On the beach 03 by Yousry-Aref on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

Overall

Vision

Originality

Technique

Impact

At first, I didn't understand how the subject matter correlated with the title. But as I clicked into the deviation, I realized how fitting it is.

What I really like from this picture is its colour palette. Generally when people think of beaches, they think of soft yellow sand and turquoise waters. Surprisingly, much of this picture is dark, but the silhouettes of people against the gold flecks of water along with the white that splashes upwards sets a mysterious mood that makes me imagine exotic foreign waters. The gold of the reflecting sun is of course warm and luxurious and the natural poses of the people, highlighted with the white halo that is the splashing water, makes me feel as if I was there at that very moment.

However, because these wonderful colours, I feel that there is too much darkness in the picture. The silhouette of the "straw umbrella" does create interest as it acts as a screen and allows the viewer to peer into this fantastic world, but it is too much of a screen. Too much of the picture is left in the darkness- this is especially apparent in the top right area, and when this occurs, I feel as if those are empty spaces. I would have liked to see more of a view like the left of the picture where I could glimpse the stretch of the golden waters and a little bit beyond. This darkness also makes the picture "top heavy"; the bottom is so light and magical while the top is this abyss of a shadow. It even drags down the lighthearted fun of the people in the water. This could perhaps be solved by moving the subject matter upwards so that the water and the light take up more of the space.

Nevertheless, this picture is excellent. It captures the moment well and it is very clear. I'm very impressed that the photographer could catch the tiny droplets of water reflected in the sun as it was momentarily air-borne. Overall, an amazing photograph.