The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Most of the time when I’m out looking around for things to photograph I try to find things that are interesting (to me), things that are not always obvious. Typically this proves to be difficult and often not taking out my camera. I typically stay away from the iconic places that people frequent the places you always see on the internet. I decided to go to this lighthouse that has been shot a hundred thousand times maybe even more. I stopped here one other time there were at least 15 people standing on top of each other trying to find the right place on the rocks. This time I tried again it ended up to be just me in the end. This evening it was cloudy but noticed the sliver of sky at the horizon so I waited to see what happened. I stepped out on a small rock peaking out of the water. I didn’t have any expectations and thought this wasn’t something that I would like or even share with anyone. After looking at the image when I got home I realized why this is a place everyone packs on the rocks for. Yes its a beautiful lighthouse there are waves and you can catch a sunset. But what I see are all the lines in this image. Some pointing at the lighthouse some pointing at the sun all converging together to make cohesive composition. I went to the location with a closed mind and it ended up being memorable a moment of peace.
Technical Details
F/16, 1/8, ISO 800 for the water. This is a blend for sharpness of the same sunset: the clouds, water, and light on the lighthouse were separate shots , color adjustments, and dodging and burning.
I like the overall darkness of the image, reflecting the sunset time of day. The little bit of remaining sunlight on the side of the lighthouse keeper’s house is beautiful, as is the beginning glow of the lighthouse light itself. Congrats for getting an image that you like. I like it too!
Is this the Heceta Head lighthouse in Oregon?
Brett, I agree with @Mark_Muller - you have a most effective almost night shot.
The lighthouse has a beautiful glow that balances well with the fading sun. The clouds and foreground water have nice complementary patterns, and the white in the water forms a triangle with the sun and lighthouse - a nice compositional feature. I removed the wood or whatever that is in the URC with the remove tool in PS 2024, as it is a distraction.
thank you for the compliment Larry. I was back and forth with the wood which is an old fence. I was going to crop it and didn’t like it so I just left it in. Thanks again!
Great shot, Brett. Having spent many an hour here, I haven’t come away with anything this good. The light is gorgeous and the blending looks great. Nice texture in the waves. I don’t even bother going there anymore because of the crowds. It’s like combat photography. My only small criticism is to maybe go in a little tighter. I know everything is a compromise, but the lighthouse is quite small in the frame.
A beautiful photo. Excellent atmosphere, contrasts and composition very well balanced with the hot flashes of the dying sun near the lighthouse togethr with the similarities between the sky and the sea. I also like the suggestion of @Michael_Lowe. I love this image.
Brett, this is a lovely photograph. There really isn’t anything I could say to improve it. That being said, and this doesn’t take anything away from the beauty of the image, it isn’t very original. I had an image of mine critiqued some time ago by Eric Bennett and that was one of the things he said to me that really stuck - “If I had been standing where you were standing I would have taken the same photograph”. In your comments you effectively say something similar when you talked about the dozens of people lining up to take the same shot. And again, that doesn’t diminish its beauty for all the reasons you stated in your own comments, nor does it mean the image isn’t worth making. But I can’t help wondering what else might have been possible.
Brett what an absolutely gorgeous image. The colors in the sky and water is beautiful. The water swirling in the foreground is a wonderful feature that makes the eye to spread out to take in the lighthouse and the sky. The only small nit i would have is that the shadows of the rocks in the water and along the shoreline is very dense and i would love to have a little more detail in those areas if it is possible to selectively lighten those just a bit.
Great great job.
Hi Kerry I thought of another way to shoot this but there isn’t much space here. Maybe a boat? With that said Eric Bennett or the like may be able to see something others may not. Probably why we are seeking feedback on this site and they are who they are.
If you look at other images of the same lighthouse all very similar but most or are further to the right. For this shot I stepped out onto a slippery seaweed filled rock that most probably wouldn’t dare because they may end up in the water. Luckily for me I had micro spikes on me so I could grip the rock. I also shot low to shoot the water as a foreground. My experience here everyone is standing in the same place and height. In addition I took a few waves over my feet.
Either way I get Eric’s point which makes you think out of the box or try new thing.
This is truly a wonderful image. And well processed too. So much to look at.
My only small suggestion is that the lighthouse appears to be slightly falling away from the viewer and could benefit from some vertical alignment. Other than that, it looks wonderful.
Thank you Jim. I have to check the original for the vertical line here. It very well may be leaning I was shooting at 15mm so there could be some distortion. Definitely some pancaking on the horizon line.
I took some of the advice on the thread and this is where I landed. I did some cloning thanks @Larry_Greenbaum. I smushed the right and left sides in because I didn’t like the new crop (5x7) without it thanks @Michael_Lowe . I needed some space along the edges for the image to breath. I fixed the lighthouse alignment which was off by a hair thanks @jim3
