The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
There was a surf advisory for the Oregon Coast last Tuesday and Wednesday, and it happened to time nicely with a few impromptu days off from work. I headed down to Shore Acres to see how the wave action was, and captured a few images to post.
“…captured a few…” isn’t really accurate. I remember when I was first getting into photography I spent much more time shooting images then planning them, the opposite of what I try to do now. I’d then post 10 variations that were essentially the same and ask which of the images others preferred. (At that time the correct answer was none of them, but fortunately folks were willing to humor me to help in my growth as a photographer.) Big waves at the coast feel like I’m back at the beginning, because you don’t know what the wave will look like when you press the shutter to take a series as the wave develops; you end up coming home with hundreds of images and then have to try to pick favorites. My problem is I liked too many of them.
Anyway, I’ve narrowed them to three or four that I will post. I prefer black and white for these big wave images. The conditions weren’t very colorful to begin with, and since black and white loses its sense of reality you can pump up the drama level. That matches well with how amazing it is to be there when these thunder in, something that’s hard to capture with an image.
Specific Feedback
I tried to bring focus and power to the wave with contrast, but without making it looked “cooked.” Does that look right to your eye, or would you recommend more/less?
I think these wave images look more “stark” with a slight cool tint. Does the tint work for you?
As always, all thoughts appreciated. It’s typically answers to questions I don’t think to ask that are amazingly helpful.
Technical Details
NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 56.0 mm
1/1250 sec. at f/11.0 and ISO 800
I have poor connectivity and therefore your image took a long time to download. As a result my screen was dark with just the title Big Ones. You can’t imagine all the images that flashed through my mind in anticipation…
I’ve been looking at and thinking about crashing waves at NPN recently. A previous one looked like a hairdo, a combover that went wrong. My sense is that the objective is to convey violence yet they seldom do. My thinking is that to show violence visually you need a composition with strong diagonals and perhaps contrast. I like this image for its beauty and tonal richness but I’m not sure it achieves its goal. For that matter, I’m not sure I could have achieved either.
Wonderful!! The overall composition works very well and the detail in the wave enhances its power. The rock itself has a powerful shape, pushing against the wave and I love the water running down the rock and pointing back to the wave.
The forecast down here looked good but turned out to be highly overrated, at least at my favorite location.
Wow, what a scene. The contrast around the wave looks fine - not overcooked. I could see bringing up the blacks in that triangle of the darkest trees mid-frame left.
I love the water streaming down the geologic bedding. And what really makes it for me are the tiny people. They give it a sense of the grand scale. I don’t know as I’d want to be standing where they are!
John,
I love the raw power of that wave as it crashes against that large jagged rock and your chosen SS was perfect for capturing that power. What makes this special for me is those three rivulets of water on the rock. The processing looks great; especially the highlights in that wave. The people in the BG also add a nice sense of scale to the scene. No suggestions from me as this is beautifully done.
John, a stunning image from my favorite place to photograph the waves. Well done. I especially like the people in the scene to give a sense of scale. Those are some seriously big waves.
John, This is indeed a powerful image. Amazing how high that wave is. As others have said, I too really like the diagonal rocks “pushing back the wave.” I wonder how it would look if you just shaved a bit more of the trees off the left side of the frame as we’re looking at it to give the wave more prominence in the overall composition. I hate to lose those amazing tree silhouettes, but something you might want to try???
I would go even further than @Ed_Williams and crop to the right of that nearer leaning tree - then I’d clone out the railings and people. For my taste this is all about the wild force of nature, which your exposure captures so well. The background trees still show the scale, so I’d prefer to feel that people rarely come here, that the sea is alone in its majesty.
