Digital Photography Composition of the WeekBelfast FishFinding interest in a photography composition that shows only part of the whole
Along the waterfront in Belfast, Northern Ireland, I found this sculpture, maybe 30 feet, or ten meters, long. The scales of the fish are made from ceramic I would like to have found an interesting angle to capture the entire fish, but the good light was on the side that put the water to my back. So, I ended up with a not so spectacular snapshot, at right. In this situation, the best alternative is to capture an interesting detail, which you see as the eye above.
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tiles that show historical pictures, newspaper clippings, and advertisements. 
Photo Critique |
This is an abstract composition that makes the viewer curious about what it is. Had I not given it away with the title and snapshot of the entire sculpture, it would have remained an elusive mystery. I often use abstraction in my photography composition to create interesting images and keep the viewer guessing. For the choice of where to place the eye in the image, I resorted to the rule of thirds. |
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Given the abstraction, the rule of thirds placement doesn't drive as much magic as in other photo compositions- I think the haphazard motion from the tile joints carries more of the compositional interest. I want to see more detail in the images and text on the tiles. This is where web presentation limits photographic quality. In the original five-megapixel image, more of the text is readable, and the image in the eye is somewhat clearer. |
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If you were to look at the exposure histogram for this image, you would see a pretty good distribution of tonal values, and the image has good contrast. But, it would benefit from more interesting lighting, such as glancing light from early morning or late evening to depth to the tile joints, as well as a bit more warmth. |
