3 for C&C

[markv20]

Just looking for some opinions and criticism

#1

Jack Sparrow by markv20, on Flickr

#2

Beavertail by markv20, on Flickr

#3

Sundown at Beavertail by markv20, on Flickr

 

[JoeLewisPhoto]

#1 is your best of the 3. I just think the horizon is a touch off (tilted) and perhaps a smidgen under exposed but it doesn't hurt it. I think the second shot is nice, and the light house is nicely lit., I just would rather see the whole house. Its touching the edge of the frame and looks like you even cut some of it off. its the main subject here, so its noticable. The 3rd one is the weakest of the bunch. The sky colors are nice, but the house is too dark/blue looking. almost blending into the background. Also, the house is too close to the edge of the frame.

 

[Infinite_Day]

I think #1 is the best of the bunch also but I don't think that the horizon is tilted much if at all. I think that the rising land along the horizon makes it seem tilted at first glance - it's not a problem in my opinion. For the other two - I like them but if you have good editing software I would apply distortion correction to them. Your wide-angle lens made the buildings and horizon look like they're being sucked toward the middle of the frame. Fix that and I think they're both good shots. I like the third one the best of those two mostly because the sign in the bottom center of the frame adds a distraction to the second photo.

 

[JoeLewisPhoto]

I think you are right on the horizon with the rising land....it plays tricks on you! lol.

 

[Sierra Echo]

I love this set Id love even more to see some processing to brighten them up slightly.
Well done.

 

[markv20]

Thanks everyone. I tried to keep all of them even more so the 3rd a tad on the dark side. I wanted them to feel like they felt when I was shooting. It was at sunset, #2 I shot first, #1 I shot second and #3 I shot third. By time I shot #3 (30 second exposure) it was pretty dark out so that is why I kept it on the dark side.

 

[Aayria]

Great set! I like your exposure in the second one best, and I think the third shot could be much stronger if its exposure matched #2 just a tad more. TFS!

 

[photo guy]

#3 is a little dark for me though the rest are good

 

[bazooka]

#2 is the best shot IMO. The focus/subject is not the sunset which I've found is so easy to overdo, but it is on how the last light of the day is playing off of the building and lighthouse. The reflection in the windows adds real impact that the other images lack. It is slightly tilted and as Infinted mentioned, some PC adjustment would be beneificial. I really wish that sign wasn't there.

#1 is underexposed and I really feel like nothing is interesting in this image. It simply appears you were trying out a longer shutter speed and didn't put much thought into composition. I don't know what you felt or saw there that you wanted me to see.

#3 is.... on the weak side. I really like the sky although I feel like you are "cropping off" the brightest part of it left-to-right, similar to if you shot a portrait and cut off half the persons eye. That bright part of the sky is important to properly balance the light of the lighthouse, but I think it's too "heavy" over that far to the right of the frame AND chopped off like that. I would like to see a little more 'buffer' or natural vignette/frame separating the brightest part of the sky with the edge of the frame. As it is, I feel like I'm not seeing the most important part of the image.

Overall, the image is a bit underexposed, and I would also like to see quite a bit less detail-less ground at the bottom. Given the above compositional fix, I think this would be a stellar wide aspect crop.

 

[GeorgieGirl]

I feel like there is some distortion as a result of the leaning of the light tower in at least the shots. I have a tendency to like things on the darker side too, and I like the light in the windows on the second shot...but is that interior light or is it a sunset reflection? Either way I like that aspect of the capture.

 

[bazooka]

I noticed a few other things about #3 that could be impoved.

- Really strong chromatic abberation, most noticeable on the lighthouse. Easily fixed in RAW conversion.
- More strong perspective distortion on the lighthouse... it's leaning into the frame.

I think this is a stronger crop... and I fixed the perspective and tweaked the CA a bit, although it's still not perfect.

 

[bazooka]

I feel like there is some distortion as a result of the leaning of the light tower in at least the shots. I have a tendency to like things on the darker side too, and I like the light in the windows on the second shot...but is that interior light or is it a sunset reflection? Either way I like that aspect of the capture.

The OP can answer to that I hope, but it certainly could be interior light. The reason I think it's reflected is because it seems to be the exact same color as the sunset and the tone across all three windows is identical. If we were looking at indoor walls, I would expect to see some light variation due to the physics of light and distance (inverse square law).

In either case, it definitely adds punch and interest to the image. Maybe being able to see inside the building would be even more interesting?

 

[markv20]

#2 is the best shot IMO. The focus/subject is not the sunset which I've found is so easy to overdo, but it is on how the last light of the day is playing off of the building and lighthouse. The reflection in the windows adds real impact that the other images lack. It is slightly tilted and as Infinted mentioned, some PC adjustment would be beneificial. I really wish that sign wasn't there.

#1 is underexposed and I really feel like nothing is interesting in this image. It simply appears you were trying out a longer shutter speed and didn't put much thought into composition. I don't know what you felt or saw there that you wanted me to see.

#3 is.... on the weak side. I really like the sky although I feel like you are "cropping off" the brightest part of it left-to-right, similar to if you shot a portrait and cut off half the persons eye. That bright part of the sky is important to properly balance the light of the lighthouse, but I think it's too "heavy" over that far to the right of the frame AND chopped off like that. I would like to see a little more 'buffer' or natural vignette/frame separating the brightest part of the sky with the edge of the frame. As it is, I feel like I'm not seeing the most important part of the image.

Overall, the image is a bit underexposed, and I would also like to see quite a bit less detail-less ground at the bottom. Given the above compositional fix, I think this would be a stellar wide aspect crop.

I wasnt sure how to align #2, if I used the waterline the lighthouse would be way off and vice versa if I used the lighthouse. I do have lightroom and elements for software. I just got lightroom so Im still learning it. I thought about removing the sign but I guess I was in too much of a rush while editing.

You are correct with #1, I was basically messing with a long exposure not paying much if any attention to composition.

I will try that for #3

Thanks for the help, I appreciate your input

 

[markv20]

I noticed a few other things about #3 that could be impoved.

- Really strong chromatic abberation, most noticeable on the lighthouse. Easily fixed in RAW conversion.
- More strong perspective distortion on the lighthouse... it's leaning into the frame.

I think this is a stronger crop... and I fixed the perspective and tweaked the CA a bit, although it's still not perfect.

I agree, that is a stronger crop.

Im not to familar with either of the following:

-chromatic abberation, What causes that and how is it fixed in the raw editing?
-perspective distortion, What causes that and how is it fixed in the raw editing?

 

[markv20]

I feel like there is some distortion as a result of the leaning of the light tower in at least the shots. I have a tendency to like things on the darker side too, and I like the light in the windows on the second shot...but is that interior light or is it a sunset reflection? Either way I like that aspect of the capture.

The OP can answer to that I hope, but it certainly could be interior light. The reason I think it's reflected is because it seems to be the exact same color as the sunset and the tone across all three windows is identical. If we were looking at indoor walls, I would expect to see some light variation due to the physics of light and distance (inverse square law).

In either case, it definitely adds punch and interest to the image. Maybe being able to see inside the building would be even more interesting?

That was the reflection of the sunset