Seascapes for C&C

spacefuzz · Mar 26, 2012

would love some feedback on some recent seascapes I shot. Would love to hear comments on the colors, composition, shutter speeds, and if you just like / dislike them. Thanks for looking!

1. Cave Point 2 shot HDR blend

2. Crystal Cove #1 Single RAW file with 3 stop and 2 stop GND stacked

3. Crystal Cove #2 Single RAW file with 2 stop and 3 stop GND stacked

4. Crystal Cove #3 Single RAW file with 2 stop GND, polarizer, and 6 stop ND. 30 second exposure.

timethief · Mar 26, 2012

Well done. They all look great.

Joel_W · Mar 26, 2012

Just an incredible set. One picture is better then the next. There just isn't anything else I can say other then truly outstanding.

Majeed Badizadegan · Mar 26, 2012

I think #1 is certainly the weakest. The others it feels like the picture is going to end but it keeps going. That's a good thing!

Joel_W · Mar 26, 2012

Rotanimod said:
I think #1 is certainly the weakest. The others it feels like the picture is going to end but it keeps going. That's a good thing!

Interesting observation. Picture one is a completely different style. What I liked about it is the band of brilliant orange light that separates the water from those ominous looking clouds.

dandaluzphotography · Mar 26, 2012

Nice!

Tkot · Mar 26, 2012

Yeah, I think #1 just feels out of place in this set: for one thing, it's the only landscape oriented shot, and for another, its warm tones are really bright and dominant, whereas the warm tones in all the others are very muted. Also, it's the least complicated in terms of composition, which contrasts the other three, all of which have interesting forms and shapes in the foreground. I don't really like the breaking wave in the foreground of #1, mostly because it's not blurred enough to be ambiguous like the other three, but also not sharp enough to have a lot of detail, if that makes sense. Still, I feel like it would hold up better on its own, or with other, similar shots.

My favorite out of this set is #4. Stunning!

KmH · Mar 26, 2012

#1 is more an abstract it's been pushed so hard.

I would guess the other 3 are composites or blended exposures. One exposure for the sky and one for the water.

spacefuzz · Mar 26, 2012

Thank you all, very helpful especially on #1.

#1 I took a year ago and just recently processed, its two shots blended in CS5 and I did not pay enough attention to the look of the water. I pushed the red saturation a bit in levels adjust since I thought that was the focus of the photo. Not sure if its enough of a shot, may be compensation for lack of composition via saturation.

#2-4 are all single exposures with GND filters taken in the last few weeks. I didnt intentionally make them all vertical comp, just seemed to work out that way. They are all busier than my standard shots and not sure if its too busy, or actually interesting. Thanks for the feedback on #4 especially, know the clouds are interesting but wasnt sure if the foreground detracted.

I really appreciate all the feedback, and thanks KmH for moving to the correct place.

jaicatalano · Mar 26, 2012

I rarely say this but I actually really like these...

greybeard · Mar 26, 2012

Beautiful

OscarWilde · Mar 26, 2012

These are great!

The first one looks like friggin mordor is on the horizon! :lol:

Frances69 · Mar 26, 2012

They all look great.

Tkot · Mar 27, 2012

spacefuzz said:
Thank you all, very helpful especially on #1.

#1 I took a year ago and just recently processed, its two shots blended in CS5 and I did not pay enough attention to the look of the water. I pushed the red saturation a bit in levels adjust since I thought that was the focus of the photo. Not sure if its enough of a shot, may be compensation for lack of composition via saturation.

#2-4 are all single exposures with GND filters taken in the last few weeks. I didnt intentionally make them all vertical comp, just seemed to work out that way. They are all busier than my standard shots and not sure if its too busy, or actually interesting. Thanks for the feedback on #4 especially, know the clouds are interesting but wasnt sure if the foreground detracted.

With regards to #2-4 being "busier" than your shots usually are, I think that it works, especially for this type of shot. Having something going on in the foreground makes your shots less spatially ambiguous because it gives them both foreground and background interest. This technique adds depth and richness to the shots because there are details throughout the frame. #1, on the other hand, has much less going on in the foreground and consequently looks more flat (to me). But this type of shot is meant to show an entire scene, not to isolate just one aspect of it. So I think having both foreground and background detail serves your purpose best here. Just my $0.02!