Hi everyone. I shot this image a couple of weeks ago and I’m still cleaning the sand out of my tripod legs! I quite like the foreground patterns in this and tried to keep the image darker to add some mood. I’m not a fan of how the sand is kicking up in the background along the sea line. I’ve tried burning it down but it doesn’t look right. Any ideas or tips to make it look less prominent?
Any feedback on composition or PP gratefully received.
Many thanks
Chris
I, on the other hand, am a fan of the sand kicking up. It shows movement. It may be the strongest element in this image in that it depicts the fury of the wind better than anything else. If it were me, I wouldn’t hide it.
Thanks Igor. Maybe it just needs something to make it look like a soft area or blur?
Chris,
I second Igor on this one. I also like the blowing sand! Nicely done and good look cleaning the tripod legs.
Thanks Alan
Ditto; I actually think it works well. No complaints; it’s a great image.
Chris, if anything I’d try to make the blowing sand more prominent. I find the blowing sand to be as interesting as the foreground patterns. The blowing sand adds a dynamic element to the image. I might even consider a crop from the bottom of the image. This would emphasize the blowing sand even more, while retaining the look of the patterns.
Otherwise the processing looks spot on to me. The dark sand patterns creates mood, and makes the blowing sand stand out. This is a very pleasing image, nicely done.
Chris,
A unique and beautiful image. I love the blowing sand, and especially the long line/patterns created drawing the eye in to the scene. Nothing spectacular with the sun, but again the blowing sand is the perfect complement to complete the composition. In fact, this could be a nice nature abstract without the sky!
You could toy with options of cropping a little off the top, or a little off the bottom, or both. But this is great as presented.
Lon
Thanks Ed. What’s the best way to make it more prominent? Up the highlights or try and mask the sand etc?
Thanks Lon. Yeah I agree about the sun. If the sky was dramatic I think the scene would be too confusing.
Chris, I would recommend a combination of things to make the blowing sand look more prominent. First I would crop a bit off the bottom which will make the blowing sand look larger in the frame. Second, I would want to make the blowing sand appear brighter. Using a TK Darks 3 luminosity mask I selected the darker parts of the beach and burned them down. One of the best ways to make something look brighter is to darken the areas around it. And finally I used a TK Lights 2 luminosity mask to slightly dodge the blowing sand. Here is what I came up with after doing that.
That looks much better! Thanks Ed, I’ll do just that.
Great Image Chris, I agree with the majority that the blowing sand is very intriguing. I might go with even more cropped off the bottom than in Ed’s Crop. While I really like the textures in the sand on the bottom of the image I find my eye is drawn right to the sun and I am missing out on them since they are darker than the rest of the image. Maybe some light dodging on the bright parts on the bottom could help lead you through the image more.
Thanks David
Hi Chris,
Not sure what about the sand in the mid ground that is kicked up that you don’t like. I think it adds some drama and a sort of ‘origin story’, if you will, to the blowing sand patterns that you have captured in the foreground. What was surprising was that this was a beach scene. I expected that this was something from the desert. Nonetheless, I think you have a fine image.
Thanks Youssef, that’s very kind of you
