On 9/19/2017 10:38 PM, Ron C wrote:
On 9/19/2017 9:54 PM, PeterN wrote:
On 9/19/2017 7:55 PM, Ron C wrote:
On 9/19/2017 8:49 AM, PeterN wrote:

******* ...totally gigantic snip...

That is exactly my point. Some images need cropping, others don't.
It depends on what I am trying to convey.
I am showing that we really do not have different points on the
subject of cropping. That is: cropping is simply one technique for
conveying the **concept in an image. In the case of surfers, I am
conveying one concept, and you prefer to convey a different concept.
After our discussion I think I understand the concept you and Ron
like to convey. That said, I like to convey a different concept in
my images, than you. That does not make me wrong, nor does it make
you wrong. What would make me wrong would be if I did not convey
what I intended to convey.

I wrote a few responses, but discarded them because they
could have been construed as personally critical. Instead
I'll just this quick question:

Getting back to the beginning, what did you intend to convey
with your original post/photo?

I have a thick skin, and do not consider well intentioned comments
about my photography, as adverse personal criticism.
As can be gleaned from my original posting statement, I was protesting
against the long drift from photography.
As for what I intended to convey, it was simply a surfing wipe-out.
The Duck pointed out that I could have posted a better one, and you, I
think correctly, pointed out that my image was almost meaningless to a
surfer. I take my photography seriously,as it it the means by which I
forget about certain personal, and unpleasant realities. I do not, and
will not even try to sell my images, as that would be work. For the
same reason, I have refused several offers from stock publishers to
allow my images to be published. I do however, enter my images in
competitions, and some have done reasonably well in local and regional
competitions. I recently had some images accepted in an international
PSA competition. When making any image I usually try to please only my
taste. I inquired about surfers preferences, because I hope to shoot a
surfing competition, and donate the images to the organization running
the competition. I well appreciate that participants in various sports
can have preferences peculiar to that sport. Similarly, in my golfing
days, when I was shooting* images of holes for a local golf magazine,
in exchange for free rounds of golf, showed the subtleties that made
the holes desirable.


Convey a surfing wipe-out to what end? The way it came across
to me was an intent to ridicule incompetence. Your subject title
said novice surfers, and later you said the surfers out there weren't
very good. Later you said you weren't a surfer, thus suggesting
you had no idea of the difficulty of any of what they were doing.

I should add that perhaps I was expressing my disappointment that with
such good wave action, I did not see a higher level of surfers.
Although I have never surfed in my life, that was not the first time I
have photographed surfers. To my eye the balance and poise I have seen
on prior occasions was missing.


My suggestion is to know your audience. What's a great shot
to you may not be a great shot for that audience. I haven't looked
at a surfing magazine in years, nor do I know what the contest
folks might like. However, Duck and I seem to agree that some
aspect of context was missing from your presentation.
How you address that is clearly up to you.
I truly hope you capture many shots that the competition folks
like.

Thank you, I intend to try.

~~
PS:
Another way to gain context in a tight shot would be a slower
shutter speed, allowing some motion blur. However, you can't
add that in post and that would likely require quite a bit
experimentation. Not an easy task considering the unpredictability
of conditions.

True, but when hand holding a long lens, while standing in the water, I
was not thinking water blur. Had I brought a tripod, I might have acted
differently.
BTW you can add motion blur in post. That takes more skill than I possess.

~~
As always: YMMV
~
Again, good luck.


--
PeterN