from the front. Anything will look lousy when solely lit from its front. Frontal lighting offers little depth and no surface texture. Different brands or types of artificial lighting also give issues with white balance.

Always try to work artificial lighting with daylight; 'floating' lights are not attractive, pitch black inky darkness is also unattractive. You should shoot before it gets completely dark for sky & subject separation, it will also help light up the top of the trees or anything the street lamps and spotlights do not hit.

A second point, in case you were trying to aim for a simple composition by using the darkness to hide elements, it doesn't work that way. Firstly don't play hide & seek with the viewer, the pitch black is not consistent with floating lights in the background and the lights on the opposite bank are distracting. Secondly, simple compositions make good use of negative space. Negative space is not about 'leaving things in the dark'.
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Personally I'm not real attracted to the sign and really wouldn't be taking a photo of it.... if I must shoot for the sake of shooting then I'll probably do one that's up close and in the face.