Hey!
Dale here from East Coast of Australia - first time posting here so a heads up, I’m pretty nervous but excited to get some feedback and or help
What technical feedback would you like if any?###
Something doesn’t quite feel right about the composition & I can’t quite pick what is it - the idea was to use the big round bowl in the foreground and right rock to point the viewer into the middle of the frame where there’s a small triangle pool of colour then use the section of rock in the middle/ crack to move the eye up to the sunrise
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Whatever you’ve got I’m happy with anything, I do understand and respect that it may not be in the style that everyone is in to but feedback would be really appreciated
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
It’s a single exposure, I used a couple of techniques in this including the HSL adjustments to shift colour, double processing in camera raw to put blue in the shadows (masking via tk actions), the warp and perspective tools & manual dodging and burning
@dalegphoo
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
You have captured a dramatic scene with may pleasing elements in the foreground. Only one suggestion on composition… The right hand side seems cut off. The water is touching the edge of the frame and just a little wider view would eliminate that.
This is a great photograph. High quality of light, wonderful color and clouds in the sky, interesting foreground rocks, and good reflections on the water and rocks. I agree that the pool of water does come too close to the right edge, but perhaps the scene did not allow for anything else. My only suggestion is to crop the immediate foreground rocks. I wonder if they add anything to the scene. In their absence my eye is drawn to the pool. This is your shot and your vision, however, so decide for yourself.
Dale, This is a quite a beautiful sky and a nice idea with the composition. I agree with the previous comments and feel if you would have moved right (if possible) to give more room on the right side of the bowl it would feel less crowded. I also would crop a bit of the dark foreground just to where the LRC would meet the rock edge to create a leading line into the scene. The colors are subjective but I like how they are presented.
Welcome to NPN and I look forward to seeing more of your work!
Dale, welcome to NPN. This is a fine first post, with great colors in the sky, fine details in the surf and nice reflected light off the rocks. My thought is basically the same as Marc’s, crop off the heavy darkness at the bottom, that puts more emphasis on the sunlight reflecting off the rocks. I agree that how close you have the pool to the right edge is an artistic decision, not a composition “rule”.
Welcome to NPN! A gorgeous first post. That is one killer sky - and the colors are awesome. I especially like the reflected colors off the foreground rock.
I would agree with the other comments so far that the only issue realy is having the pool nearly breech the edge of the frame. I think you’re intent of having the composition point to the small pool of water (triangular) and then to the sunset is a good one. I think many of us often lose sight of the edges when composing scenes. And of course it’s easy to say that from the back seat…
Also agree and like the slight crop off the bottom. The much darker area along the bottom isn’t adding much. For me personally, I find the digital format too long for vertical compositions. Maybe that throws it off too. But that’s probably just me.
Look forward to more images and your participation!
Welcome aboard and a real fine first post. I would agree with the crop suggestions and to my eye, the colors seem a bit too saturated (very much a personal taste). Minor stuff, though. Nice image and I am looking forward to seeing more of your work and your comments.
Welcome to NPN, Dale. That’s an excellent shot. I really like the overall feel of it, and the sunrise is impressive. Well done!
In my opinion, the sandstone junction in the foreground plays an important role as a leading line, so I would definitely try to keep it. However, the foreground might benefit from some slight dodging of the shadow highlights to make the line stand out a bit more.
Otherwise, I find the composition quite good. The sandstone junction and the water edge function as effective leading lines. I agree with previous commentators that the rock on the right edge is, perhaps, unnecessary as a compositional element.
The white balance is slightly too cold for my taste. To make the photo more natural, I would warm it up just a little. Of course, that’s solely a matter of personal style and your artistic vision.
Below is a crude rework of the photo. I cropped the image, dodged some of the highlights in the foreground, reduced the saturation, and made the white balance slightly warmer.
Hi Dale. Welcome to NPN! This is a great shot. I can imagine how fun it was to shoot this image. We all have different ideas of what looks good to our eye but in the the end you are an artist and what matters is your eye. I agree with Marc that cropping out some of the rock on the bottom improves the flow of the image. I also think Atli’s suggestion to tone down the saturation was a good one. Overall very well done.
I was going to reply to everyone individually however I just read the tips and one comment is apparently best (just learning how this website works :P)
Thank’s everyone for the feedback! it’s been super constructive and the first time I’ve actually had stuff I can work with
It is indeed a beautiful shot, I like the hint of driftwood in the front. I also agree with the remarks on cropping above - in general I think a landscape orientation works better with seascapes. One detail: Although the horizon is perfectly straight, the headland (cloud?) on the right gives the impression of a minor skew to the left. Pulling it down by 0.5º to the right gives the illusion of it being straight.
Dale, beautiful light and color here. I’m coming in late, but my preference would be for a variation on what @Marc_McCann has done with his crop. My preference is to go square, show less sky, and more rock though. My crop places more emphasis on the colors in the image. Also boost the exposure of the rocks some. Just another interpretation of this glorious scene.
