Ghost Clouds, Lonely Shore

I made my way South down this remote section of beach, taking great care not to ruin any possible shots with a misplaced footprint, since it was perfectly undisturbed. I was kinda striking out on anything that felt like a keeper photo, but I turned around and noticed the super low angle sunlight being broken by my own cautious footprints. I thought it was pretty odd that the little ridges of sand pushed up by my tracks could cast a shadow that was 2 or 3 feet long. I wouldn't consider this to be a remarkable photo by any means, but the clouds were cool, and the light/shadow play was kind of interesting.

Oh, and I wasn't drunk, I swear. I coulda walked in a straight line, had I felt like it! Scouts honor...

Spectacular! I thought the foot prints were leading away before i read the description. I really like how ambiguous the prints are. I'm going to say the clouds look more like jellyfish.

Very nice! The shadows really make this shot. The sky has a lovely "soft" feel to it. I wouldn't change this shot at all! Well done!

This is great! While so many shots on this site capture natural beauty and present it in spectacular fashion, this is different. You've captured beauty with an interaction by man, a door has been opened ....a story to interpret, an opportunity for each viewer to project their mood into this path and where it leads them. This is a keeper....one of the year's best, imho. Ken S

The light, the simplicity, and the great PP make this shot a winner.....no...make that magical.

Roman

Those clouds are just perfect, as is the light. I really do think this is one of your best, Aaron! Very powerful on many levels. I WOULD consider it remarkable. The combination of elements here doesn't come around all that often, nor is is photographed so well.

So nice Aaron! Very ethereal.

This is great! I'm glad you didn't walk in a straight line...the irregular path is what helps make the photo, imo. I would frame this and stick it on the wall. It's like a dream.

Jeez! Thanks for the very kind replies. I guess the reason that I thought this wasn't that spectacular was because of what it could have been. Earlier that morning, I was on top of a hill just a mile or so from here shooting the sunrise. I could see all the way down to the beach and the colors to the West were just incredible, with the cool little clouds marching in from offshore. I made the decision to leave where I was at during the peak of a pretty awesome sunrise to the East to head down to the shore. In the end I got cool clouds at both places but fantastic color at neither. The whole time I was cussing myself for changing plans midstream. It was kind of a "the grass is always greener" moment, and the thoughts of the photos that could have been made overshadowed what was presently happening. I'm glad you all like it though. I really appreciate all of the kind comments.

Really nice image Aaron, really nice.

David M. Cobb

The light and shadows are just superb. I'm glad you turned around! :)

Aaron, nice B&W!

If you don't mind, how are you doing your conversions? Your B&W's are some of the best digital B&W I've seen.

Thanks,
Edward

This has a timeless feel to me, partially due to your fortunate choice of B&W. Superb!
Love your work on Smugmug.

Edward, I really don't have a standard workflow for my conversions. I have a few different general approaches, but its really kind of trial and error.

For this shot, I just used a channel mixer and local curves adjustments for the sky and beach, respectively. Then, I added my own orton technique, brushed in at various low opacities, pretty much winging it as I went.

I have found that if you know that a photo is going to be a B&W from the start, make sure and optimize it in RAW accordingly. Don't worry about what the colors look like, just try to get a perfect histogram for each channel, as that will allow the most flexibility and highest quality in the end.

I hope this helps a little.

Arron, Thanks!

It literally took me years to dial in B&W in the darkroom, I've been having so much fun shooting color since digital came along, I have not spent much effort trying to dial it in. The little bit I've done has been disappointing, clearly showing me a lot more effort is warranted.

from what you've said, it reaffirms my belief that it's the little attention to details all along the workflow chain that make the difference.

And please excuse my ignorance, but what's an "orton" technique? :)

Thanks again,

Edward

Edward, I sent you an E-mail regarding Orton Imagery.

Awesome Aaron, a real keeper. I like your title too. As noted, the shadows of the footprints really add, but I like the way the footprints really lead eye through the photo.

Oh! WOW!