Bedtime on the Beach

Looking at the larger photo it appears that the sea lion's face isn't entirely sharp. My RAW file is sharp, so maybe its just the result of compression?

Cool shot with some great lighting!

Hey Cam,

Here I was trying to take the weekend off (and do some shooting) and then you go use my name in vain!

I really like the lighting in this image and how it's kissing sand trail leading to the sea lion. The out-of-focus nature of the extreme lower foreground doesn't bother me for being out of focus (more on this below), but I simply wonder if it adds much to the image (i.e., is there simply a little too much foreground?). To my eye the image would be stronger if only that foreground with the great lighting on it was included (which might require a bit of the background to go as well in order to balance the image an fine-tune the placement of the sea lion in the frame). As posted the image is very peaceful and tranquil...

Now, regarding the misquote about me not liking out-of-focus foregrounds! . I have nothing inherently against out-of-focus foregrounds (or, for that matter, backgrounds). What usually doesn't work well for my personal taste is when there are 3 distinct bands of focus that run completely across the frame - an out-of-focus background, and in-focus subject, and an out-focus-background. It's my experience that this is normally most noticeable (and least pleasing to me) in horizontally oriented images. I dislike it for a number of reasons. First, having two different sharpness gradients (out-of-focus to in-focus, and the reverse) is asking a lot of the viewer to take in, i.e., it's often too complex. Second, while all images are, to a degree, "unnatural" and a function of the photographer's viewpoint, to my eye having 3 bands of focus is simply too unnatural. It's also simply an artifact of the lens and screams "long telephoto" just a little too loudly for me (i.e., for me the image almost instantly becomes about the equipment rather than the scene). That being said, I think that using selective focus can be a great tool to draw emphasis to the subject - it just has to be done carefully. Heck, I've published lots of images (print and electronic) with ONLY the subject in focus (like this grizzly shot) - but I don't think you'll ever find one with 3 edge-to-edge focus bands in it!

One last point: What I think about an image should be your absolute last concern. Bigger concerns should be about producing images that YOU like or, if you're selling images, what your buyers like!

Cheers...very nice shot...

Brad

Sweet image Cam. I like the soft light. This image needs the FG to be effective I agree, but still I would be tempted to crop just a tiny bit from the bottom. A bit in-line with Brad's suggestion, but I would not crop all the way to where the light falls on the sand as I feel that would harm the comp.
The larger image looks a bit soft indeed, did you sharpen the jpeg before posting?

I think you could safely crop to a 4x5 ratio without compromising composition. Lovely light!