Tide's Out

This is a great shot of an obviously abandoned boat, left to the mercy of time and tide. The composition of the picture is well balanced in vertical thirds, with interest for the eye in each third. The moody looking sky offers contrast to the old and weathered planking of the boat, well picked out in sharp detail here. But what I particularly like is the lower third which perfectly fits the brief, being exposed only when the tide is out. The seaweed on the ropes, securing the boat, clearly informs that they have been submerged on a regular basis and that the boat has not moved for some time. The whole bottom half of the picture gives the impression of being regularly flooded, then exposed with the movement of the tide. The whole is a stunning well produced piece. A great capture. Well done and thank you. Thanks also to all those who entered photos into my competition, and to those who took the time to rate them.

I found this photo quite thought provoking, The photographer suggests that the flowers may perhaps have been discarded after a lovers tiff. However, I wondered whether they may have been cast into the water by a person who had lost a loved one at sea. They had then been washed up here. Either way, the position of the flowers, as foreground interest to the left of the photo, with the castle on the horizon to the right, makes for a striking photograph.

I chose this photo because I kept coming back to it during the review process. It is not strictly on the brief I set out, but the tide is indeed out! However the strong leading lines (literally) took my eye down and into the picture and out along the line of the pier to the edge of the sea. I found this most compelling. Well done.

I think this was the most surprising photo I reviewed. Of all the things I expected to see on the rocks, when the tide was out, it wasn't a bear ! This is a great action shot, my only minor criticism is that I might have wished for the bear not to fill the whole shot, so that there was more information on its surroundings, to give me a sense of place or context, in which the photo was taken.

Where I live in Chichester Harbour, has large expanses of mud flats which attract many wading birds when the tide is out. I hoped for some original shots of wading birds with this brief and this photo does not disappoint. This is an excellently timed shot of a bird catching a worm, with both the subject and the worm in sharp focus. Even to the extent that the water droplets from the worm are visible. This capture must have taken quite some time and patience out there on the mud ! Key to a successful capture of such photos is to get the bird's eye looking at you, and in sharp focus. This is well demonstrated here. Thank you.