The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
FYI: Tides don’t create waves that turn into surf when they encounter an immovable object like land. Wind does all the heavy lifting, often from storms that are many thousands of miles away.
Which is why I always check the tide level, wind speed, and wave heights/directions before heading to the coast. Note that wave heights/directions is plural - because the Pacific Ocean is pretty good sized, and waves can arrive from multiple directions simultaneously. More dangerous higher-than- normal “sneaker waves” are the norm when waves from different directions occasionally arrive at the same time. Windy days means never-turn-your-back against the ocean.
As one can see in the above image, it was not one of those balmy days where the tide was at it’s lowest low and no muscular waves anywhere in sight - that I prefer when epic tide pool photography adventures are preferred.
Specific Feedback
I opted for a 4 x 5 crop since the mat this image got mounted in happened to be have this aspect ratio for the cutout. But my guess is that a lot of other aspect ratios (crops) would also work well.
Any and all comments welcome.
Technical Details
The camera was mounted on top of a stable tripod with the legs not extended to increase the stability. As I recall, I also had to press straight down on the camera/lens for added stability, and then wait for a brief pause in the wind.
Franz: I’ve spent a lot of time on the Oregon coast ever since I was a little boy and love scenes like this. My grandmother lived on the beach in central Oregon and I’ve always preferred the windy stormy days to when the ocean is calm and placid. Beautiful surf here that makes me want to be there.
As for the crop, for me it would depend on what you pared away. With a 3:2 ration I think I would like to see a bit more of the land mass unless there was more wave action further from shore. Pretty darn good as is though.>=))>
I really like the movement in the waves here, especially the shape and flow of the foreground wave as it pulls the eye through the scene. The colours within the water also work very well, particularly the greens in the nearest waves.
Personally, I’m less keen on the current crop. I feel a wider 16:9 or slightly more panoramic crop may have suited the scene better, helping emphasise the movement of the waves from left to right whilst also allowing a little more of the land mass on the right side to remain in frame, alongside the distant sea and sky.
Overall though, it’s a very compelling image, and one where I can almost hear the sea crashing against the rocks.
Franz, I agree with Matthew that a slightly panoramic crop (cropping out some of the sky) might help emphasise the main subject of the waves crashing against the rocky cliff. The long breaking wave is perfect, the way it draws me into the image from front right into the background. I can hear the crashing wave and get a strong feeling for it when I view this and that, to me, makes it a great image .
Hello, Franz. I’m not going to comment on the crop, since I don’t know what you excluded to arrive at this one. As it is, it’s quite nice. I really love the FG waves. Their shape and length are lovely. I like your chosen ss. It’s a nice change of pace from the more common longer ones. The scene seems a little hazy. probably from all the spray in the air. I could also see a B&W. Well done.
I can feel the power of the waves as they crash against the headlands creating subtle waterfalls. I can also smell. the salt spray in the air. The colors in the water look just right and real to me as do the rock formations. I can just make out the shoreline through the distant haze as it casts a shadow across the top of the scene blending into the sky.
The composition works well as is and the benefit is that it fits your mat for your framing. I’m not sure what you’ve cropped away to arrive at a 4x5 so I’ll leave that decision up to you but I can certainly see adding more canvas to both sides of the image if you have it and it works well for the scene.
Franz, you’ve got good wind blown action in the waves as they angle across the frame. I like your crop with the big sideways V of the waves and the rocks. The distant ridge and clouds are good additions.
