Beachstones IV

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 18, 20131,663 views15 comments

Want to thank everyone for your great comments on the last image posted. I am working on an edit of the image, utilizing the suggestions provided. Not doing many 'golden hour' images, I find developing these images something of a challenge. Thanks again for all the help.

Exposed a couple of sheets of 4x5 of these beach stones along the Olympic coast one evening this past July. I made a similar composition of this same spot two years ago but was never happy with the image. Two years worth of storm and surf had rearranged the stones and eliminated debris that to me, provided a more appealing composition. Have brought out the colors that were all present in the rocks utilizing Tony Kuyper's masking techniques and a lot of burning and dodging. Would appreciate your thoughts and comments on this image.
4x5, 120mm, Provia100F, f32.5, 1/4 sec

Large image is much better.

Thanks in advance for your comments and suggestions.

Comments

15 comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on September 18, 2013 at 1:46 PM

I like this a lot, Vance!! Wonderful color, shapes and comp in the foreground. I am not sure I am sold on the background. I might consider a crop off the top. But either way, great stuff!

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

Comment posted by Bill Reid on September 18, 2013 at 1:54 PM

Wonderful composition in this Vance and the colors and shapes and detail are just great. Very nicely seen.

Registered on January 27, 2013, 65 Posts, 2460 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on September 18, 2013 at 3:07 PM

Love the warm stones among the steely blue ones Vance. I think I am with Harley on a crop from the top but either way, this is a magnificent group of sea stones.

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

Comment posted by Karsten Wrobel on September 18, 2013 at 3:10 PM

beautiful blue stones and nice colour combo... agree with Harley and wonder whether the image would benefit from cropping 25% from the top

Registered on November 1, 2008, 117 Posts, 851 Comments

Comment posted by John&Patty Benway on September 18, 2013 at 3:47 PM

Beautiful Vance, love the color and detail, and the comp definitely works for me. Excellent work.
John

Registered on May 12, 2006, 626 Posts, 8700 Comments

Comment posted by Lucy VanSwearingen on September 18, 2013 at 3:51 PM

This is an interesting shot. wonder how it would look with a bit of vignetting, with an emphasis on brightening the vanishing point on the rocks. For example, I would use NIK's lighten/darken function.

Registered on May 23, 2009, 800 Posts, 2042 Comments

Comment posted by Ian Cameron on September 18, 2013 at 4:29 PM

cool stones not too dissimilar to my home county and country of Moray in Scotland.

Registered on August 6, 2004, 1125 Posts, 3318 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on September 18, 2013 at 8:09 PM

Vance, This is one fantastic shot! I love the depth you got with this comp. The light, colors and textures just don't get better than this imo. Beautiful work on this! Perfect as is for me because I just can't see anything I would change.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Paul Rebmann on September 18, 2013 at 9:28 PM

Very nice. I like how this looks like could be little pebbles between two big rocks or big rocks between two bluffs with a slot canyon in between. I assume reality is the former?
I wonder what other compositions were available with slight changes in positioning of the camera, but what you came up with is very pleasing.

Registered on July 17, 2012, 31 Posts, 122 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on September 18, 2013 at 9:41 PM

Lovely image Vance. It's of a simple subject, but the more I look at it the more it appeals, everything works so well together and there are a few chance elements that make this a terrific photo. Your processing looks spot on to me, and I can't think of any changes to suggest.

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on September 19, 2013 at 1:36 AM

Hey, thanks everyone for the comments. Really appreciate it. The cleft in the rock face with the stones in it, being in shadow, was really difficult to bring out and make it more in tune with the rest of the image. May take springing for a drum scan of the 4x5 to be able to get more shadow detail in that area. Or perhaps doing what Harley and Eva suggested and crop it out. Will have to work some and see what I can do. I actually tried Lucy's vignetting suggestion but in the final edit, did not retain the vignette.
Thanks again everyone.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on September 19, 2013 at 9:10 AM

I really like the composition here. Feels random,but in sort of a controlled way. My experience is that it takes some searching to find something that works this well and then to find the right angle to isolate it. This feels perfect.

Color and contrast are perfect. I particularly like the sense of light that comes from having the darker background near the top edge. It helps put the focus on the rocks in the foreground.

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

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on September 19, 2013 at 6:06 PM

This is real nice, Vance. Provia worked really well for this: Processing looks spot-on to me. I do agree with Harley with regard to his suggestion for a crop from the top.

I need to go out to the coast and find some stones!

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Balan Vinod on September 20, 2013 at 7:58 AM

Wonderful shapes and colors Vance ..love the way it leads the eye into the background ..well done

Balan Vinod

Registered on March 20, 2006, 889 Posts, 2312 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on September 21, 2013 at 3:18 PM

Very special intimate scene Vance.

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