Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
This is an iconic location with a somewhat force-fed composition. The view and the wave are not really unique, so I’d love your response to the processing, both how it impacts you and any suggestions for improvement.
Other Information
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Image Description
This is a final image from my trip to Ocean Shores. (I have more, but they begin to be redundant.)
Overall I prefer my prior post to this one because of the sky, although I prefer this wave. I will likely play with increasing contrast in that one as well to see where it leads me.
Technical Details
NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 54.0 mm
1/800 sec. at f/10.0 and ISO 800
As in the prior image, I’ve added a slight tint to help the whites stand out.
Specific Feedback
I chose to process this darker than the prior two, with more contrast. I’m questing for a way to share the power of these waves; to me that’s totally lost in the color version so black and white seems a better way to crank the volume to 11. (I’m happy to post the image I started from if any have interest.) Any suggestions in that direction are appreciated.
Hi, @John_Williams! This is a wonderful image, beautifully composed. I love the water spray, the location and direction of the rocks in front and to the right, and the sky, which is a perfect complement to the action below it. I looked at your other images from the shoot, and prefer this of the group. The other image with the more detailed sky seems too busy to me and takes my attention off the wonderful water and other foreground elements.
I opened your prior post in another browser window so I could click back and forth. I loved the prior one (and the first) but I agree with @Susanna_Euston that this one is special. I’m surprised how different the sky is, and in comparison I could hope for a slight toning down of the sky in the previous one and a bit more drama in this one. Maybe. But this one is growing on me – I love the soft mist to the right of the wave, giving separation to the FG rock and trees. The wave itself is awesome and I can’t find any nits or even tiny whatifs anywhere. Put a big print in a big gallery!!
While “White Noise” is excellent, this one goes beyond that. Not only an impact on the rocks, but also on the viewer. I like that there is more wave, more turbulence and more water all around, especially that the foreground rocks are covered in this one. “White Noise” is well processed, but this one is even better.
My feeling: the sheer force of wild waves. For this reason, I would either clone out that rather “wimpish” railing on the right, or crop it out - probably the former so as not to disturb the composition. I just love the tonalities.
Now I’ve read that you prefer your previous post. Not me - this one with the dark featureless sky provides a much better, non-distracting backdrop to the waves, and it’s the waves ( or better, a single wave) that’s your subject here.
John, my immediate reaction is wave against rock. It looks like a standoff. Because of the angling of the rocks it looks like they are cowering and trying to get away from the force of the wave. The B & W rendition empasizes the power of the wave. @Mike_Friel mentions the “wimpish” railing. I am not bothered by it but it could probably be removed with the content aware brush. The trees seem too important to the composion to cromp them out.
I have compaired the three images. I lke the wave in the first, but the sky is too busy for my taste. It detracts from the wave.
John, a nice way to cap off your series. I really like the second image, with the sky. It feels like a fine art B&W image. This one is all about the drama of the wave…and a killer wave too. I think you could crop some of the sky out with would emphasize the wave even more. So great to see these images and I can’t wait to get back there myself.
Hi John, what a powerful display of nature’s intensity you’ve captured! The explosive force of the wave crashing against the rock face is a magnificent moment, and you’ve framed it beautifully. It’s as if we can almost hear the roar and feel the spray on our faces. The choice of monochrome tones emphasizes the drama and doesn’t allow anything to distract from the raw energy of the scene. Nice work!
