The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
A third image playing with summer fog at the Oregon Coast earlier this month. This image was taken from the parking lot at the north end of Bandon Beach.
A challenge of photographing at Bandon is that it is easy to lose a sense of scale, so I decided to include someone strolling on the beach. I have removed two other people that were farther in the distance, because three’s a crowd.
Specific Feedback
I experimented with setting a true black point, but the expanded contrast robbed from the effect of the fog, which I really like. I know that a common suggestion with black and whites is to darken the shadows, but I thought high-key overall worked better here. What are your thoughts?
As always, all thoughts and comments appreciated.
I’ll tell you, an image like this does a great job of pointing out how badly you need to clean your sensor!
Technical Details
NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 200 mm
1/20 sec. at f/16 and ISO 64
What a great and moody image John. The person walking on the beach gives one the sense of quiet loneliness that you get when being in the fog. Your high key approach works very well for this scene.
Sublime! Fantastic mood. The lone figure walking does indeed give the beach and the sea stacks scale. But I think the one bird is the icing that really makes this photo sing. Good call on the lower contrast it not only accentuates the fog but gives the whole photo an ethereal effect. Nicely done.
John: One of my favorite places on the planet and one of my favorite conditions. Including the beach walker is perfect to give the proper scale of the sea stacks. Well seen, composed, captured and presented. >=))>
I really do like the high key effect and the fog. I am not sure about the bird though. I find my eye moving from person to bird and back, not moving through the rest of the photo. I put a piece of white paper over the bird and my eye went from the person, right of the little rocks, behind the first big rocks and then curved out to the left center in the V of the background, over the background to the right and back to the person.
That’s a delightful low contrast moody image and very well suited to black and white the person strolling along the beach provides a wonderful sense of scale. Personally i really like the bird too.
Looks great in B&W. My first thought was a little more contrast… BUT that would ruin the mood and vibe of this image. Its great just like it is. The light and person really pulled my eyes to look at this image and the size of the place you took it. What a huge beach. The more I look at this image i am just in awe of what you captured. Really Nice !!!
Wonderful image! Even though the contrast is low, all the different layers of the landscape have a different shade of grey and can be clearly identified, giving a sense of the perspective… B&W is perfect for this picture, and the whole scene is immersed in a “foggy luminosity” that captures the viewer. The person does indeed give a sense of scale, but I am not sure if I really like this presence… While the bird if great.
Hi John,
This image is outstanding! The high key effect works beautifully and only enhances the fleeting ephemeral mood with the fog. I can almost feel the cool dampness of the Pacific enveloping me. The solitary figure strolling the beach adds a perfect sense of scale to this scene and I love the way the seastacks gradually fade away into the BG mist. The shorebird was a pleasant surprise while exploring the image; its placement appears as though the person could be watching it. Absolutely no suggestions from me. I had to chuckle about the sensor cleaning as it happens to me all the time.
Outstanding! Nice balance of light and dark without heavy contrast. The sense of fog comes across very well, indeed. I have no problem with the birds. Nicely done, John!
-P
My first impression was : oh good, you visited Monument Valley and shot it in b&w. Then, of course, I entered the forum and realized it’s a beach shot. It’s an amazing image. You couldn’t ask for a better composition. The mist was thick enough so that cliffs and gaps appeared in just the right places. At Monument Valley you wait for clouds and shadows to arrange themselves. Here its fog thickness. There’s a nice layering effect. I’ve found that printing a high toned image, such as this, is better to exaggerate to high tones and make it brighter than you think it should. But of course you need to separate the tones.
