Photos Sunset over Lake

As I was driving around yesterday evening, this scene caught my eye. Unfortunately, the only camera I had with me was the one in my phone. Despite that, I decided to give it a try and see what I could get. The image has been cleaned up a bit, to disguise the fact that it came from a phone, but I haven't done anything to the colors or sharpness.

 

Still noisy and the resolution isn't up to much, but very nice shot, nonetheless.

 

Nice colours. I don't like the way the horizon is bang on in the middle - try cutting out some of that sky to make a more widescreen crop. I think that will look nicer.

 

I see what you mean, and I agree that I should have shot it with the horizon a bit off-center, but I'm not sure how much I can improve what I have. I went ahead and cropped it, but I think the horizon ends up even more perfectly centered:


Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot of resolution to play with. After I rotated to level the horizon, the image is only 1245x1002, and even the very original is only 1280x1024.

 

I'm voting for the original I don't really get Tomms post as the horizon is not bang on in the middle, but is now in the second. I like the slight displacement as it doesn't force focus in the horizon and the fact that you get all the blue in the sky as well which really does a lot for color contrast.
Don't crop!! ;-)

 

OleJ - Thanks. And I think you're right, the blue does a lot for the picture and far too much of it is lost in the cropped version.

 

Yeah I agree about the blue but I still think the horizon is too close to the middle. I would have squeezed the blue bit down so there was less sky but what was left was more blue. Also you could crop some of the blackness out at the bottom too if you want to try and get some 'thirds' into the composition. But then you're slicing even more pixels off the picture!

 

Tomm: That hadn't actually occurred to me. Here's an attempt at widescreen with most of the crop coming off the bottom:

 

The placement of the horizon is better in this 3rd one, but I still favor the first one. I think the big black helps create a calm scene.
Rules of composition and three and so forth are just guidelines. Good composition does exist beyond what is immediately not seen as sticking to the 'rules'. But perhaps that is just my opinion.

Why does it need to be obvious wide? It seems to me like trying to mimic a tight cultural definition of 'good taste'.