Rainy Bay

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 1, 2010141 views16 comments

The last time I was away from home to shoot was this kayak camping trip in early June. I have taken shots similar to this before, concentrating on the close rain drops, but this time I wanted to capture the detail of the “waves“ of rain and wind on the water, so I made two exposures for focus blending. I was disappointed with how CS5 handled the stack, leaving lots of small out-of-focus areas between the pine needles, but now, after converting to B&W, I wonder if this is worth keeping. Please look at the larger version and tell me if the OOF parts ruin the shot.

Canon 50D
Sigma 17-70mm. f/2.8
Two exposures stacked in PhotoShop CS5

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Daniel Ewert on September 1, 2010 at 6:51 PM

I like how the image is framed by the pine needles. Shots taken in the rain are not that common so you do have something somewhat unique here. Nice scene, Wayne.

Registered on June 2, 2009, 103 Posts, 1500 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Duval on September 1, 2010 at 6:59 PM

Wayne,

If the OOF raindrops on the right really bother you they are the most numerous on the RH side of the image, you might consider cropping them out. I think those were just a tad too close to your lens. Or you could consider cloning in some more in focus needles it's not impossible. But the overall effect is sweet and gives me the impression of taking shelter from the rain.

Paul

Registered on June 30, 2009, 508 Posts, 1907 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on September 1, 2010 at 8:09 PM

Even if it were all out of focus it would still be a keeper cause as mentioned the overall mood is great. I feel your pain with stacking.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on September 1, 2010 at 8:35 PM

I really like the mood you created with the inclement weather in this scene, Wayne. The OOF areas I spotted do not bother me as they mesh with the overall mood IMO.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on September 1, 2010 at 9:02 PM

Wayne, I can see that the focus blend was less than successful on the right side of the picture, with the droplets on the pine needles. Considering the possible movement and the possible less than perfect match, wouldn't that account for the blurring? I've done a number of blends with CS5 and wound up hand blending most of them, because of wind movement, camera movement or just too much distance between in focus planes. Some I have even had to distort to get them to match up.

I do like the picture. A very somber but peaceful mood.

Registered on July 24, 2006, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on September 1, 2010 at 9:05 PM

I love the canopy of "Christmas" fiber optic lights Wayne. I also like the B&W treatment. Did you use CS5 for that or Silver Efex Pro? Also, there might be a slight downward tilt to the right but overall, it is inconsequential to the beauty of the scene.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on September 1, 2010 at 9:15 PM

Not ruined for me. Too much good stuff going on. Classic B&W.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Eric Good on September 1, 2010 at 9:36 PM

Those water droplets really add to this wonderful scene. Love the mixture of crisp and softer details captured here. I particularly enjoy the way you've framed the cluster of trees within the opening in the needles. Well seen!

Registered on March 17, 2007, 116 Posts, 4764 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on September 1, 2010 at 9:49 PM

Thanks everyone.
Eva, I did the conversion in CS5. I have not tried Silver Efex Pro, mainly because of my "if it ain't broke don't fix it" attitude about software. I like the control I have over B&W conversions in PhotoShop. However, I am now tempted to try some different focus stacking software after the mixed results I get from CS5.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on September 2, 2010 at 8:08 AM

The OOF drops don't bother me at all. I love the way the FG needles disappear right in the area where the tree covered peninsula is in the BG - very neat. Excellent choice for B&W.

Hope all is going well for you!

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Ron Richins on September 2, 2010 at 5:03 PM

Very interesting shot. I like what you've gone after here. The drops on the needles and the "waves" of rain are interesting. The blurred areas don't bother me too much.

Registered on March 6, 2008, 113 Posts, 1009 Comments

Comment posted by David W. Kelly on September 2, 2010 at 7:31 PM

Beautiful image Wayne it has a wonderful feel to it.

Registered on October 7, 2005, 883 Posts, 6590 Comments

Comment posted by R Arvind on September 3, 2010 at 12:17 AM

In my mind the rain drops make the image special. Just leave it this way!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 29 Posts, 389 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on September 4, 2010 at 10:16 AM

A very interesting perspective here, Wayne. The overall peekaboo look in addition to the water or dew droplets makes for a calming view.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on September 4, 2010 at 4:08 PM

Wayne,

This is quite lovely - well seen and framed. The few oof focus drops don't bother me at all; they really just indicate either movement or DOF. But the drops all clinging to the needles along the bottom silhouetted against the background are all sharp and that's what I focus on.

Well done!

Hope all is well and getting well!

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Muhammad Zaid Wani on September 23, 2010 at 3:42 PM

I like this image a lot, Wayne. Definitely a keeper.

Registered on August 18, 2005, 23 Posts, 1406 Comments