Fishing Pier at Cherry Point Marine Air Station

macmac · May 14, 2007

I shot this a few evenings ago. What do you think of the crop?

tobers · May 15, 2007

I can see what you are trying to do composition-wise, with the pier pointing at the sun. The light is lovely as well.

But...not sure the panorama layout does anything for the pic. There's too much uninteresting foreground on the left side. If you had moved to the right (presuming you wouldn't have fallen in!), you could have got the same composition but in a narrower frame and cut out much of the dull stuff bottom-left. You'd probably have got some nice sunlight reflections in the water next to the pier as well.

docwalker · May 15, 2007

Actually this photo has a lot of personal meaning to me. One of the worst days of my life as a Navy Medic revolved around that pier.

The water is too shallow to dive off head first...

It may be too personal for me to comment on the composition. But, I like it.

docwalker · May 15, 2007

I had to leave the office for a meeting so I did not finish my comments earlier.

Driving to the meeting gave me time to think about the events of that day and the photo.

One suggestion I would have is to try pushing the saturation slightly. Given that the trees are mainly a silhouette pushing the black point just a touch might also be cool.

I saw the other shot closer in to the water that you took. This crop is better IMHO.

One thing that does draw my eye is the clump of weeds dead center of the water. That odd spot caught my eye for some reason. Maybe because it is dead center. Consider cloning it out.

To explain what happened on that pier. I was on EMS duty at the base hospital 13 years ago. We got a call for a child that had dove off the pier and had disappeared underwater. I got there just as a 19 y/o Marine was being pulled from the water by the FD. I don't want to go into details but he stopped breathing on me 2 times on the way to the hospital. I kept him alive as best I could. He survived but from what I have heard he fractured his cervical spine in 2 places and was paralyzed from the rib cage down. There was a lot more that happened but it was a day that I will never forget. I know that for several months after it happened I had nightmares. Luckily or sadly they have been replaced by others along the way.

I would like to buy a copy of the photo if you don't mind. I know that it might not mean much to others but it has special meaning to me.

macmac · May 15, 2007

Wow! What a story from the picture
Docwalker,
Thank you for sharing that story with me! It is amazing what we can find in common with others through a picture and a post. This pier has meaning to me too.
Back in Jan of this year, I took my son-in-law to the airfield that is near this pier. There I watched him board a chopper to fly to the ship that would transport him and his Marines to the middle east. He was leaving my daughter and their 4 day old baby to go to war. I watched his chopper fly out of sight and as I drove away, I stopped at this pier for an emotional moment. I wrote of the experince in a journal that I carry.

You are welcome to the picture! You can download it from my smugmug site. I can post the original if you would like so you can have it too.

Ric Grupe · May 17, 2007

I like the crop...maybe wait for the sun to get a little lower, if you can reshoot.:D

macmac · May 17, 2007

Ric Grupe wrote:

I like the crop...maybe wait for the sun to get a little lower, if you can reshoot.:D

Thanks Rick. I won't be back there for some time. Sun maybe setting in a different spot on the horizon...I'll try to check that out. I do like the old look of the pier. I'll have to try some different angles.

Fishing Pier at Cherry Point Marine Air Station

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