The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
A month ago we enjoyed a wonderful time of vacation in Oregon and Northern California. Just south of Crescent City, CA, we found a small overlook at the end of a dead end road. We arrived an hour before sunset and ate soup cooked right in the can. It’s a bear country technique we use while boon docking in Montana. No dirty dishes to wash! I set up on a wooden platform set up to view the ocean far below and used a 70-300 lens to try to compress the background into a more detailed image. This is a 6 vertical image panorama. I recently discovered a song my The Hip Abduction that perfectly sums up my experience here and inspired the title of the image.
Warm embrace of the mist
Brings comfort like a kiss
Wander through the untouched
A smile to my new friends
Walking on stones of jade
I’ll never leave a trace
Hope these memories never fade
I left my soul
On the Pacific Coast Highway
Specific Feedback
Regarding the composition, is it too heavy on the right? My position on the elevated deck prevented me from moving any farther to the right, but I sort of like the way the beach curves to the distance. I tried this with my 14-24 but didn’t like the way it moved the landscape back.
I love the colours and the peace this shot alludes to. Re you specific question about the RHS, “yeh maybe” is my profound answer. I wonder if its a bit of an illusion to do with the far tree line rising to the left.
I did a quick edit thinking some of the trees leaned right but in mine some now lean left but the far tree line is now somewhat level. In doing this I had to crop some of the “heavy” trees on the RHS. I also disappeared some debris on the beach on the RH corner and that first run off on the beach.
Thanks for the tip re HPA. I’ll give them a listen.
In this photo I too am leaving my soul Paul. Colors and the details in the waves are splendid.
As to your question: yes for me the RBC is too heavy for a so delicate and dreaming image. I have tried a crop but only you can decide if and how. I wouldn’t touch anything else. Beautiful.
Paul, this is a lovely, peaceful view. The touch of mist in the upper right and its shift to golden sunset glow looks good. I also like the glow and textures in the surf. I think it works very well as presented. I also like Guiseppe’s version, where the water gets more attention. That version has me wondering about adding a touch of mid-tone dodging to the water as an attention adjustment. As Guiseppe says, in the end, it’s all about what story you want the view to tell.
A lovely image and a challenge to play with.
I leveled the far tree line, like @Mark_Orchard did, and I cropped the image. To keep the pano look I chose for a HDTV ratio 16:9.
To accentuate the sea I increased contrast in the water. Maybe it is too much compared to the dreamy look of the land?
Must have been a great moment, to be there.
Ah, yes!! Wonderful light and silver water!! For me, a little warp to move down the horizon on the left edge, and fade it off with a little more mist. I could see lightening the trees in the LL corner – just a tad.
I have a soul place like that down at Russian Gulch, but it’s never been the same since that one evening years ago with unreal magic light in incoming fog.
This is why we live here! Glad you enjoyed your trip.
Peaceful, serene image of a lovely view (know it well).
Soft colours, intriguing sea and our usual ethereal fog.
I think the pano crop works well, to highlite the significant parts.
Well-seen and captured!
Oooh, what gorgeous light on the water. I also think it’s a bit heavy on the right. How about a tiny crop off that side and brightening that area (I decreased clarity, increased lights and shadows a tad). Just another thought.
Paul, this is such a nice peaceful scene. I was just up there ten days ago. I love the mist, great perspective and amazing light in this. I agree with you, it is such a nice place to leave your soul…
@Mark_Orchard@Giuseppe_Guadagno@Mark_Seaver@Han_Schutten@Diane_Miller@SandyR-B@Bonnie_Lampley@Ed_Williams Thank you all for taking the time to respond and for your thoughts and ideas. I liked everything you had to say and tried to incorporate them all into this edit. It also allowed me to crop it to a 2:3 ratio which is my preference. As I sit in my living room here in Montana and bemoan the smoke filled skies, I had a bit of a “glass half full” moment realizing the sunset through the smoke looks quite like the foggy light at the coast! I’ve added the new image at the top.
Hi Paul I much prefer your gentler less colourful edit with slightly less sky represented in your second edited version. I find the top image a little too toxic for my eyes. The second version looks great with sky waves and land in just the right proportions.
Im afraid its now smoky here too. All the western Canada wildfires are drifting down, and the California wildfires are drifting up. We had wildfires to the very border of Brookings a few years ago - hopefully there is nothing much left to burn now.
