'Gateway' Ocean Landscape from Northern Ireland

I took this image while on a road trip through Ireland/Northern Ireland last November. This is one of my favorite moments from the trip and a memory I will have forever. This was an unreal sunset and I love the way the light came through the archway just a bit (althought it wasn’t the perfect angle for a light beam). All of this being said, I feel like I botched the composition here in a lot of ways. I think the visual flow is blocked by the jutting cliff in the immediate foreground. I think I could have benefitted from moving farther to the right and getting a bit closer to the cliff. If only I could just go right back! I would love some opinions on this image. Thanks!

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Shutter speed

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Compositional

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Luminosity masks to blend in the detail and color in the sky. Local dodging and burning and tonal adjustments. Some color balancing as well.

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I did a reedit of the photo, using 2 images. I blended the sky in this image (I found it more dynamic and I had a larger portion of it in the frame, with a second image where I actually composed more to the right and incorporated the entirety of the cove’s edge. I also noticed that the horizon was slightly curved in the above image, so I warped it enough to straighten that edge. I cloned out the grass in the foreground and added a slight Orton Effect to the image because I just love how it looks. Let me know what everyone thinks of the reedit!!

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

I like this a lot Matt. One suggestion would be to clone out the blades of grass in the foreground

Hi Matt,

Welcome to the community. Nice first post! And what a fabulous scene! The Irish coast looks so photogenic.

The shutter speed is fine for me. The details all look sharp. Compositionally I would have moved to the left or the right as you suggested however my main feedback is the colour balance.

There seems to be a warm cast to the image and the cyans and other cool hues in the shadows are more saturated than the colours in direct sun light. Below is another interpretation with a different colour balance. And as @Eva_McDermottsuggested I removed the reeds. The edit is a bit rough.

I agree. Thanks for pointing that out Eva!

Great point Nathan. I am going to play around with some of the color balances to see what I can come up with. Thanks for your suggestions!!

Matt, I’m a big fan of reflections and you’ve got some fine colors in the reflections off the distant water. The rocks and the cove make a fine foreground (especially after the stems go away, :wink:). I agree that moving a bit (if possible), so that the full cove can be see would be good. Generally, things that touch an edge of the frame get extra attention if they’re bright or dark, which is a detail to watch for as you compose.

Matt,

This is an excellent coastal landscape. Great conditions with the sky/clouds and I too think the reflection of color in the sea adds a lot to the overall presentation. The colors in the water top to bottom are wonderful.

Comps can be difficult on the coast - at least I think so, but I think you’ve done a commendable job with this one. Yeah, I’m wishing for more room on the right; as Mark mentions when certain elements come close to the edge. Perhaps less so on the left, but even the white water on the left just below center line. Not a big deal - but part of what I refer to as border patrol; either while in the field thinking about these things, or in POST where you might be able to do something.

I’m not bothered at all with the bottom, if fact the cliff and rock stack are included enough on purpose that they provide an anchor to the comp. As mentioned, just cloning out the grasses makes all the difference in a clean foreground.

Didn’t really notice a WB cast, but Nathan’s edit shows it well. I like the edits.

No doubt a wonderful moment in time and I think you did well to capture it.

Lon

Hey Mark, Great point. I agree about encompassing the entire ‘wrap of the cove.’ I also think it would have helped to frame the picture

As I progress my photography, I try more and more to pay attention to the edges of my frame. It is a great piece of advice. Thanks for the suggestion, Lon!

Hi Matt, welcome here!
I like the image a lot and most that could be said has been said already. I understand the suggestion about the grass in the FG. Personally, I don’t bother much about the white balance. I think that Nathan’s post is more neutral, but I don’t prefer his image to the original one.
If I want to be nitpicking, it is about something that apparently nobody else bothers :wink: : I would have preferred the scene without the sunlit spot on the cliff, at the right edge. No direct sunlight hits the cove, except for this spot. But that is the way it was, and I can image that the moment will stick to your memory.

Hey Han, I agree about that spot. It is a bit distracting and maybe it came down to timing. I did a reedit of the photo, using 2 images. I blended the sky in this image (I found it more dynamic and I had a larger portion of it in the frame, with a second image where I actually composed more to the right and incorporated the entirety of the cove’s edge. I also noticed that the horizon was slightly curved in the above image, so I warped it enough to straighten that edge. I cloned out the grass in the foreground and added a slight Orton Effect to the image because I just love how it looks. Let me know what everyone thinks of the reedit!

Nice. I like it that the entirety of the cove’s edge is visible.

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