This was made at one of the small bays in Guanacaste province on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. I like the way the sinuous tree limb frames the scene and thought the harsh mid-day light would work well with a B&W treatment.
Any and all comments appreciated.
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D200, Sigma 24-70mm f2.8 lens at 24 mm, ISO 200 1/45 sec at f18 +2/3 EV
Small crop to straighten horizon
Tonal adjustments and B&W treatment in LRC
This feels very “Carribean” and I like the composition, Bill. I am not 100% sure about the repeating pattern of rocks in the surfline, I might consider cloning them out.
This is a lovely scene, Bill. It has a warm inviting feel to it IMO. I like the way you framed the two islands with the sinuous limb; which has a lot of character BTW. My only suggestion would be to try and add some canvas at the top so the limb was not clipped off at the curve. Great job on the B&W conversion.
Good choice on b&w for this mid-day scene. The composition works for me and the curvy branch makes for nice framing. One thing I’m seeing is haloing around the tiny twigs at the top, in the darkest part of the sky. I suspect this is an artifact of the b&w conversion, from pulling the blues down too much. Sometimes it works better to be gentle with the b&w sliders/mixers, and then get the contrast where you want it using other means.
When the shadows of the leaves are coming straight down, you know B&W is the only way to go. In fact one of the nice small touches with this image are the shadows in the sand. The shape of this tree was made to be a frame, and you found a great way to make use of it. I think the visual tension of the leaves being near the top edge works. But in a vacuum, I’d agree with @Ed_Lowe about the curve of the branch clipping the frame edge. Of course I do not know what is above, so maybe you were forced to do this.
Thanks for the positive comments.
@Bonnie_Lampley - thanks for the tip on the B&W treatment artifacts. I’ll have another look at this image to see what I can improve.
@Ed_Lowe and @Ed_McGuirk - the clipped limb at the top is likely the best I could manage for the effect I wanted. The branch curving back down into the frame is a secondary limb growing out of the back of the larger limb.
Bill,
Welcome to NPN! Love this image! Someone mentioned the “Carribean” look and feel - and I agree! What’s quite amazing is that you’ve conveyed that message without the deep blues and pure sands, and lush vegetation - with b&w! You’ve really brought the viewer right there.
The tree perfectly frames the scene and having the shadow of that tree brings even more of that “exotic island” look.
Other than a level horizon (which is minor, btw) I’m really enjoying this oceanscape. Great work!
Lon
