The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Sawyers Bay is on the west coast of Flinders Island in Bass straight. This sunrise image looks south over the bay to the Strzelecki ranges on Flinders Is and Cape Barren Island farther back.
The 25s exposure and square crop was done to accentuate the “floating” boulders and stillness of the bay.
The red in the foreground water comes from the seaweed slowly moving in the water through the 25s exposure.
Specific Feedback
I was looking for something more arty or abstract than a standard seascape. Does the shot “work”?
Technical Details
5Ds, EF 16-35 f/4 L @ 18mm, f/11, 25s, ISO100. Filters used were a 6 stop ND, 3 stop GND and CPL.
PP done in ACR. Crop and sharpening in PS.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Hi,
When I saw the thumbnail, I thought that must be Mark. Your colour balance is great from believable rocks through the blue sea, to the pink sunrise. The rocks are a good square, with the cracks between forming a nice cross - this echoes your crop and does work. My only question is whether your rocks, being the main event, are perhaps a bit too large in the frame and moving toward being a blocker to the background. Is there space to try a slightly larger square crop?
I see the problem. I tried a few different crop ratios and they do not work. The attached may be better in that it has more light pixels and draws my eye slightly more away from the rocks to also look at the background.
Mark what stands out for me in this image is the serene beauty of the “floating” boulders set against the tranquil waters and soft, warm hues of sunrise. The composition effectively captures the stillness of Sawyers Bay, making the boulders appear almost ethereal in their suspended state.
I think the square crop and long exposure contribute significantly to the image’s abstract quality. The 25-second exposure smooths the water, enhancing the illusion of the rocks floating, which successfully departs from a conventional seascape and leans towards a more artistic expression. The subtle red hue from the moving seaweed adds a layer of depth and intrigue, subtly enriching the composition without overpowering it.
The subtle colors are lovely and the long exposure gives the water a beautiful contrast with the rocks. The overall balance doesn’t work for me, though, for a floating idea. As Rob said, the rocks take up too much space in the frame. Even in your full crop, they feel heavy because of their relative size and dark tones. For me, they aren’t floating at all. Rather, they anchor the scene. For a floating sense, I think putting them close to the top of the frame, with more room around the edges, also, might work better. Also lightening up the foreground so it doesn’t feel dark and heavy.
All that being said, if you didn’t want the floating sense, the square crop OP works to showcase just the rocks, with a solid, grounded feeling.
The colors are soft and beautiful and I love the contrast of the textured rocks against the smoothed out water. The square crop also works for this scene.
I think the one thing that feels off is the mountains on the background. It would be nice if they were more centered/right centered to help balance the weight.
I saw the other image you posted during the blue hour and I feel the composition is a bit more balanced in that one.
Oooh, love the colors in your last version. And now I can see where you got the thought that the rocks looked like they were floating - that rock closest to the frame edge looks like it’s floating on the water. That’s a cool illusion. I think it works in that particular spot because we can see a bit of the ocean bottom. You’d have to get just the right shutter speed to be able to see the sand but also give an ethereal feel. Maybe looking straight down on the rocks with lots of water around them?
