bewildered fish on parched earth

Subject & Focal Details — A medium-sized freshwater fish lies center-left in a 3:2 horizontal frame, head angled slightly toward the camera and body mid-flap, mouth open and eyes wide with bewilderment. Small puddles cling to its scales and a scattering of salt crystals and sand grains dot its fins; no human figures. Appearance & Materials — The fish's scales are iridescent and wet-looking with micro-reflections, tiny scratches and a few grains of sand embedded in the skin; the cracked earth shows crisp fractures, fine dust, and occasional coarse pebbles. Color Placement — Warm sandy tan (#C19A6B) dominates the cracked ground, pale aqua-blue highlights (#E6F7FF) linger on the fish's wet scales and puddles, and a muted teal (#7FB7C6) accents shadowed undersides and distant scrub. Lighting & Atmosphere — Golden-hour side light from the low west sun casts long soft shadows and a warm rim highlight along the fish's dorsal ridge, while subtle specular highlights on wet scales and tiny rim flares emphasize slickness; a faint heat haze above the ground and a low, fine dust motes in the sunlight add dry atmosphere. Environment / Background — A sparse desert plain with distant low dunes and a single scraggly bush as a secondary prop, horizon low and uncluttered to emphasize emptiness. Composition & Perspective — Shot from a low camera height, near-ground level about 20–30 cm, wide-angle lens feel (35mm equivalent) to exaggerate foreground scale; fish occupies foreground/midground, leading lines of cracked earth draw eye toward the horizon for depth, slight off-center rule-of-thirds framing. Artistic Style & Medium — High-end landscape/creative advertisement photograph approach with artistic, slightly surreal staging and meticulous texture fidelity; allow subtle cinematic color grading and shallow depth of field to keep focus on the fish while letting background softly blur. Mood / Narrative Hook — evokes acute displacement and awkward vulnerability, a literal visual idiom of being out of one's element.