This was taken a couple months ago at Shore Acres Park, near Bandon Oregon. This is at or near an area called “Minor White’s Wall”. I understand he would take students to this location on the cliffs by the roaring and pounding surf and let them roam free to find compositions among the rocks there.
It was extremely difficult to find compositions! This is one of the wider views of a small scene. It looks like lava bubbles from a time long, long ago.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any and all comments are welcome!
I’m not a fan about the grasses in the ULC, but this was the best I could do. This is cropped…there were more grasses there, and this is as far as I felt I could take the crop without creating an imbalance with the “triangle” formed by the three larger blobs. Maybe I should have moved my legs to a different viewpoint!
I also struggled with the tones. The image seemed either too gray, or too stark black and white. I ended up using Lightroom’s B&W Profile #4. I also brightened the exposure 2/3 of a stop, lightened the Shadows (+100) and Blacks (+62), and brought down the Highlights (-40). Black and White images are difficult for me!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Handheld with Nikon D750 and 70-200mm f/2.8 lens.
70mm, f/14, 1/100, ISO 100.
I recognized this right off. It is, indeed, very difficult to isolate areas in that landscape in order to get a coherent shot out of the chaos. I, also, struggle with black and white, so can’t offer any input on that. It does help emphasize the contours and the larger rocks.
Mark, an excellent rendition for the Geology theme. I can’t say I’ve ever seen an image for this area before. Definitely has it’s own uniqueness.
The composition is there and the B&W treatment can be a subjective thing that can be tweaked to one’s own likes and interpretation.
I might bring the highlight side down slightly for another look, but again, just subjective thoughts on that point.
Interesting things on this scale can be very frustrating! Maybe zoom in closer on some of the bigger things – not with a crop but in the field. I like @Harley_Goldman’s view camera framing.
Did you try just adjusting individual colors in the B/W conversion instead of a profile? If you can tweak the hue-sat values underneath it (best done in PS?) you might be able to get more tonal separation and thus more contrast in the “sand” layer. Maybe not, but worth a play.
Thanks, everyone, for your comments. @Chris_Baird, I thought you might recognize this! @Paul_Breitkreuz, @Harley_Goldman, and @Diane_Miller, I posted a re-work. These B&W are tough. I started over. For the highlights I reduced them, and also reduced the orange and yellow sliders in LR. I also upped the blue slider to brighten a little the shadows. I think it helped with the tonal separation, but I feel like I left a lot on the table. Harley, I cheated with the clone stamp, but not as good as your version!
Diane, like you said, interesting scenes for our eyes might not translate to the camera’s view. I could get in more close, yes. I just wonder if it is possible to capture this broader scene somehow, and the multitude of repeating “bubble” shapes. I’ll just have to go back there and experiment some more.
Mark, this looks good in both versions. It really shows of the differential weathering (and differential hardness) of the sandstone very well. Cropping the grass does a nice job of totally focusing on the rocks and their totally cool formations.
Well seen Mark. I too like the rework and your using B&W to showcase this was a great idea. I feel like there is a crop somewhere in this image but I can’t find it. Very unique image Mark.
I love this very cool looking landscape, it does look like lava or even like the surface of another planet. Nicely seen! I too, feel like there was a crop and wanted to show you what I saw. The right side looks kind of like a curving chain of mountains to me…I also played around with bringing out the shadows and contrast more in the black and white…
Thanks @Mark_Seaver , @David_Haynes , and @Vanessa_Hill !
Vanessa, I like your crop with that “chain of mountains” going up the right side. That’s very creative! If only I had seen that while there! Next time.
