Shepherds delight

Wow, when first opening this I thought you had done a horrific job of blending....it was just the sharp break of water and sky! Quite the scene, Ian. As nice as the sky is, I like the warm foreground (the smaller rocks triangle really draws you in!) adding so much depth to the whole image. Lots to look at.

Very nice. The streaks of clouds give a great feeling of depth, and I really like the muted and varied colors of the FG rocks. Good comp.

An unusual image - it almost looks like 2 separate shots, sea and sky, I think because the water is so smooth and clear, and due to the dark band right at the horizon. Love the variety and detail in the rocks, and the clouds reaching out from the background really adds to the depth.

Ian,

Very nice! Love the light and the foreground is wonderful. My only nit is the dark band just at the separation of the rocks and water. Looks like the grad was pulled just a touch to far. A little lightening in that area...perfect!

What an inspiring scene. I like it very much but I'm also a little bothered by the narrow dark line at the edge of the rocks. I'm sure this was a tricky setup, but perhaps a soft grad would have been more suitable here.

Guy

I agree with mark and guy, very nice scene, the horizon line distrats a bit but a very nice image still

Outstanding composition and colors. I mimic what others have mentioned about the grad. Dosen't detract much from the overwhelming asthetics here though. A pleasure to look at!

Stunning! Wonderful foreground and sky.

For my own benefit, can you comment on why left the rock whose point touches the horizon where you did? Why did you choose to leave it there? Would it make a difference if the rock either didn't reach the horizon or broke the horizon?

Hi David, I am surprised anyone noticed. It is a whimsical habit of mine a bit like a security blanket I suppose. I do it a lot, particularly with big slabs of rock where I like to make it look like the rock is hanging by the tiniest of threads. I cannot claim the same in this case, the act was conscious but the decision to make it so was purely one of personal satisfaction. I would cheerfully have given the black clump on the right a haircut though.

Hi Ian

The rock touching the horizon does create a certain tension in the image.

There's a lot of tension in this image for me. The FG is so warm and inviting, you want to wander through the rocks. Then the sky is so brilliant, but it feels very distant. Very nice.

Beautiful light and wonderfully captured. Congratulations on a great image.

A beautiful environment in a nice light!
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