Scottish Coastal View

[Chris Ponkster]

This is my first photo post - be gentle I'm new to digital and am converting my old brain over from film - loving the concept of instant review of a shot !
This was taken a short walk from home - Boddam lighthouse , North East Scotland (taken 11/02/18)

Boddam lighthouse Feb 18 by ponkster45, on Flickr

 

[Designer]

As scenery goes, this is not bad, but to my eye there is too much.

I would probably have selected two or three different frames in this scene, such as; the light and keeper's house on the little island would be one composition, framed tighter, and cut off before the brown wall. Another would be what appears to be a village with the rocks of the headland included, but cut off at the bridge. And, of course, a short walk from the village onto the bridge to get another, completely different shot.

 

[tirediron]

A Scottish coastal scene with blue sky? Pull the other one, it's got bells on!!!



Very nice; concur with Designer's comments.

 

[weepete]

Very Nice! I think it's a pretty good shot, though I think you could have opened up the aperture from f20 as there's quite a bit of diffraction going on. Given how far away the foreground looks I would have thought f11 would have been a better choice.

Compostion wise I like it, maybe a little more room on the bottom as the frame is cutting into the shadow of the rock there, and I'd crop the part of the whitewashed house on the left keepinv the green shed. But I really like the village>bridge>lighthouse thing.

PS I think your sensor might need a little clean, there's some dust gremlins showing in the sky.

 

[Derrel]

Some good comments on this from the posters above. To my eye, the lighthouse far right creates a bit too much visual "pull" to the far,right edge of the picture area. This is a simply gorgeous area, and would be well worth the effort to photograph in multiple, different ways, and from slightly differing camera placements and foal lengths, to make multiple types of nice photos. Thanks for posting!

It is interesting, making the transition from film, to digital image capture. Welcome, Ponkster!

 

[Chris Ponkster]

Very Nice! I think it's a pretty good shot, though I think you could have opened up the aperture from f20 as there's quite a bit of diffraction going on. Given how far away the foreground looks I would have thought f11 would have been a better choice.

Compostion wise I like it, maybe a little more room on the bottom as the frame is cutting into the shadow of the rock there, and I'd crop the part of the whitewashed house on the left keepinv the green shed. But I really like the village>bridge>lighthouse thing.

PS I think your sensor might need a little clean, there's some dust gremlins showing in the sky.

Thanks for your feedback - looked into sensor spots - did the test shot and the sensor was covered in dust , lots of puffs with a huricane blower and a dry wipe with a dry sable brush ( an unused very expensive one !) And the sensor is looking 1 small spot off perfect !

 

[407370]

hang on blue sky in Feb???

Great scene but the processing needs a wee touch of finesse. There are a few brush spots in the sky, or could be sensor dust, either way they need to be smoothed / cloned out. The scene to me is crying out for more of a panorama view.

I notice you say photos not OK to edit. If you are new to digital I would suggest posting up a SOOC JPG and let folks here do the processing and explain the various workflows we use to get a certain effects.

I really miss Scotland but pics like this help.

 

[Chris Ponkster]

hang on blue sky in Feb???

Great scene but the processing needs a wee touch of finesse. There are a few brush spots in the sky, or could be sensor dust, either way they need to be smoothed / cloned out. The scene to me is crying out for more of a panorama view.

I notice you say photos not OK to edit. If you are new to digital I would suggest posting up a SOOC JPG and let folks here do the processing and explain the various workflows we use to get a certain effects.

I really miss Scotland but pics like this help.

Guilty as Charged - Digital Noob - I'm still learning and am new to LR too - I agree the blue is a bit artificial !

The sky was sensor spots which I think are sorted now ( Thanks weepete for the diagnosis)

This has been a steep learning curve in one picture - thank you everyone your advice and help , I had heard horror stories about photo forums so I always stayed away when I shooting film but it seems the right place to be now I have finally entered the 'Digital Age'.

 

[OldCam]

Behind your lens no one can hurt you. Although i agree with a lot said about your picture, i think it is something you can show your partner with a big smile, and hang a print on the wall. thumb up

 

[OldCam]

By the way.. i saw your rat faser.. i ride Yamaha also.. after a few others i bought a Genesis, now i ride a 600 cat. (sorry for going off topic)

 

[407370]

Guilty as Charged - Digital Noob - I'm still learning and am new to LR too - I agree the blue is a bit artificial !

The sky was sensor spots which I think are sorted now ( Thanks weepete for the diagnosis)

This has been a steep learning curve in one picture - thank you everyone your advice and help , I had heard horror stories about photo forums so I always stayed away when I shooting film but it seems the right place to be now I have finally entered the 'Digital Age'.

Digital photography is great. Make a mess of the processing, throw it away and start again.....eeeaaassssyyyyy
I dont use PS or LR or RAW format but I still manage to get what I want out of the pics I take. Find your own level of processing over a long time, there is no time limit.

I still think to get the most from the forum you should start a thread and post up a SOOC JPG and ask members to show why it was edited in a certain fashion and how it was done. You will find us very helpful.

Please note that noone will edit any pic you post if you still have the NOT OK TO EDIT tag showing.

 

[birdbonkers84]

I like it, I like the gradient in the sky, and I like the gradient of discoloured rocks. shame about the dirty sensor as its not just on the sky, pretty much all over the image. I would be tempted to go back on the same kind of day and take it again.

 

[Chris Ponkster]

Second try - after a vigorous sensor clean !

Bodam Lighthouse 3 by ponkster45, on Flickr

 

[Cortian]

The sky was sensor spots which I think are sorted now ( Thanks weepete for the diagnosis)

Yeah, it's a shame about those sensor spots, as it's otherwise a nice photo, I thought.

FWIW: My sensor cleaning experiences and solutions:

Cleaning: A Rite Of Passage? (I Failed) (Then eventually succeeded)
Cleaning: A Rite Of Passage II (Success!)

Post #9 in that first thread is a list of the products I'm using.

This has been a steep learning curve in one picture - thank you everyone your advice and help ,

Folks are pretty helpful, here

I had heard horror stories about photo forums so I always stayed away when I shooting film but it seems the right place to be now I have finally entered the 'Digital Age'.

Eh *shrug* In on-line venues there will be miscommunication. That can lead to dissention. The trick is for somebody, anybody, to stop the escalation. Otherwise it just spins out of control.

And, of course, this being as much art as it is science, there will be disagreement. Pick up what appears to be useful, leave what appears not to be laying on the floor

That's some beautiful subject matter you have with that coastline.

Welcome to TPF!

 

[WesternGuy]

...I'm still learning and am new to LR too...

If you don't already know, there is plenty of stuff on Lightroom on YouTube - a lot of very helpful videos. If you can't find what you are looking for, then post on the appropriate forum and someone here should be able to offer some insight.

I agree with the comments about the first image and there being too much in the image. The second one is much better, but I might suggest you try one with only the lighthouse in it using a portrait mode orientation, just to see what the result is.

WesternGuy