A few weekends back, my local sailing center hosted an Optimist (sailing dinghy) Team race. I clued you into the fact that these little plastic tubs are indeed sailboats, as I would understand completely if you thought they had a lid somewhere and could be used to hold cargo being shipped internationally. Of course, the sails give them away, but still. The day of the regatta, I learned that they actually originated in two places, Clearwater being one of the two. Optimists are designed for youth sailors, have a displacement of 70 pounds, and look about as seaworthy as any plastic tub. I only had my android cell phone to capture this photo, plus, it was very cold and windy (gusts up to 35 MPH), and the race marks were set too far out in the Intercoastal Waterway to have a good view of the action. So, after “snapping” a few photos, I sought the shelter of my abode and made a warm, hearty breakfast. I was sure that things would get interesting and one or two of the kiddoes would end up in the proverbial drink but my own feeling of being chilled prevented me from sticking around to see if my prediction came true.
I cropped the photo on the left so that the picture was more focused on the boats already in the water; this also focused more attention on the woman wearing a red vest, seemingly reinforcing her helping move the boat into the water, as opposed to standing in front of it (her son who came running along and got in the boat to sail it was half her size). I hope that removing the concrete ramp made the water look even more uninviting and helped cue the viewer to the direction the wind was blowing and the direction the boats would be headed as they left shore. I thought it was interesting that they all seemed to be pointing to the committee boat in the deep background. Finally, I found it interesting that the hull numbers (assigned at the factory) grew more clearer. I was sure there wasn’t sufficient data for that to happen.
Why the title? Many years ago I took some art classes for personal enrichment: drawing, painting, and design. Design I managed to finish, but I realized that this was not a strength of mine.
I think I accomplished these goals:
Told a different story;
Changed the focal point;
Simplified the background;
Altered the human (helper) to eye level; and,
While there may not be room for the moving objects to travel (there were over a hundred boats in the water at that moment, and boats on the water in close quarters – sailing term – is typical of a heavily-populated race), I do feel the cropping reinforced the narrow open space as a directional to where the racing would take place.
While your cropping choice effectively emphasized certain elements, exploring alternative compositions could further enrich the narrative. Experimenting with different angles or perspectives could offer new insights into the scene. Additionally, considering the balance between clarity and ambiguity in the image, especially regarding the hull numbers, could enhance the overall impact.
Hey Timothy!
First of all I want to say that you have a great way of injecting humor into your storytelling which makes it fun to read! I liked how you cropped the image so that it focuses on the boats and the woman working on the boat. There was a lot of distraction in the foreground of the photo prior to your crop so it was a great choice! I do agree that the water looks uninviting and cold. I certainly wouldn’t want to go overboard!
Great job!