Baby starfish on tunicate

[zan]

hiya

I took this last weekend in Loch Long, Scotland and would be interested to hear what you think. I like the simplicity, but would it be better with more of the starfish in view? I can't decide!



Thanks!
Zan

[DDT uk]

Personally I think that the lightness of the starfish compared to the background makes it stand out nicely. I think that I would though crop off some of the top, left hand side and a little of the bottom. Just to try to move the focal point of the picture away from the centre.

But then, after the savaging I got from one of the topside judges in a print competition this week, I wouldn't trust too much of what I say. I will add that she did describe one of my shots of a turtle with a diver in the background as another one of those aquarium pictures

[Cussy]

I think this is a strong image. I agree with Daniel that I would crop at least a tenth off of the bottom as the out of focus bits distract just a little too much. The lighting is spot on.

I would also add that if you didn't say it was a baby starfish I would have been confused by this image as to the tunicate was, it's still not that clear. So for a non-diver they may just think it's a big starfish on a bit of rock.

This is more my sort of image. Sometimes you want shots of creatures that don't fill the frame.
HTH,
Rob

PS enter this into a camera club and you'll get loads of comments about reflections from aquarium glass

[DDT uk]

As Rob said, I think a decent amount of dead space is what makes the picture. Too close at it really becomes just another starfish.

The trouble with dead space is that some judges just do not seem to appreciate it. They want to crop everything right down and this just complete misses the point. I really do think that its value is so under estimated.

[triplefin]

Originally Posted by DDT uk

As Rob said, I think a decent amount of dead space is what makes the picture. Too close at it really becomes just another starfish.

The trouble with dead space is that some judges just do not seem to appreciate it. They want to crop everything right down and this just complete misses the point. I really do think that its value is so under estimated.

couldn't agree more

[Cussy]

One thing with a shot like this is it will look fantastic as an A4 or A3 sized print, a lot better than on a computer. With a large print you automatically get closer to look at the detail in the starfish, and from a distance you get the beauty of the dead space. Often if you have a lot of subtle detail in the shadows a print works much better.
Rob

[zan]

thanks guys, I'm glad I'm not the only one who likes this! Unfortunately I'm at the point in my photography where I know I like\dislike things but have no idea why! Still, I'm learning!

I prefer the photos I've got that keep the animal in context, which usually involves giving them space (although I probably leave too much). Most of the comments I get on e.g. flickr are to crop in really close and it's nice to hear other opinions for a change!

How about this for a crop?



Cheers

Zan