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Questions to guide your feedback
I’ve waited a long while to shoot this location, hoping to capture the raw power and beauty of the ocean. Have I have finally met this bucket list photography goal here. What do you think?
Other Information
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Image Description
I have been waiting since last winter, for big ocean swells combined with king tides to capture this beauty of a wave. The location is along a jetty at the end of a parking lot. Waves come roaring through the channel and I could tell when I pulled up that I needed to park away from where everyone else was parked because I could see where water had recently come over the jetty into the lot. I also had to find higher ground or at least higher ground to quickly get to should the water come over the jetty while I was shooting. It was thrilling to see so much ocean energy moving through this zone but also intense, as you have to keep your eye on the incoming surf and anticipate when the water is going to come over the wall and whether you will need to get away quickly, all while gauging which wave will break in this fashion and actually taking the photos.
Technical Details
Fujifilm X-T5
Fujifilm Fujinon XF50-140mm f/2.8 RLM OIS WR with 2x converter
280mm
1/1000 sec
f/5.6
ISO 1600
I edited in LR by cropping, using Adobe Landscape color setting, pumping up exposure and contrast slightly, toning down highlights, increasing shadows and whites and toning down blacks. White balance was as shot which is set to auto in my camera. Added a hint of tint on the pink side, along with a touch of vibrance. Otherwise, I did not adjust the color or hue , and I did not saturate. I did do a slight dehaze, and a lot of clarity along with a little texture. I also used manual noise reduction by bringing luminance to 50.
Specific Feedback
I would love to hear if this image evokes a sense of awe at the raw power and beauty of this wave when viewing this image. I’m not too technical when it comes to post-processing, but I feel I do have an artistic flair. Curious to know if it’s too much, too little, just right in terms of editing and creating an impact on the viewer. Thanks!
Sally, you caught some dramatic action with this huge breaker. The color in the water looks great and getting a view from shore through the tunnel is good. Your composition also looks good, although I’d personally like to see the top of the wave, that is an artistic choice. I do suggest some burning-in of the white foam, as I think some more texture there would be good. I’d also suggest burning-in the distant land on the right, to reduce it’s visual impact and further emphasize the big wave. In the smaller view the wave looks good, but everything seems soft in the large view. While I haven’t shot big breakers like this, 1/1000 s seems likely to be fast enough to freeze the action, but possibly not…
Awesome, Mark! Thanks for that critique. Yeah, I would have loved to have gotten the entire wave but they are fickle things that move so fast, it’s a real challenge to get the whole thing. I have another from the same day that I might post later that shows the entire wave. I just really loved the look of this one. I will work on the editing. This was my first pass that I did on the fly on my lap top. Will spend some time with all of the photos I took this day on my studio monitor and see if I can’t get more detail/texture in the foam. I feel the same way as you. It’s a little soft and I can try a higher speed next time. Lots of action happening all at once, while trying not to get inundated by the waves coming over the jetty!
You got an awesome wave here!! I would like to see more on top and for me, the distant land doesn’t contribute – the power is in the gorgeous shape of the wave! I would crop from the right to remove the land. I think when you edit further you might be able to pull out more detail in the whites and maybe a bit more color.
I looked back at similar waves I’ve shot and most were at 1/1600, which stopped the action nicely. I think your issue here is focus – the waves at the bottom look sharper than the main wave.
Thank you, Diane! I appreciate your critique and I agree with your observations. I will revisit this image. I believe it is one that I have cropped down considerably. I may also need a longer lens! LOL. I will be going back to this spot later this week as the waves are coming up again. I can practice at higher speeds and trying to keep the focus on the moving curl of the wave and not the foreground!
I was on the Sonoma Coast today. Surf was only normal, but that’s always decent. (It’s not a wading pool!) Higher waves are forecast for Thursday and again Sunday so I’ll be back, too. The road to the good low area was still closed from the high waves last week. With luck the barricade will be removed tomorrow – I hope the upcoming waves won’t be high enough to keep it closed. But if it is, shooting from the bluff with a telephoto isn’t bad.
I started at 1/1600 sec and then after a while changed to 1/2500 and could hardly tell any difference. I have a mode where I can select the entire frame (or most of it) and let the camera choose where to focus. The chosen focus sensor dances all over as waves break but I haven’t deleted any for soft focus.
Thank you so much, Robert! I took this photo at the north end of the Bastendorf Beach parking lot in Coos Bay, Oregon. Not a secret spot, so I don’t mind sharing.
