along Deal pier

Technically, this isn't my area and I have no particular issues there. But as a composition it doesn't quite work for me. I've looked at it several times trying to figure out why... Various niggles. That diagonal hitting the top edge a little way into the frame. Diagonals are so very much stronger when they are securely anchored to a corner of the frame. A diagonal ending mid-way along an edge is much weaker. The sea is tidily level, the shoreline is a weak diagonal. Neither level nor dynamically slanted... The most important problem to my eye: we see only one support on the left. So the near end of the pier is effectively balancing on one leg and liable to topple over... I've uploaded a mod. I skewed to level the shoreline and lift the top left corner to balance, then cropped to square putting the diagonal into the top right corner. The end of the pier is more or less on the third. It seems tidier, more contained, but it doesn't have the breadth of the original. See what you think. I'm looking forward to seeing the waves as they could add the dynamic energy that seems to be lacking here. Moira

Technically, this isn't my area and I have no particular issues there. But as a composition it doesn't quite work for me. I've looked at it several times trying to figure out why...

Various niggles. That diagonal hitting the top edge a little way into the frame. Diagonals are so very much stronger when they are securely anchored to a corner of the frame. A diagonal ending mid-way along an edge is much weaker.

The sea is tidily level, the shoreline is a weak diagonal. Neither level nor dynamically slanted...

The most important problem to my eye: we see only one support on the left. So the near end of the pier is effectively balancing on one leg and liable to topple over...

I've uploaded a mod. I skewed to level the shoreline and lift the top left corner to balance, then cropped to square putting the diagonal into the top right corner. The end of the pier is more or less on the third.

It seems tidier, more contained, but it doesn't have the breadth of the original. See what you think.

I'm looking forward to seeing the waves as they could add the dynamic energy that seems to be lacking here.
Moira

As Moira says, this doesn't quite work. All the elements to make it great, but not quite coordinated... I'm going to ramble a bit, I think, trying to work out why it didn't work. I've tried a crop which came out rather like Guy's: this uses the thirds, but the right hand side looks empty... If the clouds had been over there, maybe? As things were, I reckon you could have moved to your right to get more of the pier in, and put the right hand edge of the frame closer to the end of the pier: sometimes an extreme crop works best. This would allow you to get the left side anchored with both of the supports visible. It looks as though the lighting was not very exciting: then, you need to find more texture and form to make a good picture. That would make pointing the camera down so that the stones are the main part of the picture good, perhaps. I wonder if the 10x filter is the problem: I suspect that the technique meant that you had to include a lot of sea (and a windy day would make the sea attractive, to get white water). And maybe the lighting and location didn't really suit the technique? Ah, yes. The wind. This sort of shot needs to be perfectly sharp to be really impressive, and the wind may have wobbled your tripod a bit. A good tip is to hang your bag or some stones from your tripod for stability - but (and most people don't know this) it's important that the weight touches the ground so that it can't swing around in the wind, and make things less stable rather than more so! This nearly makes it, but I think it needs to be more extreme. More wideangle, more contrast, more angles... Or, on the other hand, it needs to be like a large format shot, utterly sharp, completely forensic, showing every detail. Yet again, you're experimenting, trying different things, which is the way to learn, and to master techniques. This leads to one further suggestion: stick with each technique, and apply what you learn as soon as possible - don't try, then abandon things. (And I realise that with one post a day you will be doing loads of stuff that we're not seeing!) Keep taking the pictures.

As Moira says, this doesn't quite work. All the elements to make it great, but not quite coordinated... I'm going to ramble a bit, I think, trying to work out why it didn't work.

I've tried a crop which came out rather like Guy's: this uses the thirds, but the right hand side looks empty... If the clouds had been over there, maybe?

As things were, I reckon you could have moved to your right to get more of the pier in, and put the right hand edge of the frame closer to the end of the pier: sometimes an extreme crop works best.

This would allow you to get the left side anchored with both of the supports visible.

It looks as though the lighting was not very exciting: then, you need to find more texture and form to make a good picture. That would make pointing the camera down so that the stones are the main part of the picture good, perhaps.

I wonder if the 10x filter is the problem: I suspect that the technique meant that you had to include a lot of sea (and a windy day would make the sea attractive, to get white water). And maybe the lighting and location didn't really suit the technique?

Ah, yes. The wind. This sort of shot needs to be perfectly sharp to be really impressive, and the wind may have wobbled your tripod a bit. A good tip is to hang your bag or some stones from your tripod for stability - but (and most people don't know this) it's important that the weight touches the ground so that it can't swing around in the wind, and make things less stable rather than more so!

This nearly makes it, but I think it needs to be more extreme. More wideangle, more contrast, more angles... Or, on the other hand, it needs to be like a large format shot, utterly sharp, completely forensic, showing every detail.

Yet again, you're experimenting, trying different things, which is the way to learn, and to master techniques.

This leads to one further suggestion: stick with each technique, and apply what you learn as soon as possible - don't try, then abandon things. (And I realise that with one post a day you will be doing loads of stuff that we're not seeing!)

Keep taking the pictures.