Monolith

Gallery: LandscapePosted August 4, 2011518 views23 comments

Another from along the Sonoma Coast, this one taken much earlier in the day than my last post (“Evening Splendor”). I greatly appreciate all comments and critiques.

Canon 5DII, 17-40L at 29mm, f/16 for 5 seconds at ISO 50. I believe I combined a Singh-Ray LB Polarizer with a 3-stop B+W ND for this shot.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on August 4, 2011 at 3:19 PM

What an awesome location....great use of ss and b/w.

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by David Cobb on August 4, 2011 at 3:28 PM

Nice balance, and the vignette works well here.

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on August 4, 2011 at 3:45 PM

Well, composed, Phil. Good adherence to the "rule of thirds" with a strong FG.
I like your choice of shutter speed for the water flow. Good detail in the rock
formation.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Chris O'Donoghue on August 4, 2011 at 3:52 PM

Very nice composition. Everything in the image holds some interest in its own right but ultimately leads the eye to the monolith of the title.

Registered on January 1, 2011, 11 Posts, 37 Comments

Comment posted by Guy Tal on August 4, 2011 at 4:58 PM

I like the combination of a dramatic scene and understated processing. It almost serves to enhance the sense of awe rather than being "visually forced" into it. Excellent work.

Guy

Registered on November 1, 2003, 566 Posts, 15507 Comments

Comment posted by Chikku Baiju on August 4, 2011 at 5:18 PM

Awesome shot. Love the mood in this shot.

Registered on January 9, 2010, 31 Posts, 246 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on August 4, 2011 at 7:00 PM

Wonderful B&W processing Phil. Love the magic in the water and the ominous mood the sea stack creates. The sky adds balance to the entire scene.

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

Comment posted by Joe Abounader on August 4, 2011 at 7:33 PM

Great shot Phil. Excellent composition; I like the smoky effect your long exposure has on the water in the foreground. I think you made a good choice for a black and white. This is a good demonstration of effective use of ND filters

Registered on June 15, 2011, 14 Posts, 58 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on August 4, 2011 at 9:15 PM

Classic.

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

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on August 4, 2011 at 9:51 PM

Looks very well done, Phil. Can't think of anything to change. I like the congruence between the clouds and the water.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on August 4, 2011 at 10:17 PM

Excellent B&W, Phil. I love the range of tones in this scene along with your choice of SS.

Ed

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

Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on August 4, 2011 at 11:17 PM

Well composed and simple, in a good way. The black and white really works.

Registered on February 21, 2010, 133 Posts, 1509 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on August 5, 2011 at 12:49 AM

A fabulous b&w, Phil. Perfect comp for b&w, wonderful tones and contrast. The isolation of the rock detail is excellent. My only suggestion would be to clone out the specular highlights in the fg. Super shot!

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Rodney Dugmore on August 5, 2011 at 2:01 AM

Very nice monochrome study some good motion and tonality

Registered on January 3, 2004, 76 Posts, 1028 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on August 5, 2011 at 3:42 AM

works fine for me phil - nice work.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Svein-Frode on August 5, 2011 at 9:00 AM

Very nice B&W landscape. Simple and elegant.

Registered on November 13, 2003, 9 Posts, 277 Comments

Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on August 5, 2011 at 9:35 AM

Impressive scene and I like how your processing enhances the moody feel of this image, well done!

Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on August 5, 2011 at 12:01 PM

This is just awesome. Well done. The b/w processing is great.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on August 5, 2011 at 12:49 PM

Love the B&W conversion Phil. Very ethereal looking. I agree with Tony about the congruence of the sky and water. Makes for a very cohesive image. Why B&W? Less than stellar lighting conditions?

Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on August 5, 2011 at 2:44 PM

Nice and moody!

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on August 5, 2011 at 3:24 PM

Thanks for the comments and feedback so far! David, the little highlights in the foreground are actually light pebbles, not specular highlights. It's impossible to tell that at web size, of course, so I understand your comment. Joseph, I chose B&W because the scene was essentially colorless to begin with. This was taken at around 2:30 in the afternoon and, even with a polarizer, the color of the water was pretty bland. I did experiment with a color version but it just didn't do much for me.

Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on August 5, 2011 at 6:02 PM

I had a feeling Phil. The B&W treatment certainly turned a bland scene into something very powerful!

Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments

Comment posted by Albert Darmo on August 7, 2011 at 10:53 PM

Hi Phil

beautifully seen and captured.
Albert Darmo

Registered on November 25, 2008, 1386 Posts, 11978 Comments