This image was taken near Monterrey, CA. There was a large winter swell and high tide at the time of the shot. A thick blanket of fog engulfed that background as I watched the waves and snapped photos. The birds on the rocks are Brandt’s cormorants are are about 3-feet long (for scale). I cropped the shot for an 4x5, but I am debating whether or not that was the right choice.
Specific Feedback Requested
Crop?
Dodging/burning?
Color temp
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D850
400mm
1/400th sec
f/9.0
ISO 64
Great shot, brings me right back to Big Sur. The crop looks good to me I think you gave enough head room for the splash of the wave but not too much that would leave dead space. For burning I might burn some of the shadows in the left side rock as they seem a little flat to me. The color temperature looks about right to me but I might try to pull some more color out of the light parts of the rock. Maybe a selective color layer and try boosting the yellows slightly.
Welcome to NPN Joseph, this is an excellent first post. Glad to have you aboard.
Very nice work on this image, I can feel the power of the ocean with this one. I especially like the luminosity and color in the sky, as a background that darker steel blue just makes the waves pop. Some nice small touches here are the secondary wave, and the surf way in the distance on the right. Overall your exposure, contrast and color look great.
In terms of crop/ composition, I think the image is nicely balanced vertically. As you move from top to bottom, the relative amount of sky, wave, rocks, and water below looks good. I like how much sky you left above the wave, it gives the wave space to move into. Horizontally, I think it is pretty well balanced, except that I wish there was slightly more breathing room to the left of the big wave. Doesn’t need much, just a little. If you don’t have that in your raw file, try PS Add Canvas and Content Aware Fill to add a little more space there.
I like the front lit action here. The bright wave explosion on a day background really pops.
To me the rocks on the left look hazy compared to the rocks on the right which are a similar plane. I would add a bit of dehaze and clarity to the left hand part of the foreground to balance the two sides.
First off welcome to NPN, Joseph. I think you will find a great group of photographers here that are willing to share their expertise. This is a wonderful first post showcasing some great wave action. For me the cormorants in this scene are key as they help provide some scale that shows just how big those waves are. The processing and colors look just fine to me. My only suggestion would be just a smidge more room on the left side as @Ed_McGuirk has already suggested.
This is awesome. I’m a sucker for huge waves. That foggy background works perfect to accentuate the wave caught in the light. I think the Brandt’s are a great addition, both for scale and interest. I especially like the one in flight.
As for the crop, was there more room on the left? If so, it might be worth playing with a crop to move the wave slightly farther from the edge of the image. Here’s a quick and dirty content aware fill to illustrate:
Welcome to NPN! And quite a terrific first post! My second favorite place on earth - with Yosemite being the clear favorite… But I love that drive around Pacific Grove and you caught some wonderful conditions.
And despite and scale and drama of the rugged coastal scene - within a second or two, I was drawn to the cormorant; certainly adds a story telling element to the scene.
The wave action is captured at peak and those foggy conditions really create a wonderful atmosphere for an already spectacular location.
Colors and temp look spot on to me. I know I often lean towards warmer colors in the rock - but I think you’ve nailed the natural colorations of the area. And I don’t see any need, or evidence if you’ve dodged or burned. Excellent processing.
Crop wise, I think you chose well - although it’s hard to say given we don’t know what you started with. IMO, a coastal scene like this I think might work with a slightly wider or more “digital” format, and so I would agree with others that a bit more room on the left would be good. I think that would even balance the comp out even better.
Hard pressed to make any other suggestions. You’ve really captured the beauty - and drama. Well done!
Looking forward to more of your images and participation!
Thank you all for the amazing feedback. I took it all into account, adjusted the image and it looks a lot better! This forum is awesome. I cant wait to post more and also opine feedback on others.
