Secret Beach , Oregon

[Richard_Duckworth]

This spot is not so secret any more. The trail head is unmarked off Highway 101. Steep hike down on slippery rocks and roots, about 300 ft elevation change. A sunset shot requires a head lamp to get back up to the highway in the dark.

Specific Feedback Requested

any critique appreciated especially composition. I tried to place the sea stacks so they wouldn’t overlap.

Technical Details

f/16, 1/10 sec, iso 400, at 24mm. Processed in LR and Ps

[Matt_Payne]

Pretty familiar with this scene. I like how you used the water coming in from BL. Your processing could use some adjustments… there’s significant haloing in the trees, probably from increasing shadows and decreasing highlights… there’s a trick to eliminate that:

Basically, you can duplicate the layer in PS, change the blend mode to darken, use the healing brush and paint in just the darker areas of the sky above it into the halos. It works great.

Second, it looks a little crooked to me leaning right.

Lastly, there’s oversharpening. You can also use layer masks to eliminate that.

[Lon_Overacker]

Richard,

Beautiful Oregon coastal seascape! For a brief second I was expecting to see McWay falls coming out of the bluff… but alas, it’s Oregon!

Great technical feedback from Matt - can’t offer anything else in terms of processing.

Colors are wonderful, a great sky and I really like the elevated view point.

Love the Oregon coast - so gorgeous. Of course as most find out, access to scenes like this is the biggest problem I have!

Thanks for sharing!

Lon

[Igor_Doncov]

@Matt_Payne

Your processing could use some adjustments… there’s significant haloing in the trees, probably from increasing shadows and decreasing highlights… there’s a trick to eliminate that:

Basically, you can duplicate the layer in PS, change the blend mode to darken, use the healing brush and paint in just the darker areas of the sky above it into the halos. It works great.

https://www.capturelandscapes.com/how-to-quickly-fix-edge-halos-in-photoshop/

[Dan_Kearl]

Nice scene, aside from Matts comments, a polarizing filter would have improved this.

[David_Johnston]

Hey Richard! Nice to see you here! First, I do enjoy the composition. I second Matt’s comments as well about over sharpening and using some masking to eliminate that issue. Hint: he’s more of a photoshop wiz than me. Compositionally I find myself pulled to that bottom right corner in terms of weight and drawn away from the sea stacks themselves which are the star of the photo. However, amazing job separating out the stacks to include spacing between them!

[Richard_Duckworth]

@Matt_Payne

…m increasing shadows and decreasing highlights… there’s a trick to eliminate that:Basically, you can duplicate the layer in PS, change the blend mode to darken, use the healing brush and paint in just the darker areas of the sky above it into the halos. It works great.Second, it looks a little crooked to me leaning right.Lastly, there’s oversharpening. You can also use layer masks to eliminate that.

Thanks, Matt.

[Richard_Duckworth]

@Lon_Overacker

…brief second I was expecting to see McWay falls coming out of the bluff… but alas, it’s Oregon!Great technical feedback from Matt - can’t offer anything else in terms of processing.Colors are wonderful, a great sky and I really like the elevated view point.Love the Oregon coast - so gorgeous. Of course as most find out, access to scenes like this is the biggest problem I have!Thanks for sharing!Lon

Thank you for your comment

[Richard_Duckworth]

@Dan_Kearl

Nice scene, aside from Matts comments, a polarizing filter would have improved this.

Thank you, Dan

[Richard_Duckworth]

@David_Johnston

…composition. I second Matt’s comments as well about over sharpening and using some masking to eliminate that issue. Hint: he’s more of a photoshop wiz than me. Compositionally I find myself pulled to that bottom right corner in terms of weight and drawn away from the sea stacks themselves which are the star of the photo. However, amazing job separating out the stacks to include spacing between them!

David, I didn’t notice that at first but I surely need to tone done that bottom right corner