Hi There,
This is my first post to this forum. I took this back in late November one afternoon around 6:45. Raw, processed in Lightroom. This is my first attempt at shooting a coastal scene I was hoping for a nice sunset or at least a break in the clouds. No luck. This was the best shot of the day for me. I'm with you guys I can't wait for things to start growing again around here.
Canon 20D
EFS 17-85
.6 sec
f/10
ISO 100
Posted by Ned Fenimore on March 16, 2009 at 9:24 AM
Nice coloration of sky and composition.. my only minor suggestion is to level the horizon a touch.. welcome to the forum!
Posted by Paul DeCesare on March 16, 2009 at 12:37 PM
Matthew, I don't think the lack of a fiery sunset is bad at all. The way you captured this really gives it remote etheral look which really works for me. Think about someone who's never been to the Coast, they'd think this was some incredibly remote location, instead of shops and restaurants a few hundred feet behind you.
Good job. I agree with Ned about straightening the horizon, but that's about it. I don't even mind the near-center placement of the horizon, to me it works because of the complexity of the horizon with the formations. Some others may disagree, it'd be interesting to hear what crop they might suggest.
This is a great forum, you just don't get pats on the back, the praise and/or proper criticism is free-flowing and it almost always results in the photo submitter gaining a sharper eye. And the folks here are very patient with amateurs like me.
I agree about the horizon, but it is actually an easy fix. The image has much bigger problems.
Here are the major flaws:
There are no interesting objects on the photo. The rocks lack details, the horizon divides the image in almost 50-50 ratio, the sky is boring, the sand is boring, there is no interesting light anywhere, the shapes are not original, there is nothing happening on the image to bring my interest to anything.
Try to find something creative. Something catchy and strong. When you find it then focus on this strong subject, isolate it from the surroundings, compose the background, and then you should get an interesting picture.
I understand that when you were there in person you felt the breeze, the mood and the sounds of the ocean. However, those qualities are not projected on the image. The image is just a plain underexposed flat image of a very common view.
For starters I would go for more of a pano crop, taking of most of the sky above the top of the rock, and a little off the bottom just below the crashing wave.
After that I would process this in B&W. I would try adding a little contrast to the sky to bring out some of the cloud definition. Then I would try pulling out a little bit of detail from the rocks. Also an overall brightening of the image would do some good, not a lot though as the darker presentation helps add mood to this scene.
Hope that helps, and again, welcome! Hope you enjoy it over here!
Posted by Marc Dilley on March 16, 2009 at 4:43 PM
Hello Matthew, welcome to the forum. I think this is a very nice first post. As Paul stated, lack of a dramatic sky isn't a deal-breaker here - this image has other strengths. The sweep of the water in the FG is an interesting FG. The overall blue, low contrast imparts a certain feeling effectively. The only thing I would do is crop a bit from the top of the image, removing the subtle vignetting from both upper corners.
Thanks for all the comments guys! So here is the reworked version with a few minor corrections. I fixed the horizon, I cropped a little off the top to remove the vignetting, and lightened up the rocks. but only a little.. I did a B&W but preferred the color better. I just installed CS4 and know very little about photoshop but recognize how useful it could be in isolating specific areas of a photo.
Considering the season and time of day this was taken, I think it imparts a moody, PNW feel. I like the sweep of the water in the fg that draws the viewer into the scene. I think this is actually one of the more interesting views of this iconic location and a nice first post. The crop did wonders. Welcome aboard. You'll learn a lot here and have fun doing it.
Posted by Cezar Mart on March 17, 2009 at 12:25 PM
> The only thing I would do is crop a bit from the top of the image, removing the subtle vignetting from both upper corners.
That's funny because I usually purposely put delicate vignettes on my photographs!
The conclusion - technical critique very often is contradicting. You need to filter out critique, treat it as very general guidline, not as detailed instructions. The key is to find your own style and publish images that you like, not what others like.
The corrected image is much better in my opinion because it has more detail. I still stand by my previous comment about lack of interesting objects on it. The theme of the photo is just too ordinary.
Discussion
8 repliesThis is my first post to this forum. I took this back in late November one afternoon around 6:45. Raw, processed in Lightroom. This is my first attempt at shooting a coastal scene I was hoping for a nice sunset or at least a break in the clouds. No luck. This was the best shot of the day for me. I'm with you guys I can't wait for things to start growing again around here.
Canon 20D
EFS 17-85
.6 sec
f/10
ISO 100
Good job. I agree with Ned about straightening the horizon, but that's about it. I don't even mind the near-center placement of the horizon, to me it works because of the complexity of the horizon with the formations. Some others may disagree, it'd be interesting to hear what crop they might suggest.
This is a great forum, you just don't get pats on the back, the praise and/or proper criticism is free-flowing and it almost always results in the photo submitter gaining a sharper eye. And the folks here are very patient with amateurs like me.
Welcome!
Here are the major flaws:
There are no interesting objects on the photo. The rocks lack details, the horizon divides the image in almost 50-50 ratio, the sky is boring, the sand is boring, there is no interesting light anywhere, the shapes are not original, there is nothing happening on the image to bring my interest to anything.
Try to find something creative. Something catchy and strong. When you find it then focus on this strong subject, isolate it from the surroundings, compose the background, and then you should get an interesting picture.
I understand that when you were there in person you felt the breeze, the mood and the sounds of the ocean. However, those qualities are not projected on the image. The image is just a plain underexposed flat image of a very common view.
Here's what I would do if this image were mine:
For starters I would go for more of a pano crop, taking of most of the sky above the top of the rock, and a little off the bottom just below the crashing wave.
After that I would process this in B&W. I would try adding a little contrast to the sky to bring out some of the cloud definition. Then I would try pulling out a little bit of detail from the rocks. Also an overall brightening of the image would do some good, not a lot though as the darker presentation helps add mood to this scene.
Hope that helps, and again, welcome! Hope you enjoy it over here!
That's funny because I usually purposely put delicate vignettes on my photographs!
The conclusion - technical critique very often is contradicting. You need to filter out critique, treat it as very general guidline, not as detailed instructions. The key is to find your own style and publish images that you like, not what others like.
The corrected image is much better in my opinion because it has more detail. I still stand by my previous comment about lack of interesting objects on it. The theme of the photo is just too ordinary.