Photograph taken in the water w/ an underwater housing.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any feedback appreciated.
Technical Details
Sony A7R4 1/640 f/16 ISO 320 @70mm (70-200mm f4 g oss lens) uncropped
RAW
the usual basic edits, nothing too extreme (shadows and whites pushed up the most)
3 masks:
crew to increase exposure
sea to remove extra noise
sky to decrease exposure and dehaze some more
classic rounded vignette in raw
PS
FS cleanup of the wave and a large blur in the sky caused by a water drop on the lens port to the left of the sail + extensive and painstaking (!) FS cleanup of fringes caused by shake reduction filter on the sail (have now moved on to Topaz AI) and other artefacts caused by the acrylic lens port.
hue/Sat to the whole image, except the sails, to increase blueness (targeting the blues only)
Great image capturing the sail race action. Your view point from the water surface together with your composition really makes a great image. Also like your post-processing. Nothing to improve here.
I am really digging this photo. When I’m not doing anything nature-related, I love me some adventure and sports photography as well. You clearly like to put yourself in the same shoes! The number one thing that jumped out to me first was the fact that this evokes a beach and ocean vibe whether or not it was shot in that kind of location. What you’re doing right here is that you are shooting low and giving the boat itself power. I think a front right angle would look really cool too because then you could see more of the front of the people on the boat and the line of the boats behind. Awesome shot!
I love it and the processing brought out the strengths of the photo so well. Brava! I can practically feel the swell and the cold of the water - the movement of it and the wind. Really evocative.
Laura, this is exceptional. I love the comp with the main boat and the others following on the right. Your processing is very good too. A wonderful scene. Well done.
WOW!! This grabbed me as soon as I saw the thumbnail! This is such a unique viewpoint in addition to a stunning subject, and the processing is absolutely wonderful!!
That must be some housing to accommodate a 70-200. I wonder if a housing could be made with an optical glass port?
Really beautiful photo! The composition is great and I love the texture and light on the sails. I find that the straight lines and angles in the foreground sails contrasts nicely with the curved sails in the background. I also like being in the dip between the waves - quite a fun vantage point!
Another terrific image Laura. This has everything to do with perspective. Your low angle in the water really gives this such dynamic movement. The fact that you are in a dip between swells plays an important role in this shot. I love that I can only see a little tiny bit of the hull of the sail boat and all of the trailing sailboats. It’s so real, I’m almost getting sea sick looking at this.
I agree with @David_Johnston about maybe trying to get a little bit more of a head on angle (maybe something between head on and full sideways that you have here). Your processing is just perfect. I would only suggest that you clone out the sailboat on the very edge of the frame on the right side. Wonderful Laura.
Love this shot, Laura! Exceptional clarity, perfect exposure and great composition! The low angle from shooting in the water really adds a different perspective than normal. Great job of processing also! Well done!
I’m a bit of an oddball on this one. The original is excellent, but the edit is exceptional, BUT I kind of like the bubbles and reflections in the water.
@David_Johnston I’m really pleased to hear that you like this photo and thank you very much for your time to comment. Yes, like you nature photography is my first interest but once a year, over 4 days in September, I like to shoot the Cannes Royal Regatta where the world’s most famous classic yachts gather. They are so much more beautiful than the carbon-fibre monsters that we now have… That said, there are limits to my sports photography. The kind of shot you suggest is prevalent in sailing photography - I’ve seen some brilliantly executed examples - but the interest lies in the crew, i.e. man’s over power over the sea, whilst my own interest strives to picture the opposite - not so much in this image, but it is generally my style. That said, thanks for suggestion. If I find myself in such a situation, I shall certainly give it a try and see what I can come up with. I’m just praying that there will be a regatta this September, considering the very worrying situation in Europe on so many fronts… sigh!
@Kris_Smith Fantastic. Chuffed by your feedback. Many thanks Kris!
@David_Bostock Many thanks David. I think this is my first image where I feel half-comfortable with the processing. Some issues have come up with printing which I will absolutely need TK7 for but I’m still far from proficient using the panel. I dream of the day when TK7 will produce joyful results, but there is quite some work to be done until then.
@Mark_Muller Great to hear that! Thank you very much!
@Diane_Miller Thank you very much Diane! Frankly, there still are some issues with the processing, particularly for printing to a large size, but they are not so visible in the posted low res image. I was thinking that perhaps it would be better to post better files, but I don’t want to overload NPN server. Not sure what the form is. Will reach out to support.
You make 2 very good points: yes, it’s a big surf housing and not light to wield, particularly as I have to hold it above water to shoot dry for as long as I can before having to resort to other methods to keep the lens port as clear as possible. BUT this setup is not as heavy as the one for the F2.8 GM lens. Luckily there’s plenty of light so the F4 is good enough, but I still longingly wonder how much better the 2.8 GM lens would be… ah if only I could! Sweet dreams! And you are absolutely right: an optical glass port would be better. To my knowledge, there are no optical glass ports on any existing surf housings yet. This was my request to the manufacturer after last season and they said they had it in development. Sadly, not in time for this season.
Great image, Laura. You say you usually don’t emphasize the crew but what struck me here was the group of 5 striving bodies on deck. You could blow them up for a great action shot as a separate approach. Everything said about the POV, processing, etc I totally agree with.
@mrbphoto Many thanks for your appreciation and detailed observations. This little yacht (it’s only 10m in length) is particularly photogenic.
@David_Haynes Many thanks David! This sort of shots is totally my cup of tea (and this one is among the least dramatic ones). I do seek to express the feeling of being in the sea and the power of the waves, so am pleased to read that the image has a very real effect, almost to the point of sea sickness (even though some people have expressed fear and look at my images with a bemused and repulsed curiosity). I have been thinking of getting a more head one angle since @David_Johnston’s suggestion - it hadn’t occurred to me at all before and I have also seen some examples I don’t like - but it’s definitely food for thought. Thank you both for helping me to look beyond my own boundaries! I will clone out the cut off sail on the right and repost.
@andronik Thank you very much for you detailed comment and appreciation! Very pleased to hear!
@Jim_Gavin Many thanks for your comment, Jim. I understand, but in this case am not in doubt about my decision as the reflections look positively dirty in the large res image and would show up badly in print. That said, it’s kind of good to know that they don’t necessarily look bad to other eyes.
@Mike_Friel Well, Mike, that is as much of the crew as I can bear and, most importantly, it is small in comparison to the sea. There are so many crystal-clear crew action shots taken with long lenses from boats in sailing photography. I can’t compete using a lens behind an acrylic port and covered with salty spray. Luckily, I don’t view myself as a sailing photographer but as a sea photographer who sometimes photographs sails…
