Avoid shooting a ‘postcard’ image of Padstow’s harbour

Challenge 1 Liz Kessler

We’d not long met in Padstow when Liz adventured to climb down a ladder and capture this picture of a jetty leading out into the sand. She was immediately drawn to this subject by the very solid leading line of the jetty down the middle of the harbour, and by the reflections of the boats on both sides. “I liked the fact that by taking the photo from quite low down, the jetty pulls you quite firmly into the picture,” she says.

Thanks to some very bright daylight – which was tricky to handle at times – Liz was able to shoot hands-free without a cumbersome tripod. She opted for a narrow aperture and speedy shutter, keeping on her 12-40mm f/2.8 Olympus lens for a wide view of the harbour walls and boats, too.

Editing can sometimes make or break images, especially in high-contrast conditions like the ones we found ourselves in. Liz started by raising the shadows and lowering the highlights. “I then cropped the image to 16:9 format, as that made the leading line in the centre even bolder”.

Expert opinion

Liz’s shot has an impressive level of clarity, and by using Manual mode, she’s been able to take full creative control of her exposure.

Although we felt a longer focal length might have compressed the perspective more effectively, we loved the balanced frame that’s come from placing the jetty in the middle. An unusual take on a familiar scene – well done!