Ancient Mariner

Gallery: LandscapePosted May 2, 20121,403 views15 comments

A shot from last December along the Sonoma Coast here in California. This eroding sea stack seemed to have more character than many of the others along the coast and made a fine subject for a sunset image. I've felt for months that this shot had potential but I couldn't quite unlock it on post-processing until I gave it another attempt last weekend. In the end, it was actually pretty easy. Sometimes it helps to just set something aside for a while...

Canon 5DII, 17-40L at 40mm, f/16 (ISO 50). This is a blend of two exposures taken at 1/4 second (sky) and 1 second (the rest of the scene). I double-processed the RAW of the latter image, once for the darker rock areas, once for the water.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Ian Plant on May 2, 2012 at 6:06 PM

I like this a lot. Very nicely done, good job on keeping the processing looking natural.

Registered on July 7, 2008, 271 Posts, 1657 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on May 2, 2012 at 6:22 PM

Real sweet, Phil. Nice warm light on the rocks to contrast the water blues.

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

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on May 2, 2012 at 7:41 PM

Wow! the light on the rocks is great and the water movement is beautiful. This is nice

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on May 2, 2012 at 8:11 PM

Really nice, Phil. The highlighted rock works great in the foreground and the water looks perfect to me! Then that sky is fantastic. Adds up to a beautiful image for me!!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Leo Collazo on May 2, 2012 at 10:39 PM

Gorgeous image! So much detail on the stack. The water texture and color are just beautiful. I really like the way the light reflected on the foreground rock compliments the bright yellows and oranges in the sky. It keeps my eyes scanning the entire image from top to bottom and back, and not just one part of the picture, even though the stack demands so much attention. Awesome job!

Registered on August 4, 2011, 19 Posts, 69 Comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on May 3, 2012 at 2:38 AM

Well done Phil. The image has great depth, and I like that.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on May 3, 2012 at 12:27 PM

Thanks much for the feedback so far!

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

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on May 3, 2012 at 5:18 PM

the light on the FG rocks is a delight... really well done.

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on May 4, 2012 at 5:00 AM

Phil:
You already know this one has great potential because you shot it! Great light and very good post processing. Sweet vibrant sunset.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Cram on May 4, 2012 at 11:45 AM

I dig it! Great straight forward comp and the blending looks wonderful. The light on the rocks is really nice also.

Registered on June 4, 2006, 204 Posts, 818 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on May 4, 2012 at 8:18 PM

Beautiful light and water motion Phil! Glorious sky.

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

Comment posted by Sandipan Dutta on May 5, 2012 at 11:11 AM

Wonderful light and a beautiful image.

Registered on March 9, 2009, 171 Posts, 493 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on May 5, 2012 at 1:44 PM

Hi Phil,

I enjoy looking at this image. The water is mesmerizing and your composition is very well conceived and executed. It is very clean and well spaced. The foreground elements complement the rest of the image nicely. If I had to offer any advice I'd suggest a slight reduction of yellow saturation on the right portion of the horizon. Overall, I think you did a wonderful job at this location and with your processing.

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on May 5, 2012 at 4:33 PM

This is really nice, Phil. The textures, colors and elements all work together beautifully.

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

Comment posted by Morris McClung on May 7, 2012 at 4:37 PM

Love the rich color and light.

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