August along the Maine seacoast is often referred to as Fog-gust for good reason. This scene from Acadia NP was taken very near the location of my prior post " Acadia Sunset - Turning Up the Volume" It had rained all day, and in the late afternoon my favorite sunset location was covered in the dense fog you see in the image below. Over the next 90 minutes the weather changed completely, and I end up with a very nice sunset after all.
For a sense of scale, the granite cliffs here are at least 100 feet high. The dark blob in the LRC is a submerged rock that is only visible at low tide. I thought about cloning it away, but concluded that it helps fill negative space. I would be interested in your thoughts on that. I also took a number of shots of this scene until I got wave action that I liked.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any comments or critique are welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Canon 5 DMkIV, Canon 24-70 f2.8 mm lens at 25 mm, ISO 100, 0.5 sec at f16.
Beautiful colors in the rock and water and I like the mood created by the fog. I would not mind more room on the right. The spit seems a little tight to the edge to my eye. Otherwise, processing and image look mighty nice.
I agree with just a sliver more room for the spit but with the fog and low contrast in the areas farther back, it’s not too big of an issue for me, Ed. This is very nicely processed and I love the wave breaks at the base of these rocks.
I agree with Harley and Adhika and find this a beautiful well processed image. The only thing for me is that I should like less movement in the waves against the rocks . It seems a bit unnatural to me. I should have used a bit faster shutter time. Let me know if I am wrong, Ed. For me this is a test critique.
This shot just screams “Maine”. processing looks good and the breaking wave is cool. The emerald colored water is also nice. If you look closely at the alcove in the LLC the rock patterns look like a person standing there.
The contrasting colors of the warm rock and cool, green water are fabulous. And the fog give this a delightful moodiness. I like the darker blob in the LRC; it grounds that area. I’m with Ben on the wave action, though. It seems unnatural because it’s so energetic. To me, the overall scene has a calm and subdued mood, so the energetic waves seem odd. Normally, I’m all for odd pairings and contrasts, but this one doesn’t seem to be working as well.
Ed, This is a wonderful scene and I love what the fog adds to it. Beautiful as is for me. Hope to make it there one of these days! Reminds me of Lake Superior in so many ways.
Harley, I agree with you on the spit, I have some other composition brackets with more breathing room on the right. Ben and Bonnie, the waves at this location are very forceful and energetic, this is a natural wave that really was in this shot. I must have 20 shots of this same scene, all with different wave actions. I happen to like this one, but that is personal taste I admit.
First, this area of Maine has extreme tides with a lot of energy, and the water directly in front of this cliff is pretty deep. There are actually small sea caves at the base of the cliff, you can sort of see one in the center, but there is also a smaller one to the left where the white water is. When larger waves come in and hit the back of these caves, the water gets ejected back out in big actions like this. I had to wait a while for a big incoming wave to create what you see here. The waves here are water coming back out, not heading into the cliff.
I agree with the other comments - beautiful image, lovely colors and I do like the energy of the wave against the rocks. I do wonder if instead of giving the spit more breathing room if you instead “increase” the amount of fog in the background so that the tip of the spit is just barely visible. It might add a bit of mystery and atmosphere. (Also, did you clone something out in the sky right above the spit? I see some sort of orb there. If you do a strong Dehaze adjustment, it’ll reveal itself along with a few other dust/water spots. I don’t recommend keeping the Dehaze adj - just use it to see where the spots in the sky are.)
Leaving it as is with “maybe” one exception is my preference. I see what Jeanie is referencing as “some sort of orb” and my exception is the blob unless it is the sun barely visible through the fog.
Ed,
Gorgeous color palette here and the atmospherics with the fog have imparted a peaceful, calming mood to the scene. The wave action along the granite cliffs is superb as it adds some visual tension to an otherwise peaceful scene. I am not sure about those dark rocks in the LRC. I hear you on filling some negative space, but I think the lovely green of the water could pull it off on it’s own. Either way you go this is a winner.
Great mood and atmosphere here. I know I’ll be repeating myself if I say that I think coastal compositions are some of the most difficult - all the angles looking up/down a coastline, trying to fit in a rectangle. With the small exception of a skosh more room on the upper right side, I think you’ve crafted an excellent composition; what helps is that there is interest in the ocean right/LR with color, texture and shapes (ie. the underwater dark rock, etc.) Enough interest in the water to help balance the overall composition.
The only very minor, minor suggestion would be a crop/clone in the ULC to take care of the sky/fog thru the trees in that corner. Pretty picky, but heck, I’m already here, why not?
I like how this slowly disappears into the fog. The splash at the bottom is a nice focal point which is an important addition to the composition in that it adds variety and accentuation to the coast line. The spit/edge problem doesn’t seem to be that important because of how faded it is and because adding space may cause imbalance between water in land. Right now you have 3 balanced wedges making up the composition.
Thank you all for looking and commenting on my image. I appreciate your thoughts and input.
Igor, I’m glad you made this comment. I have shot at this location on several occasions where it has been shrouded in fog. When I’ve included more space to the right of the spit, I’ve always been unhappy with how much negative space it creates in the water. This time I cut it as close as I dared. It’s nice to know someone else is concerned about the empty space, I guess I could add a sliver, but for me this works as presented due to how diffuse it is anyways.
