A Driving Force

Gallery: LandscapePosted December 15, 20111,171 views48 comments

Long time lurker first time poster here.

I am continually inspired by many of the photographers here at NPN and joined hoping to receive constructive criticisms or approvals from it's members.

I will kick it off with a recent image I processed today.
Lancelin Dunes. Western Australia.
5 images focus stacked
5d mkII 16-35mm

p.s. please don't tear me apart

Comments

48 comments

Comment posted by Julian Barkway on December 15, 2011 at 5:35 AM

Beautiful! Composition, lighting, exposure... everything is spot-on.

Great first post!!

Registered on January 18, 2007, 344 Posts, 1961 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on December 15, 2011 at 7:42 AM

Gorgeous. This image has it all (perfect light, beautiful color, and excellent lines and patterns giving lots of interest to the image).

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on December 15, 2011 at 7:50 AM

Welcome, Luke! An excellent first post. Good composition, Excellent stacking. If the soft colors are your vision, I have no objection, they look good, but I would personally prefer some harsher color fitting the climate. Ditto a landscape, just to see if it would work. All in all, expertly prepared and obviously thought out. Good work!

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

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on December 15, 2011 at 8:45 AM

Welcome to NPN. Great first post.

- Dan.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Austin on December 15, 2011 at 9:42 AM

Thank you for the feedback so far.

Phil, thank you for the constructive criticism. I have been unsure of late which of my monitors is true. The image appears more vibrant and contrasty on the monitor I process on but much too soft and subtle on the 27inch imac monitor that I use for browsing.

I decided to bump up the image on the imac monitor so that it resembled what I was seeing on my "calibrated" (not for a while however) monitor. That image can be seen here.

I am interested to see which of the two majority of the viewers prefer. Particularly those with near recently calibrated monitors. Is this second one overdone?

Thanks a lot

Registered on November 30, 2011, 5 Posts, 43 Comments

Comment posted by Adrian Klein on December 15, 2011 at 9:46 AM

Hi Luke, it's great to see you on here. This is a fabulous first post! The leading lines in the FG work perfectly here. Look forward to more posts. I am looking for where I would change things as a critique but not seeing it. The sky has a very slight HDR feel to it but that is it. Fine work!

Update: Just saw the repost, looks better in the sky now.

Registered on June 10, 2007, 112 Posts, 1506 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on December 15, 2011 at 11:09 AM

Welcome Luke, and a fantastic first post. I prefer your original post myself. Excellent composition, and the reflected color inthe sand is really sweet. When I first saw it, it reminded me of a Chambered Nautilus. Fine photography.

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

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on December 15, 2011 at 11:36 AM

Great lines, curvatures and composition. Of the two, I prefer the lighter first version, but might opt for one half way between the two.

Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on December 15, 2011 at 11:42 AM

Gorgeous first post! And welcome aboard. Both versions work for me. Look forward to seeing more of your work.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on December 15, 2011 at 11:52 AM

Great first post. Great comp

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

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on December 15, 2011 at 12:08 PM

Wonderful dunescape, Luke! I like the lines and colors.

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

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on December 15, 2011 at 12:09 PM

Beautiful! Great first post, Luke. Wonderfrul light, color and textures. Welcome to NPN.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on December 15, 2011 at 12:10 PM

Wow!!

my kind of work

Welcome to NPN bro

Hamed

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on December 15, 2011 at 12:15 PM

Best first post I've seen on the NPN. Can't wait to see what else you have to share Luke.

Amazing shot!

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

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on December 15, 2011 at 12:23 PM

Excellent image all around. The leading lines in the dune, the pleasing curves, cool shadows, and killer sky all make for a wonderful shot. I could go either way on the original versus the repost . . . the saturation in the yellow/orange parts of the sky seems a bit strong in the repost, but otherwise I slightly prefer it to the original.

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

Comment posted by Adam Gibbs on December 15, 2011 at 12:42 PM

Hi Luke! Nice image all round. I do prefer the second image over the first.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 168 Posts, 870 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Anderson on December 15, 2011 at 12:48 PM

Exceptional first post! I love the composition and your sense of balance in both the light and texture of the dunes. I'll be looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Registered on January 31, 2006, 228 Posts, 3072 Comments

Comment posted by Ned Fenimore on December 15, 2011 at 12:51 PM

Outstanding post! I really love everything about this image - great light and composition -very nice colors.. It draws me right in!

Registered on November 1, 2003, 467 Posts, 2803 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on December 15, 2011 at 2:08 PM

Great light, leading lines, shape, form, color...as others have said, this image has it all Luke! Welcome, and looking forward to seeing more from you!

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

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on December 15, 2011 at 2:45 PM

Beautiful! The radial lines are fantastic. Very very strong first post!

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Jaymes Dempsey on December 15, 2011 at 3:00 PM

Lovely shot! I love how the leading lines subtly curve away around and into the center...great comp! And that sky is gorgeous, the color in the sand and the sky work well together, I think, because the whole image is really just blues and yellows! Wow!
Great first post!

Jaymes

Registered on June 28, 2010, 47 Posts, 590 Comments

Comment posted by Tim Donnelly on December 15, 2011 at 3:23 PM

Outstanding first post here Luke...Love this image..the balance and lines are just spot on. Nice one

Registered on March 2, 2011, 13 Posts, 54 Comments

Comment posted by Rodrigo Sandoval on December 15, 2011 at 3:57 PM

This is just a perfect composition. Love the pastel colors.

Registered on April 4, 2009, 13 Posts, 254 Comments

Comment posted by Kurt Budliger on December 15, 2011 at 4:37 PM

Stellar shot Luke!

Registered on June 11, 2006, 113 Posts, 2116 Comments

Comment posted by Dorin Bofan on December 15, 2011 at 5:13 PM

Luke, welcome to NPN! I can only say this: epic!

Registered on April 30, 2007, 122 Posts, 3086 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Harding on December 15, 2011 at 5:42 PM

Hi Luke and welcome to NPN. Your first post is great. On my monitor the first image needs to be a little darker.
The second image is stronger in color but the correct density and not over the top IMO. But that's on my monitor!

Registered on January 19, 2011, 33 Posts, 408 Comments

Comment posted by Walt Sterneman on December 15, 2011 at 6:39 PM

Fabulous first image Luke. Welcome. I hope to see lots more from you. Love the comp. and the sky is great.

Registered on March 24, 2010, 73 Posts, 1268 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Austin on December 15, 2011 at 7:16 PM

Thank you everyone for the comments and feedback. I really appreciate it.
Sounds like majority side toward the second posted image. I may go with that but tone down the sky a notch?
Thanks again

Registered on November 30, 2011, 5 Posts, 43 Comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on December 15, 2011 at 7:39 PM

Both the original and the repost are superb, but I'm leaning towards the repost for its stronger colors and contrasts, although I'm not viewing this on a calibrated monitor either...Welcome to NPN!

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on December 16, 2011 at 12:23 AM

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on December 16, 2011 at 1:53 AM

Welcome Luke. Fabulous shot! Love the lines and the design of your comp. Thought it looked a little flat, but the repost fixed that. Top shot

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

Comment posted by Adrian Metzelaar on December 16, 2011 at 4:35 AM

A wonderful composition and beautiful tones and subject. On my monitor the colours look a little wacky for my taste but most people seem to like it!

Registered on August 23, 2008, 32 Posts, 84 Comments

Comment posted by James Fougère on December 16, 2011 at 8:54 AM

Nice dune scene with amazing lines! Well done

Registered on October 25, 2010, 41 Posts, 831 Comments

Comment posted by Phillip Noll on December 16, 2011 at 9:20 AM

Excellent composition and wonderful colors!! Well done!

Registered on November 17, 2003, 207 Posts, 1083 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Lundh on December 16, 2011 at 1:50 PM

Love the color palette as well as the comp here

Welcome Luke!

Registered on April 28, 2004, 774 Posts, 4351 Comments

Comment posted by Reed Bowman on December 16, 2011 at 5:34 PM

Luke, home run! The composition is fantastic...my only nit is it looks like you are getting a bit of posterization in the bright sky colors, but overall, a great shot

Registered on March 2, 2009, 166 Posts, 1058 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on December 16, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Great first post, Luke--really like the repost!

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

Comment posted by Hillary Younger on December 16, 2011 at 11:42 PM

Magnificent light and composition! What more is there to say?!

Registered on October 2, 2011, 17 Posts, 167 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on December 17, 2011 at 11:11 AM

What they said! (Welcome, amazing first shot.)

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Miles Morgan on December 17, 2011 at 11:30 AM

Dang Luke!!! Freaking KILLER first post! I like the repost as well. I'm most impressed with the brilliance of the composition. These dunes shots change by the minute, so to have this one line up so beautifully was really masterfully seen. Bravo.

Registered on November 23, 2009, 6 Posts, 185 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on December 18, 2011 at 5:39 PM

Luke,

A little late to the party, but have to jump in and welcome you to NPN and the Landscape Gallery. And what a grand first post! What a gorgeous dunescape. I think I prefer the original post as the colors seem more subtle and more pastel, but I'm also viewing on my laptop.

Very strong composition, capped off with a gorgeous sky.

Great way to start your membership here. We look forward to more images and for your participation in the forums and galleries. Welcome aboard!

Lon

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

Comment posted by Jim DeWitt on December 22, 2011 at 6:09 PM

One of the best first posts ever. Welcome to NPN, and congratulations on the EP!

Registered on August 28, 2006, 1240 Posts, 8506 Comments

Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on December 22, 2011 at 10:29 PM

Fine image for a first post!
Congrats on the WP!
Looking forward to lots more images from you -

Sandy

Registered on November 24, 2003, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on December 23, 2011 at 12:15 PM

Can't beat this for a first post! Welcome!
This is just stunning-- awesome light. Love the swoop of the dune and the curl. Most excellent.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Soubhik Patranabis on December 23, 2011 at 2:22 PM

Wonderful composition , congrats on the WP.

Registered on January 25, 2010, 54 Posts, 610 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on December 26, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Luke: You've certainly set a high standard for yourself with this one! I give a slight nod to the first version but both are spectacular. Marvelous scene superbly captured and rendered. Many kudos. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Anderson on December 27, 2011 at 11:46 AM

Wow Luke! An editors pick on your first NPN post! I think that may be a first! You've set the bar! Congratulations!

Registered on January 31, 2006, 228 Posts, 3072 Comments

Comment posted by Luke Austin on December 27, 2011 at 9:06 PM

Thank you all for the comments and feedback. Also thank you for the WP :)

Registered on November 30, 2011, 5 Posts, 43 Comments