Bombay Hook NWR Sunrise

I don’t know if mud flats at low tide make for the most compelling FG, but I did like the channels of water and there was no way I was going to pass up this exquisite light. The sunrise bathed the morning fog in this warm glow that was just magical. We inadvertently passed the trail to my original destination for sunrise because it was so dark, so this is what I came up with. Hopefully it works.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

All C&C welcome

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

All C&C welcome

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Nikon D800, Nikon 35-70 @ 44 mm, f 14 @ 0.8 sec, ISO 200, cable release & tripod

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2 Likes

Works well for me. Given the red glow and overall look, the mud flats look pretty dang good (they kinda don’t look like mud). I like the mood and feeling of this one.

Must have been special walking in such a pink cloud! The softness of it all, with some interesting lines and shapes work well together.

The soft color is amazing and I did not realize it was mud at first. I really like the amount of water vs amount of mud, they seem to complement each other and make for a pleasing composition to my eyes.

If you didn’t say it was mud, I would’ve thought it was snow and I would still pretend that it is. But, what a beautiful sunrise, Ed. Works very well for me, this is one of those mornings that surely is very memorable.

This is awesome, Ed. Really beautiful and the fog adds great mood and a sense of mystery. I can’t find a way to improve.

Whoever knew mud and bare trees could make such a great image. I just love how the mist has just infused the whole image with that wonderful glow.

I like this image because it is really about the gorgeous light, the interesting weather, and the graphic shapes in the landscape. It’s not about the mudflats, they become secondary to everything else going on here. The composition does a great job of arranging the shapes within the channels in a pleasing fashion. And your processing has achieved just the right level of luminosity in the mudflats to complement the pink fog in the rest of the image.

I’m enjoying this very much as presented, nice work Ed.

Ed, mud flats are a world of their own and this view shows them off very well. The mood of pink mystery fits them perfectly. In winter, things may be mostly silent, but in the other months this world would be full of sounds, with some of them adding to the sense of mystery.

Ed,

Count me in on one that was definitely thinking snow/ice and not mud. Of course it’s not so relevant - the mood and atmosphere here really brings me there - I can almost just smell the misty air and feel the chill in my bones. The quality of the soft light and color is wonderful too. No nits or suggestions.

Lon

Thanks folks @Harley_Goldman, @Ron_Jansen, @Keith_Flood, @Adhika_Lie, @Dave_Dillemuth, @Michael_Lowe, @Ed_McGuirk, @Mark_Seaver and @Lon_Overacker for your thoughts. I was not sure how well this would be received with the mud FG. I should get down there more often as it is only an hour drive from the house.

You should definitely go here more often. These mud flats are closer to your house than Silver Hill, and you had no problem doing that :grin:

I can’t, for the life of me, understand why you’d be concerned about mud flats not being as photogenic as any other natural element. If captured in a manner that suits the image, there’s no reason they can’t be a terrific contributor to an image…which you’ve proven with this one.

IF I were to consider changing anything (and that’s a big IF), I would focus on the sort of ‘T’ formed by the interaction of the flats and the water at the bottom of the image. That ‘T’ is a rather strong eye catcher in an image whose story, IMO, is all about the wonderful color and soft quality imparted by the fog. And the ‘T’ seems to fight that story for me. If I ‘browser crop’ a bit off the bottom to de-emphasize the ‘T’, the main story becomes more consistent. But that’s my preference. Others may appreciate the sort of point/counterpoint aspect the T creates.