As one who also likes things nautical and rusty I thought I would jump
in with some thoughts at the last minute. I grabbed a screen shot so
people might still know which picture I'm talking about when the new
gallery is posted: http://img.skitch.com/20090509-kibhexhgjkpca7w4gwm3w73e4g.jpg
Bob said, "There was a busy street behind me and I wasn't able to move
around much. I know it's not much more than a snapshot and wonder how
I could make it better." Well, I can think of many changes.
Composition, lighting, timing, content and framing among them. The
tilted horizon has already been mentioned.
Composition--Capt. Dexter is in the middle of the frame. This is good
if you're the boat's owner and want a record shot to show what's on
offer when you put it up for sale. For generating interest in a
composition, not so good. I'm not sure what you could do in this case
as your mobility was limited, so that brings up...
Framing. With a longer lens you could have come up with something
like this: http://img.skitch.com/20090509-ffgfiduiwh8584xud6tucni9we.jpg
Often it's not necessary to show a whole thing to give an
impression of its essence. In this case the rusty boat would actually
have occupied more of the frame than in your original photograph of
the entire boat, yet you would only have included a part of it. Less
is more.
Lighting. Midday light is rarely helpful in making a photograph
interesting. Unless you're a photojournalist with no choice as to
when events take place, it might be nice to choose another time of
day. Early morning or near sunset could add some interest in the form
of shadows and highlighting. Even after sunset could be fun.
Examples of mine:
After sunset: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/22/35520942_2faf5cc28b_o.jpg
After dark: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/33/43084589_f946dc1902_o.jpg
Timing. Other than time of day, maybe something else to add interest
in the frame like a passing small boat or more dramatic clouds in the
sky. With any luck a cloud would pass just right to keep Capt. Dexter
fully lit while casting its shadow on the somewhat cluttered background.
I hope this was helpful.
Cheers,
Rich
Bob Sull - Capt Dexter
