Stills

Hey, they are what all the best dressed pirates are wearing these days.

Size 10 :-)

(I'd appreciate it if you could expand a little on the tonality part of your comment. This is pretty much a straight print. The tones surprised me slightly when I saw the scan)
 

The comment on tonality may come from the fact that the lighter side of the ripples should be lighter - that is how it feels (ever so slightly - not emphatically). Of course, the plank connotation is totally thrown out by the nature of the timber, and the construction abutment, that is running top to bottom of the picture, which is what makes the image a puzzle. All man-made but the shoes do seem an intrusion! In the end the water wins, with mysterious shapes forming and reforming as one looks.
 

Enigmatic was the first thought that came to mind when I saw this image. I also have one of those mind games going on where the bar is a vertical pole sticking up out of the water and the shoe owner is horizontal looking down at the water.

Is the 'bit' top right needed?
 

The "bit" - top right.

I did think of cloning it out. I couldn't decide, so fell back on my habit, which is, if in doubt don't change it.

Probably with a zoom lens I would have cropped in camera.

It does draw the eye, but I'm wondering if that is a good thing. Stops the pic being too absract/graphic.

I'm in those shoes by the way. It felt odd placing me at the top of the frame, but after spinning the picture around a couple of times this is the way that worked best.
 

Colin, I think comparing the histogram of this shot with the histogram akikana's most recent tells part of the tale. Something about having this much detail in the shadows feels odd. The big dips in the histogram may also play a part.
 

I have no problem with the tonality. On the contrary, I think it participates in making the photo interesting. It seems Colin is exploring the shadows those times, and to me they look better and better.

Regarding the composition, it is simple, striking and innovative. At least I had not seen anything like it before. The idea of the shoes is brilliant, creating that odd element that animates the whole rigorous composition. I like that they are black.

I think what makes the composition striking is its similarity to the christian cross, an icon if there is any, while being totally different and alien to it. So it combines a reassuring sense of familiarity with the thrilling experience of the new.

I just love it!
 

Now that I'm finally able to post here again after a few days of problems with my account, I have lots of catching up to do (may not all be today, though). I want to start with this fascinating image. I am mainly in accord with what Stéphane said, with the exception that I did not notice the cross.

I like what you called the abstract/graphic element of it, (didn't even really notice the right hand piece) -- the shoes at the top are a creative way to go beyond that aspect and then cause thought about what is really going on here. I found that a delightful, almost humorous touch. I, too first saw this as a vertical pole -- then got to the top and -- oh, wait a sec -- those are shoes(!?).

Really marvelous.
 

Very suspenseful and they most certainly look like a comfortable pair of shoes. The fact that the right foot of the subject is slightly to the fore is not wasted on me (Stephane has also mentioned the Christian cross symbolism).

I have a slight problem with the apparent finger prints made by the ripples top right but that's the least of my troubles as I have no idea what I'm looking at apart from the shoes. I'm sure I wouldn't be wanting to make the next step if the shoes were on the end of my legs though.

Great contrast in the rough log. A little muted in the 'clean' log.

I'm also worrying about how the shot was actually taken...
 

Thanks for the comments everybody.

A few notes about the subject (no mystery really):

I am standing on a floating berthing pontoon. Canal berths need to run along the bankside unlike harbour marina berths which tend to stick out from the shore spinelike with ribs for the berths.

To stop the pontoon continually being pushed against the bank by the bow-wave of passing traffic, these posts run from pontoon to bank.

All the modern ones are galvanized steel, but some older ones remain.

So, I'm on the pontoon looking at the bank which is only a bit over a metre away. Leaning forward (bad for the back) to get the angle right. Guessed exposure (one or two of those white marks on the log are pure white). A couple of clicks with more or less shoe and different ripple patterns.

I didn't see the cross symbology at the time because the orientation was wrong, but looking at the scan the cross orientation leapt out as the best.

I decided not to fight the tonality/contrast on the 'clean' log.