The sky can be an important part of the image. The hull detail of RX 273 does have a certain ageing feel to it but the off-white,
blank plank doesn't help with the rest of the colours or composition.
However, the the linear clouds against the blue sky do give the image a bit of a lift.
I used a polariser here to darken the blue of the sky,
although it is more difficult to use this sort of filter on a digital camera than on a normal SLR film camerahere..
These "net shops" are a very distnctive feature of Hastings old town.
The nets were hung up to dry whilst the fish was being sold.
As you can see from the shadows (including mine) the sun was quite low. However, this is basically just a record shot.
A judge would probably want to see it from a viewpoint further to the right, where the diagonal side lighting would throw up more detail in the wooden planks.
I haven't put this one into a competition yet, but it is the sort of thing I would consider.
The saturated colours of the buoys in the forground are complemented by the fishing boat and the lighthouse in the background.
The black (plastic bag) flags on the buoys fill in parts of the "ordinary" sky, which would otherwise be a bit boring and give the image a bit of life.
The only downside is that this image might be considered a bit cluttered or "busy".
Judges normally like simplicity in an image.
I liked the jumble of empty fish crates next to RX83, which has picked up a bit of a warm glow from the setting sun.
I also liked the distant herring gull, which is acually sitting on a lamppost, but which almost looks as though it is sitting on the crates.
...but perhaps a judge would say that the gull is a distraction.
The sky in this shot probably needs to be plain blue, to balance both the red crates and the darker blue strip along the hull of RX83.
I also felt that there was an association between the parallels of crate piles and the planking of the boat.
I expect that a judge would say that I have taken this shot at the wrong angle relative to the sun, which is nearly face-on to the hull... and have consequently lost the detail that would be thrown up by side lighting.
However, I like it because of the colours and shapes: round, orange of the buoys, the rectangular bright red and dark rust of the boat plus the rusty linear chains and blue (polarised) sky with white blobs of cloud.
I put a similar image on a slide into a competition and the judge commented that only a photographer would notice and bother taking such an image.
However, despite the judge liking the simplicity of the yellow and black, and the diagonal lines across the frame, I don't think it scored much more than 16 out of 20.
This isn't a very colourful image, but I do like the composition, with the three lever handles dominating the sky.
The detail on the cotrols handles is very clear. I didn't move the controls, they were in that position when I came across them.
I also included the out of focus fishing boats further along the beach, which I think enhance the atmosphere...
At last!... some wildlife. Hastings beach was overrun with Herring gulls.
There were a few turnstones, but the gulls were more obliging to photographers.
This one had noticed a family scoffing their fish and chips on the beach.
It had reasoned that they would eventually leave enough unguarded to make its wait worthwhile.
I took several shots.
The main difficulty is the lighting on the white feathers, which quickly burn out.
Digital cameras are not generally good with feather detail at the best of times.
I think that the cliffs in shadow in the background make the gull stand out, almost in 3-D
The rusting headlamp and bodywork of the bulldozer were what took my fancy here.
The unbroken glass almost seems at odds with the state of the rest of the picture.
The long shadows tone down the background and the waves tell the story of how the rust came to overwhelm the dozer.
I personally like the composition, although perhaps the lighting hasn't come over warm enough, despite it being taken at around 7:15pm.
This crab is one of a series of welcoming signs on the main beach.
A judge would probably be quick to mention that this is "someone else's artwork, so what was the photographer's contribution?"
Well, I have,done a lot of jiggery-pokery.
I have cropped down the original (which had three lamp-posts each with a gull on top).
I then changed some of the colours, particularly the original grey surround to yellow and the eyes to light blue.
Next, I posterised the image and added a sandstone texture.
Probably it will never score a decent mark, but I did have fun doing it and I quite like the result, which I think is an improvement on the original..
Some more "wildlife" in the amusement arcades. The penny falls or 2p falls or possibly the 20p falls: it may be gambling a few pennies purely for amusement, but the concetration is intense!
I rested the camera on the glass top of the game and used a wide angle. The exposure was a fifth of a second. This was still fast enough to give quite a sharp image, so I added the blur to the hand and change-tub, on the right side of the picture,afterwards, to give it a bit more life.
Some of the background pink lights had burnt out to white, so I refilled in the worst bits with a cloned pink.
The background is overall a bit busy and distracting, but that's what arcades are like.
The original image of Hastings Castle wasn't particularly prominent.
I should have taken a different viewpoint with the arch/tower against the blue sky.
Using the coloured foil effect has turned the sky orange and the grass blue.
The archway is still not standing out well from the background, but perhaps more than it was.
Overall, the effect gives the semblance of a garish sunset (that'a why I've put it last!). Not the sort of effect to use very often, though
Please feel free to click on the link to see the work of other photographers in the
Ealing club
Please note that all images displayed on this site are ©Robbie Hildred 2005. All rights reseved.
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Thank you.