Orange Reflections

by Lori Arnold
(Salt Lake City, Utah USA)

I like this photo, and being as that you say you are so picky...well, I find that a good thing!

I can take constructive criticism. That is why I am here, to improve my photography skills!



As sunsets go, this is very good.

There is some nice cloud to give the photo some interest. And there are some nice rich colours there too. The reflection is also a great element of this photo.

But this is another of those situations where I feel a little cold over this photo.

Why do I feel this way? Hard to pinpoint; but I am sure that part of the reason is, with sunsets being such popular subjects, there’s a lot of 'seen it before' going on in my mind.

And this is a lovely sunset, and technically there’s not a lot to fault here, but it does blend in with all the other sunsets that I’ve seen.

I’ve been to quite a lot of restaurants, and eaten quite a lot of steak. And I love treating myself to a steak, and I am rarely disappointed.

Then, one day, I had steak with anchovy butter. Wasn’t too sure they would go well together, but being the adventurous type I gave it a go. And it was fantastic!

Something that I had eaten for years, and enjoyed had suddenly been transformed from a nice meal into a real taste-bud-tickler!

The reason for telling this story is that Lori’s sunset is a good sunset, in the same way all those other steaks were good steaks. But it’s the one with anchovy butter that I remember. Lori’s sunset needs some anchovy butter!

It needs something that separates it form all the other worthy sunset pictures. But what?

Well, I wasn’t there at the time, but was there something that could have been used in silhouette in the foreground? Some wood poking up from the water? Perhaps even a friend stood on the left side, taking in the view?

This would have helped a little. I also think that some post processing could lift this photo a touch. Maybe increase the contrast, and then the saturation a little. And finally, sharpen the image. This would give it a little more punch.

All in all, this is a really nice sunset, and thanks Lori for submitting it. I hope there are a few tips here to help you add the anchovy butter!


Ed.
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