Landscape Foggy Beach Sunset Critique

Scootatheschool1990 · 01-05-2014, 01:19 AM - **2 Likes**

Hey everyone, this past week I spent in my home state of OREGON. I have a beach house and every year I go to acquire solitude there. This year I brought my K5 along and the Da 14mm 2.8 for what I found out to be a bit of a foggy couple days; I did get a sunset and sunrise however. Here's a shot that I think is pretty dang awesome. I'd like to know what I could improve upon in either composition, post processing, crop, etc. This was done with the Lee Big Stopper ($140 OUCH) and k5 w 14mm. Photoshop for the editing. F/16 iso 100 and I think 8 minute exposure. This was a single Image solely created with the dynamic range of the k5's sensor.

Looking forward to your constructive critiques!

Attached Images

NKK · 01-05-2014, 01:50 AM

I think it's an awesome Picture, but to do a Little critique it looks like its leaning a Little to the left and i'm not super crazy about the colors, a bit to purple for my taste.

Scootatheschool1990 · 01-05-2014, 02:11 AM

Originally posted by NKK

I think it's an awesome Picture, but to do a Little critique it looks like its leaning a Little to the left and i'm not super crazy about the colors, a bit to purple for my taste.

No, I actually don't have a color calibrated monitor so It might be helpful to calibrate it. Thanks for your input.

TaoMaas · 01-05-2014, 11:23 AM - **1 Like**

Anything negative I say about this pic falls into the category of nitpicking. Overall...great shot! I don't mind the purple. I think the yellow of the sun area complements it and helps balance it out. The composition seems a touch off to me. I keep wanting to trim off the right side and lose that boulder that's halfway into the frame. BUT...when I do that, then it becomes too much of a straight line from the foreground to the background. It's always easy to second-guess, but I think that shooting a step or two to the left, so that you could make a slight S-curve from the foreground interest to the background boulder, would have allowed you to crop the right side a little and made your composition more compact. Like I say though...that's nit-picking. I'd be thrilled if I had taken this shot. Nice job!

Edited to add: Oops...meant to mention that I also like how the streams of clouds in the background act as a leading line to the boulder on the horizon. That helps reinforce the composition.

Scootatheschool1990 · 01-05-2014, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by TaoMaas

Anything negative I say about this pic falls into the category of nitpicking. Overall...great shot! I don't mind the purple. I think the yellow of the sun area complements it and helps balance it out. The composition seems a touch off to me. I keep wanting to trim off the right side and lose that boulder that's halfway into the frame. BUT...when I do that, then it becomes too much of a straight line from the foreground to the background. It's always easy to second-guess, but I think that shooting a step or two to the left, so that you could make a slight S-curve from the foreground interest to the background boulder, would have allowed you to crop the right side a little and made your composition more compact. Like I say though...that's nit-picking. I'd be thrilled if I had taken this shot. Nice job!

Edited to add: Oops...meant to mention that I also like how the streams of clouds in the background act as a leading line to the boulder on the horizon. That helps reinforce the composition.

Okay, so maybe next time I should take a step to the left and right of the objects? I think that's a good idea. Thank you for your advice, I really liked your ideas.Thanks again.

SpecialK · 01-05-2014, 08:01 PM

I would rotate it a bit to level the horizon - kind of important with water :-)

I would also crop off the bottom about 1/2 way to the foreground pile, for balance.

Scootatheschool1990 · 01-05-2014, 09:41 PM

Originally posted by SpecialK

I would rotate it a bit to level the horizon - kind of important with water :-)

I would also crop off the bottom about 1/2 way to the foreground pile, for balance.

Yeah, I thought I had it level, but If you can see it's not, then great, I'll have to do a straight line check next time. Thanks! and such an easy fix ! Thanks!

Robert Hank · 01-09-2014, 10:14 AM

Similar to you other pic you posted, but completely the opposite :P
Have everything well focused horizontally this time,
but agree its all a bit off centre.

Saying that, it would be a bit impossible, as the yellow in the sky is only on one side.
So i dont know if stepping to the left would help, or just framing it differently.. :/

But love it anyway, think i may have to go visit :P

**Schraubstock** · 01-10-2014, 03:19 AM

Hi

Firstly, you have a nice capture there.

But the extreme purple toning spoils it for me. I can't see how your uncalibrated monitor could possibly be to blame for it. No monitor will produce this sort of colour unless it is faulty. Sunset pictures, broadly speaking, in this forum are routinely oversaturated. It can work but most of the time it is not adding anything to the photograph. This is of course my personal opinion but I can't get away from it. I am a realist and always will be. The desire to make a picture even more dramatic, colour wise, then it ever was at the time of shooting is something a lot of people find very hard to resist. Most sunsets, if correctly exposed, have enough strong colours you will ever need without ever having to give mother nature a helping hand.

I have colour corrected your image and I think you will agree with me that "mother nature" provided you with all the dramatic colours you will ever need.

I have also corrected the distortion and leveled the horizon. I would be very interested to hear what your reaction is.
Lastly, a fine picture such as yours is always worth experimenting with and then you can decide which one will hang on your wall.

Best regards

malenisjaj · 01-10-2014, 03:35 AM

I will not going to tell you are the colours all right and etc, but, if you allow, I am just going to zoom a picture a little bit on the right so you could see from what angle I would shoot a picture (only clamshells are on the bottom (left)). I just zoomed picture in the tablet and pushed the PrtScr. For me, this picture (in its geometry and, therefore, simplicity) looks much better.

**Schraubstock** · 01-10-2014, 05:19 AM

Originally posted by malenisjaj

I will not going to tell you are the colours all right and etc, but, if you allow, I am just going to zoom a picture a little bit on the right so you could see from what angle I would shoot a picture (only clamshells are on the bottom (left)). I just zoomed picture in the tablet and pushed the PrtScr. For me, this picture (in its geometry and, therefore, simplicity) looks much better.

A lot of important elements of the picture are now missing.

malenisjaj · 01-10-2014, 05:40 AM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

A lot of important elements of the picture are now missing.

What elements?

TaoMaas · 01-10-2014, 06:39 AM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

A lot of important elements of the picture are now missing.

Yeah...wrong direction. All the good stuff is on the left, not right.

TaoMaas · 01-10-2014, 06:42 AM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

...the extreme purple toning spoils it for me.

I like the purple better. It balances with the yellow of the sun area. Changing it to blue loses that. When shooting color, we always have to remember the color wheel. It's okay to make it more blue, but not if we lose the orange.

malenisjaj · 01-10-2014, 06:57 AM

Originally posted by TaoMaas

Yeah...wrong direction. All the good stuff is on the left, not right.

Well, I wouldn't agree. I also took a PrtScr of the left side of the pictures but there are to many rocks which, in my opinion, are "killing" the softness of the blurry and softy water. In the other hand, right side of the picture doesn't have that, and gentle "waterfog" remains and is still strong. And still there is a part of the orange sky in the top of the biggest rock which add a tone more on the picture.
Bottom line, if I had to choose I would shoot the right side. Just like my edit of the pic. :-)

01-05-2014, 01:19 AM - 2 Likes	#1
Scootatheschool1990 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Boise Idaho Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 466	Foggy Beach Sunset Critique Lens: 14mm 2.8 Pentax Da Camera: K5 Photo Location: Indian Beach ISO: 100 Shutter Speed: Above 6s Aperture: F16 Hey everyone, this past week I spent in my home state of OREGON. I have a beach house and every year I go to acquire solitude there. This year I brought my K5 along and the Da 14mm 2.8 for what I found out to be a bit of a foggy couple days; I did get a sunset and sunrise however. Here's a shot that I think is pretty dang awesome. I'd like to know what I could improve upon in either composition, post processing, crop, etc. This was done with the Lee Big Stopper ($140 OUCH) and k5 w 14mm. Photoshop for the editing. F/16 iso 100 and I think 8 minute exposure. This was a single Image solely created with the dynamic range of the k5's sensor. Looking forward to your constructive critiques! Attached Images

01-10-2014, 03:19 AM	#9
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Hi Firstly, you have a nice capture there. But the extreme purple toning spoils it for me. I can't see how your uncalibrated monitor could possibly be to blame for it. No monitor will produce this sort of colour unless it is faulty. Sunset pictures, broadly speaking, in this forum are routinely oversaturated. It can work but most of the time it is not adding anything to the photograph. This is of course my personal opinion but I can't get away from it. I am a realist and always will be. The desire to make a picture even more dramatic, colour wise, then it ever was at the time of shooting is something a lot of people find very hard to resist. Most sunsets, if correctly exposed, have enough strong colours you will ever need without ever having to give mother nature a helping hand. I have colour corrected your image and I think you will agree with me that "mother nature" provided you with all the dramatic colours you will ever need. I have also corrected the distortion and leveled the horizon. I would be very interested to hear what your reaction is. Lastly, a fine picture such as yours is always worth experimenting with and then you can decide which one will hang on your wall. Best regards Last edited by Schraubstock; 11-01-2014 at 04:20 PM.

01-10-2014, 03:35 AM	#10
malenisjaj Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 166	I will not going to tell you are the colours all right and etc, but, if you allow, I am just going to zoom a picture a little bit on the right so you could see from what angle I would shoot a picture (only clamshells are on the bottom (left)). I just zoomed picture in the tablet and pushed the PrtScr. For me, this picture (in its geometry and, therefore, simplicity) looks much better. Last edited by malenisjaj; 01-10-2014 at 03:50 AM.

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01-05-2014, 01:50 AM	#2
NKK Inactive Account Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Malmö, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 583	I think it's an awesome Picture, but to do a Little critique it looks like its leaning a Little to the left and i'm not super crazy about the colors, a bit to purple for my taste.

01-05-2014, 02:11 AM	#3
Scootatheschool1990 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Boise Idaho Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 466 Original Poster	Originally posted by NKK I think it's an awesome Picture, but to do a Little critique it looks like its leaning a Little to the left and i'm not super crazy about the colors, a bit to purple for my taste. No, I actually don't have a color calibrated monitor so It might be helpful to calibrate it. Thanks for your input.

01-05-2014, 11:23 AM - 1 Like	#4
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Anything negative I say about this pic falls into the category of nitpicking. Overall...great shot! I don't mind the purple. I think the yellow of the sun area complements it and helps balance it out. The composition seems a touch off to me. I keep wanting to trim off the right side and lose that boulder that's halfway into the frame. BUT...when I do that, then it becomes too much of a straight line from the foreground to the background. It's always easy to second-guess, but I think that shooting a step or two to the left, so that you could make a slight S-curve from the foreground interest to the background boulder, would have allowed you to crop the right side a little and made your composition more compact. Like I say though...that's nit-picking. I'd be thrilled if I had taken this shot. Nice job! Edited to add: Oops...meant to mention that I also like how the streams of clouds in the background act as a leading line to the boulder on the horizon. That helps reinforce the composition.

01-05-2014, 02:07 PM	#5
Scootatheschool1990 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Boise Idaho Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 466 Original Poster	Originally posted by TaoMaas Anything negative I say about this pic falls into the category of nitpicking. Overall...great shot! I don't mind the purple. I think the yellow of the sun area complements it and helps balance it out. The composition seems a touch off to me. I keep wanting to trim off the right side and lose that boulder that's halfway into the frame. BUT...when I do that, then it becomes too much of a straight line from the foreground to the background. It's always easy to second-guess, but I think that shooting a step or two to the left, so that you could make a slight S-curve from the foreground interest to the background boulder, would have allowed you to crop the right side a little and made your composition more compact. Like I say though...that's nit-picking. I'd be thrilled if I had taken this shot. Nice job! Edited to add: Oops...meant to mention that I also like how the streams of clouds in the background act as a leading line to the boulder on the horizon. That helps reinforce the composition. Okay, so maybe next time I should take a step to the left and right of the objects? I think that's a good idea. Thank you for your advice, I really liked your ideas.Thanks again.

01-05-2014, 08:01 PM	#6
SpecialK Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: So California Photos: Gallery Posts: 16,481	I would rotate it a bit to level the horizon - kind of important with water :-) I would also crop off the bottom about 1/2 way to the foreground pile, for balance.

01-05-2014, 09:41 PM	#7
Scootatheschool1990 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Boise Idaho Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 466 Original Poster	Originally posted by SpecialK I would rotate it a bit to level the horizon - kind of important with water :-) I would also crop off the bottom about 1/2 way to the foreground pile, for balance. Yeah, I thought I had it level, but If you can see it's not, then great, I'll have to do a straight line check next time. Thanks! and such an easy fix ! Thanks!

01-09-2014, 10:14 AM	#8
Robert Hank Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 27	Similar to you other pic you posted, but completely the opposite :P Have everything well focused horizontally this time, but agree its all a bit off centre. Saying that, it would be a bit impossible, as the yellow in the sky is only on one side. So i dont know if stepping to the left would help, or just framing it differently.. :/ But love it anyway, think i may have to go visit :P

01-10-2014, 05:19 AM	#11
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Originally posted by malenisjaj I will not going to tell you are the colours all right and etc, but, if you allow, I am just going to zoom a picture a little bit on the right so you could see from what angle I would shoot a picture (only clamshells are on the bottom (left)). I just zoomed picture in the tablet and pushed the PrtScr. For me, this picture (in its geometry and, therefore, simplicity) looks much better. A lot of important elements of the picture are now missing.

01-10-2014, 05:40 AM	#12
malenisjaj Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 166	Originally posted by Schraubstock A lot of important elements of the picture are now missing. What elements?

01-10-2014, 06:39 AM	#13
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Originally posted by Schraubstock A lot of important elements of the picture are now missing. Yeah...wrong direction. All the good stuff is on the left, not right.

01-10-2014, 06:42 AM	#14
TaoMaas Pentaxian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Oklahoma City Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,574	Originally posted by Schraubstock ...the extreme purple toning spoils it for me. I like the purple better. It balances with the yellow of the sun area. Changing it to blue loses that. When shooting color, we always have to remember the color wheel. It's okay to make it more blue, but not if we lose the orange.

01-10-2014, 06:57 AM	#15
malenisjaj Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2013 Posts: 166	Originally posted by TaoMaas Yeah...wrong direction. All the good stuff is on the left, not right. Well, I wouldn't agree. I also took a PrtScr of the left side of the pictures but there are to many rocks which, in my opinion, are "killing" the softness of the blurry and softy water. In the other hand, right side of the picture doesn't have that, and gentle "waterfog" remains and is still strong. And still there is a part of the orange sky in the top of the biggest rock which add a tone more on the picture. Bottom line, if I had to choose I would shoot the right side. Just like my edit of the pic. :-)