This was my first time at Bandon Beach, Oregon. Jack told us the beach and sea stacks can appear cluttered, so go slow. Well, I scurried around trying to get as much captured as I could before the sunlight hit the water and washed everything out. It wasn’t very satisfying.
Then for a moment I was still. I began to listen to the waves; to feel the waves. Beneath the apparent calmness is a power.
In post processing, I used mostly dodging and burning to create that quiet feeling of power. I kept a soft focus on the sea stacks as I did not want them to be crisp.
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I go back and forth about the left border and that small open area of water. Leaving it gives me a sense of “a way through” the rocks.
I admire this. It can be so easy when you go somewhere for the first time to run around like a headless chicken and then leave. Congratulations on having the sense of the moment to realise you were doing that and to stop… The result? Speaks for itself.
I agree this is generally a quite calming scene, mostly the tonality of the waves and how that resonates with the warmth above the sea stacks. The image feels well-crafted and I get a sense that care has been taken.
My only compositional question is the impact of so much sky. As it begins to fade to bluer tones nearer the top, I get a sense that we are leaving the scene and not returning. I took the liberty of a quick rough screen grab crop (not a standard aspect ratio) just to see,
I feel I prefer this. The sky feels more alien and other-worldly and the focus allows us to stay in the waves and rocks a lot longer. I now feel free, but contained within the aesthetic.
Just a demonstration of the consequences of every single decision we make. Thanks for this, beautiful and calming.
Thank you, Alister, for the encouraging words. The crop of the sky made an immediate positive impact for me also. I’m looking forward to receiving your book.
