Eroded Tafoni

[Joolz_Hau]

Critique Style Requested: In-depth

The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.

Self Critique

First, I don’t know if this is too close-up for an intimate landscape. If so, apologies.

I like the unusual perspective in this image. I wonder if it’s interesting to anyone else. I love rocks and what happens to them in the landscape. I love how the hard stone here looks wrinkled and barely there in areas - to me it almost looks soft, like skin. I want to learn how to make this an interesting subject to others. I find tafoni fascinating - like lace made from rock. And this area has been so eroded, I don’t know how much longer it will exist. That has ominous and sad. qualities to me.

I wish I hadn’t blown out the sky.

Creative direction

I am trying to find a look, style, etc. that conveys how fascinating I find this subject. Don’t know where to go. I have photographed this formation and this area a number of times.

Specific Feedback

Interested in all feedback.

Technical Details

This is unprocessed.
f 6.3, 1/160
ISO 640 - it was getting dark.

Description

Tafoni eroding on the Calif. Central Coast. Just off Hwy 1. Why do some cliffs erode this way and others don’t? This doesn’t happen w/o the ocean - my limited understanding is that salt and sand and a lot of wave action cause this.

[Merv (Mervin Rosenquist)]

Hi Joolz and Welcome to NPN!

@Joolz_Hau

First, I don’t know if this is too close-up for an intimate landscape. If so, apologies.

Not at all! And no need for an apology.
Post em’ if you got em’, we’ll figure it out as we go. We’re all pretty laid back around here

I recall seeing similar shapes at a beach near Salinas, California many years ago, some were intricate honeycomb shapes and it was so interesting but that was a couple of years before I started my photographic journey.
I’m sorry but can’t answer your question about what causes this type of erosion, maybe someone else can chime in on the subject.

As for the image and image quality, I find it to have been very well done!
The selective focus is really good at showing depth, and the bottom section is nice and sharp with plenty of details and texture, especially with the dark peppered look.
The highlights were handled well in my view and the shadows in the fold at the central portion is perfect.
My perception is that the sky is not blown, yes, it is pure white but it doesn’t feel blown, it looks natural, the bright upper portion of the rock needs to have a bright, high key sky in order to look natural so I think that it ‘works’ as presented (where the sky is concerned)!

Just my personal opinion here but I do feel that just a bit more canvas at the top would help the image overall, not much, just enough to keep the tallest portion of the rock from being so close to the edge of the frame, maybe add about two or three times the amount of space that’s there now (the narrowest space).
If you have room in the original, you could keep the 2:3 ratio if you want and add equal amounts to the right and left sides, if you’re not dedicated to the ratio, just add the suggested amount to the top only.
And just to be clear, this is just my opinion so take it with a grain of salt so to speak, even things like added canvas can be subjective.

I like the small dark curved section on the right, to me it adds an element of interest and it makes me wonder what the area beyond that looks like, but not so much that it becomes a distraction. Some people refer to elements like that as “Peripheral Teasers”, I personally like the term and concept.

Just an after thought here but if there is more canvas on the right, maybe just a bit more there would help show more detail in the small circle shapes just above the darker curved section would be good, but it might not be as interesting as I imagine it might be, it’s just a thought really.

Another thought that might be worth sharing is that there really is no right or wrong way to frame things, there’s only what looks appealing and interesting but it does help to try keeping the viewers attention on the main subject or main focal point.

That might have been a bit long for an introduction response!

Welcome aboard, Joolz!
BTW, Cool Avatar!

[Bonnie_Lampley]

Hi Joolz and welcome to NPN! Cool first post - the way the lines curve and meet towards the top gives this a lot of energy. I’m with Merv that it would be good if there were a tad more room at the top (you easily could add canvas there if you’re inclined to do that sort of thing).

This isn’t too close for an intimate landscape/small scene at all. The upward sweeping flow and perspective makes this feel majestic. As far as “finding” a look or style, you might think about what it is about them you find tafoni fascinating. Is it the texture and shapes? In that case, perhaps eliminating the sky and focusing on just the textures and shapes. Is it their presence in the larger landscape? In that case, you’d want to keep the sky and maybe more context.

Tafoni really are like lace from rock. There can be more than one way tafoni form - general weathering of the rock, wave action, etc. They mostly form in granular sedimentary rocks (usually sandstone), not in granite or metamorphic rocks. I’ve always assumed that the “ribs” reflect parts of the sandstone that are more resistant because of more cementation or differing composition on a small scale, but I really don’t know.

[Joolz_Hau]

@Merv

…agine it might be, it’s just a thought really.Another thought that might be worth sharing is that there really is no right or wrong way to frame things, there’s only what looks appealing and interesting but it does help to try keeping the viewers attention on the main subject or main focal point.That might have been a bit long for an introduction response! Welcome aboard, Joolz! BTW, Cool Avatar!

Thank you so much, Mervin!!! I really appreciate the time you put into responding, and your observations/suggestions. This is an unprocessed and uncropped image, so I’ll take your ideas w/ me the next time I head up there.

[Joolz_Hau]

@Bonnie_Lampley

…e from rock. There can be more than one way tafoni form - general weathering of the rock, wave action, etc. They mostly form in granular sedimentary rocks (usually sandstone), not in granite or metamorphic rocks. I’ve always assumed that the “ribs” reflect parts of the sandstone that are more resistant because of more cementation or differing composition on a small scale, but I really don’t know.

Thank you for your in depth response, Bonnie! I appreciate more info on tafoni and your idea on how some parts weather out and some take longer. I also really appreciate your observations and suggestions and questions on the image. I’ll contemplate on those. Again, so many thanks!

[Bret_Edge]

Welcome, Joolz! I think you’re on to something. The rock has lovely texture and the soft light allows all the details to shine through. A couple minor nits are the extremely close crop at the top of the frame and the lack of color and/or detail in the sky. Perhaps a slightly darker sky with a hint of blue, and a little more room at the top of the frame, would enhance this image even further. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

[Tony_Sweet]

Hi Joolz and welcome to this great space! I’m not sure what I can add to the already great and helpful comments, but I’ll do my best.

The first thing I noticed, after being visually excited by this excellent intimate landscape was some visual cramping: the sky is cropped a bit too tight; on the upper right side of the frame, the pattern is clipped at the edge; and at the left edge of the frame, the subject is slightly clipped near the middle of the edge of the frame. I wouldn’t worry about cropping too tight. You can always crop later if you include enough space when composing the image. You can also expand the canvas. I love the use of wide angle here, giving us the classic large foreground and a rapid fall off to the back of the frame, creating a great visual pull. However, the image is not sharp throughout, sharpness falling off as the eye travels back into the frame. Here, you could consider a focus stack or hyper focal focusing to get sharpness throughout the frame. I also love the strong foreground, middle ground, and background here. Please notice on my example, the chromatic aberration at the top edge of the tafoni, mostly apparent in the upper right area of the frame. That is the result of my darkening the sky and adding a cool white balance to add subtle color to the sky. Chromatic aberration occurs when bright and dark areas meet and is best handled when processing in the RAW module in LR. I would revisit this area often. Tremendous subject area. I’ve included a processed version. Thanks for a great upload!

[Joolz_Hau]

@Bret_Edge

…something. The rock has lovely texture and the soft light allows all the details to shine through. A couple minor nits are the extremely close crop at the top of the frame and the lack of color and/or detail in the sky. Perhaps a slightly darker sky with a hint of blue, and a little more room at the top of the frame, would enhance this image even further. Looking forward to seeing more of your work!

Thank you so much Bret! I really appreciate your perspective.

[Joolz_Hau]

@Tony_Sweet

…mostly apparent in the upper right area of the frame. That is the result of my darkening the sky and adding a cool white balance to add subtle color to the sky. Chromatic aberration occurs when bright and dark areas meet and is best handled when processing in the RAW module in LR. I would revisit this area often. Tremendous subject area. I’ve included a processed version. Thanks for a great upload!

Thank you so much Tony! I’m learning so much from all of you, and I really like your editing. <3

[Tony_Sweet]

You are very welcome, Joolz!

[Guy_Manning]

@Joolz_Hau
Just FYI. Tafoni is not just a coastal phenomena. It can be found in in desert climes also. I recently noted it in Chaco Culture National Historical Park in NM. Also SE Utah (Arches NP and along hwy 95 between Hwy 191 and Hanksville) . BTW the HWY 95 stretch from Natural Bridges NM through Fry Canyon, to Hite, then Hanksville is spectacular, with lots of eroded sand stone (121 miles with no services).