I would like to understand the possible reason behind the rejection of a particular image

[Prabhakaran_T7909]

I have attacched an image which was rejected by adobe recently; I am unsure why this has been rejected, can anyone please correct me with the possible fixes in the attached image?

[RALPH_L]

its not sharp and poorly cropped. By poorly cropped I mean the horizon (table) is not level. The bottom is too close with a lot of space on the top.

[Prabhakaran_T7909]

Okay I understand, but can you also help me to understand technically what could be the reason for the lack of sharpness. I have attached the technical informations.

[Ricky336]

Hello,

You have an aperture setting of F/4. It is quite narrow for a 50mm lens. This is a reason for a lack of sharpness - DOF is too narrow.

Read about aperture settings:

What is Aperture? Understanding Aperture in Photography

[Prabhakaran_T7909]

So, if I had chosen f/1.8 or f/2.8, would it have given a better result?

[daniellei4510]

No. f/8, f/11, f/22. 

[Prabhakaran_T7909]

But in the background there are lot of distractions, is that doesn't matter?

[daniellei4510]

That's where post-editing comes in, if it's necessary. Or remove the offending clutter in advance. Or move the object where the background is less distracting.

[Ricky336]

That's why you should choose the appropriate aperture to keep the subject sharp while creating a blurred background. These factors depend on the focal length of the lens and the camera to subject distance.

[Jill_C]

F stop is only one if the factors that affects focus. Shutter speed is another consideration as well as camera movement.

[Prabhakaran_T7909]

Okay. I set 1/125 seconds, if I have increased to 1/500 seconds and keep f4 then the result would have been better is it?

[Ricky336]

You need to understand the relationship between shutter speed, aperture and ISO. These combined affect exposure. If you increase the speed - 1/500 and keep 1/4, your exposure will be incorrect. The result wouldn't be better.