The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Sunrise at Pt Addis on the Victorian Surf Coast.
Specific Feedback
All C&C is welcome but I’m particularly interested in what you folk think of the geometry of the shot. Does the geometric shape of the stairs and look out add or take away from the seascape vista?
Technical Details
5Ds + EF 16-35 F4 L @ 16mm. f11, 5s, ISO 100. PP in ACR for lens correction, colour and light, then into PS to straighten the stairs (warp), crop and sharpen.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
IMO, the stairs are the subject and the morning seascape vista provides a pleasing setting for them. The contrast of warm and cool tones is appealing, and IMO the exposure/contrast is right where it needs to be.
Hey Mark, this is a lovely sunrise shot! The tones really capture the feeling of blue hour (purple in this case ) for me and I agree with Jim that the stairs are the main subject and add a lot of interest. Your photo makes me want to watch sunrise from the observation point out there!
To your question about the geometry of the stairs, something does look a little off-kilter about them to me. I’m not sure if it’s just the fact that the nails are not quite in the middle of the planks, or perhaps the framing is not quite head-on as they also seem to angle to the right, or maybe this is an artifact of the warping you described. It’s not terrible, but I did notice it.
I noticed a couple other things I thought I’d mention:
There is some motion blur in the trees in the lower right. If you wanted to avoid this, you could take a shorter exposure and merge it with a longer exposure for the sea/clouds in photoshop.
Speaking of exposure, I wonder what a longer exposure would look like in the sea. Anytime I’m doing a seascape I have to try a 30s exposure of course, haha.
The image is very purple overall, and you might get some slightly better color separation with the greenery if you slide the tint toward green a bit.
There’s a sign at the end of the dock on the right that is a tiny bit distracting that you might clone out.
Re your off-kilter comment…YES. The stairs are not parallel with the horizon, nor are they level and the handrails are skewiff. To deal with this I had to use the Warp tool which in the end was about levelling the first plank, then evening up the two handrails where they enter the bottom of the frame.
You had some wonderful light and I love the way this terrace just juts out from the viewer. The stairs make a statement in a way. The sky is gorgeous. It’s a picture of a wonderful scene that takes your breath away. Personally I wouldn’t sweat about the imperfection of the stairs.
I’ve got nothing to critique here, Mark. It’s a gorgeous image in every respect and to my eye, it is perfectly composed. The overall color tone is a little purplish but it looks natural to me, as the lighter tones (espeically in the wood) are just picking up the purple color in the sky. Nice work!
Hi Mark,
IMO the shape of the stairs adds to the scene as I find them to be an inviting way to take the viewer into the rest of the landscape. I also find the light to be quite lovely in the sky as well as seaside cliffs in the BG. The bushes blowing in the wind on the right side catch my eye a little, but we can’t control the wind unfortunately. Nice job with the warp tool BTW.
) for me and I agree with Jim that the stairs are the main subject and add a lot of interest. Your photo makes me want to watch sunrise from the observation point out there!