Crosby Beach Revisited

[Stephen]

I would welcome any comments on this image taken last night. After visiting the beach a couple of weeks ago in the early morning, I jumped at the opportunity to go again the evening.

This shot is an HDR one from 5 separate images blended in Photomatix and run lightly through the tonemapping option too. A little tweaking in PS ended up with this

[lumix]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Stephen I have always admired your work, and this is again a splendid image. I would not for one moment pretend to understand the processes you used to achieve this, but I can't get my eyes of those six little objects on the horizon. Possibly removing them would help. Are they ships or part of another coast line?

[Stephen]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Thanks for commenting Lumix, much appreciated. Cloning out such things is always a bit of a dilemma. Power lines, telegraph poles, pylons, blooming street furniture and those dratted yellow lines. My pet hate are wheely bins, they have completely destroyed some of our urban, even rural scenes.

Anyway, these objects you refer to are the plinths for a new windfarm I believe. Now there's another thing I'm not to keen on that are fast appearing on our horizons and landscapes. Love em or hate em they are part of the scene these days especially in the North. So should they be cloned out

[lumix]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Thanks for commenting Lumix, much appreciated. Cloning out such things is always a bit of a dilemma. Power lines, telegraph poles, pylons, blooming street furniture and those dratted yellow lines. My pet hate are wheely bins, they have completely destroyed some of our urban, even rural scenes.

Anyway, these objects you refer to are the plinths for a new windfarm I believe. Now there's another thing I'm not to keen on that are fast appearing on our horizons and landscapes. Love em or hate em they are part of the scene these days especially in the North. So should they be cloned out

I got drawn in to a discussion on wind-farms on another forum, don't think I want to go down that road again. As regard to your image, removing a distraction what ever it is must be the right thing to do. My el-cheap-o software lets me just draw a ring round things like that, press delete and it's gone.

PS I've just done that and it has made an improvement.

[Stephen]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

As regard to your image, removing a distraction what ever it is must be the right thing to do. My el-cheap-o software lets me just draw a ring round things like that, press delete and it's gone.

I take your point about distractions, but I'm not convinced these are distractions in my eyes. One could argue that the 100 figures on the beach, of which this is one, are distractions to the smooth lines of the beach, indeed apparently the water skiers etc hate em. My own feeling is that they have become part of the landscape,so much so that many want them to stay there.

Would you feel the same if there were a series of small ships on the horizon, would you consider them a distraction. Maybe you would, but would you still want them cloned out.

[Pol]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

I'm not too sure about this one. I like the sunset colours, also like the silhouette of the figure but can't quite put my finger on what it is that's not quite 'right' for me.

I think maybe it's something about the composition? My eyes are wandering about from one side to the other trying to avoid looking straight into the bright sun. The bright sun also leaves me with slight 'floaters when I move over to look at the figure. If I block out the centre of the sun it's better for me.... then I see a figure looking over towards the horizon.

I'd assumed they were boats on the horizon but now know it's a windfarm. Is that a tiny suggestion of a boat (or wind turbine thingy) to the right of the sun too? I'm too blinded by the sun to see it properly.

As for cloning them out - I try to avoid cloning things out if at all possible. the windfarm isn't too prominent imho, especially when I forgot to bring my 'Foster Grants'.

Pol

[lumix]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

I'm not too sure about this one. I like the sunset colours, also like the silhouette of the figure but can't quite put my finger on what it is that's not quite 'right' for me.

I think maybe it's something about the composition? My eyes are wandering about from one side to the other trying to avoid looking straight into the bright sun. The bright sun also leaves me with slight 'floaters when I move over to look at the figure. If I block out the centre of the sun it's better for me.... then I see a figure looking over towards the horizon.

I'd assumed they were boats on the horizon but now know it's a windfarm. Is that a tiny suggestion of a boat (or wind turbine thingy) to the right of the sun too? I'm too blinded by the sun to see it properly.

As for cloning them out - I try to avoid cloning things out if at all possible. the windfarm isn't too prominent imho, especially when I forgot to bring my 'Foster Grants'.

Pol

Perhaps Pol is right. There is some reason for the eyes to wander and I put it down to the wind-farm plinths. I've removed them and found it helped. Had the Sun not been directly in the middle of the image, It may have had less effect.

[Stephen]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

OK fair enough, you seem to be saying its a bit too bright, or needs toning down a bit.

Does this one work better for you

[Pol]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Does this one work better for you

Yes. It's a lot easier on the eyes.

Pol

[Andrew Thatcher]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

OK fair enough, you seem to be saying its a bit too bright, or needs toning down a bit.

Does this one work better for you

I don't think the Saturation is that bad on the first image, just the steel figure on the right is a bit too close to the edge of the frame. The second image works for me I like to see it with the Saturation of the first.

[Stephen]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

I don't think the Saturation is that bad on the first image, just the steel figure on the right is a bit too close to the edge of the frame. The second image works for me I like to see it with the Saturation of the first.

Ah, thanks Andrew, I did wonder about this myself, and is one reason I chose the second shot as an alternative, apart from the sun.

I also agree about Saturation, though in reality this has not been adjusted. The first was tonemapped from an HDR image and the second was not Essentially though they have been cooked in different ways

[lumix]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Ah, thanks Andrew, I did wonder about this myself, and is one reason I chose the second shot as an alternative, apart from the sun.

I also agree about Saturation, though in reality this has not been adjusted. The first was tonemapped from an HDR image and the second was not Essentially though they have been cooked in different ways

Your second is far better as a picture IMHO. I now feel the figure is looking to the horizon and is interested in what is visible. Wind-farm or ships? Now they are important to the image. Can't comment on the processing as that's out of my league.

[Autumn]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

I like them both Stephen, but the second one just has for me. Although it would be interesting to see it with a little more saturation.

I like the abstract effect.

Audrey

[JoLeady]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Ok, junior here is preparing to get blown out of the water, but I actually liked the vibrant colours in the first one. The only thing that didnt' work for me was the cross-cutting clouds, real though they may be. The second one feels a bit flat.

[ash]

Re: Crosby Beach Revisited

Ok my take on the situation, when I first saw the image I loved it, but then after looking at it for a while, I thought it could be better. If it was my pic, I would lose the dude on the right, crop the top, get rid of the speks on the horizon and keep the saturation. I bet ya gunna hate me for altering it, but see it as a compliment, I dont usually spend this much time altering my own pics I do have this thing about sunsets and landscape shots that are not in wide format, they dont look right to me. Is this just me or do others feel the same? Im intrested.

cheers
Ash.