Revolving Ocean

Wow, talk about a well composed image. Perfectly balanced with the beautiful clouds in the ULC. The sun setting in the arch window is a nice touch, as is the water swirling around the foreground rock. Then there is the breaking waves. All in all, lots to look at in a perfectly composed image.

This is fantastic Steve. Perfect comp, well thought out. Love the curving water around the fg rocks and how it bridges the distant clouds to the setting sun.

Processing looks good to me, I find it very believeable.

Great work!

Wow again!
Superb composition, and that dynamic swirl of water along with the sun setting in that arch is amazing.
One of the best blending techniques I've seen to date, as well.

Congratulations on capturing this glorious scene!

I love the swirls of the water and the arch is a plus. I actually think the sun in the arch is distracting and would clone it out. The real action is the water swirls. The one in the front is just great.

- Dan.

Really nicely composed image Steve!. That swirl of water around the rocks is awesome, as is the light and clouds!. Processing looks good to me too, the image is all very natural looking indeed!.

I love the peekaboo sun through the arch, the big wave and the cloud above it to balance it with the arch, the colorful reflection under the arch but I'm not so sure about the slowed down foreground swirled wave action.

I just read the other critiques and I still stand by my opinion. Oh well. I think it's still a very nice image.

Thanks guys, I was trying to keep some of the parts of the scene dark to what they should be when we see them. I guess that's why Ansel left us his gift of the zone system(10 differences of light in a scene is a lot to figure out, I'm still trying).

Dan, I do have some feelings about there being too much going on here. That sun just might be it.

Christine, Thanks for your honesty. I honestly feel that the shutter could of been just a tad slower.

A few of my concerns would be the blue portions of water in the shadows of the low lying rocks and the flare of course.

The dark parts of the scene are on the verge of noise being evident. Can't wait to see how much shadow detail you'll be able to pull out in the new 5D when ever I finally get it?? Getting kind of irrated on how long I've been waiting. The whole announcing thing and then shipping to the US months later. seems to be the new trend nowadays. Not to mention having to wait on the retailer.

Great capture. I can feel the motion in both directions--coming in and going out. I also like how you caught the sun through the arch. The processing looks good: nothing's too dark or blown out.

My first reaction was it seemed a tad too busy trying to figure what the focus is. However, after a few seconds I felt my eyes moving back in forth in a U shape between cloud, swirl and sun, keeping my focus in the photo. I wouldn't change a thing, great as shown!

Great composition Steve. I really like the placement of the sun in the arch, and the water swirls are really neat...I almost want to see what they would look like with a slower shutter speed. I think the processing is very natural and restrained, which is good.

There's a lot going on here Steve but I think you've managed to pull it all together very nicely. The comp works due to one absolutely key element IMO - the LL water curve. If that wasn't there the UR would be too overpowering. The blend is very believable. My only suggestion would be to work the red glow on the rock face of the arch a bit. Great work as always.

Steve, well I have to say, I do like it a LOT. I find no nits. If there was any need to enhance things slightly, maybe more detail out of the shadow of the rock on the left. The darn flare does not bother me one bit, it is very slight and seems almost natural looking directly toward the sun. Nice work here, good luck obtaining your newer camera too.

Very beleivable

Excellent shot, Steve. I love hoy you placed the sun in that hole and how the water wraps around the rock. The blend looks very natural to me - well done. I agree about a longer exposure might have added a tiny bit of dynamic - but that's really minor. Love the image as it.

I love and miss this beach very much. Excellent use of the land and the comp is very nice.... I also think a slower SS without the sun would be very nice from here. But this shot does tell a nice story, so it's not a lost shot in my opinion.... I hope to return to this beach in January when I'm in LA for a trade show. Lucky for you, it is just a little car ride

This is real nice Steve. A wonderful scene with great detail and composition. The sun through the arch really made me say, Wow, sweet!

I wouldn't have guessed this was a blend, Steve. I see nothing else I would do in post-processing. Fantastic composition with that water swirling back to the ocean also leading my eye through the photo. I like it!

Excellent work here Steve! Both in composition and pp. I used to live on the shores of Lake Erie and seeing the wave in your image made me hear the crashing sounds of the coast.

A few of my concerns would be the blue portions of water in the shadows of the low lying rocks...

Now that you mention it, the only blue that captures my attention is in the swirl just beneath the rock. Easily fixable if you wish.
Please, please do not 'lose' that sun! Adrian's comment about the U shape viewing is spot on. The setting sun is one of the main reasons that this works so very well and gives the image such a unique quality.

I like the comp a lot. But the backside of the arch seems unevenly illuminated, and possibly too illuminated. As well the dominant center FG rock and the far left rock again seem unevenly illuminated. Both of these conditions create an unnatural look considering the sun angle.

Nice image though, definitely worth a bit more work.

Shane

John L., just 14 miles/20 minutes on a winding road. I'm sure you'll get time to get there when you visit. So many possiblities for such a tiny beach.

Adrian, funny that you mention it but I was going to name it U-turn Compostion. The uploaded file is named that.

John M., You're very right. I'm going to hold on to the sun. It's a starting point in the u-turn.

Nice Steve. Very believable, and very well balanced comp wise. The gentle curve of that wave is my favorite part. I see some minor halo's on the rh rock. I might darken the upper portion of it just a touch as well.

Dang! this shot has it all. fanstastic comp and the processing looks very believable to me.

Wow... the whole scene is beautiful. You couldn't have asked for better placement of the sun either :).

Wow very very nice love the compo and realy love the sun shinning through the arch spotted that very well aj

Processing looks great to me - really like everything about it. Very pretty Steve.

This is my favorite image of yours, Steve. Amazing in all aspects. One of the best coast shots I've seen.

Beautiful shot Steve. There is so much to look at in this shot, my eye continues to notice more and more interesting things. Well done!

I wouldn't have guessed this was a blend at all. I think you did a great job keeping the detail in the crashing wave, but still some motion in the fg. Great shot!

Believable blends are the way to go and you have accomplished that. And what an expertly crafted comp! I love the variety of water textures captured that vary in distance. The only change I might try in processing is to subtly darken the bottom left edges/corner a bit to keep the eye moving inside the frame. But that is personal preference, and as is you have a stunner!

Superb Steve! Love everything here...great water movement, sun through the arch...it all comes together very nicely!

So much to look at, and it's all so well composed. One of the best I've seen from you.

My one criticism would have to be the rock on the far left. Compared to the other rocks and especially the arch, it's quite dark and lacking detail. Given the location of the sun, I'd have expected the arch to be the darkest/least detailed area.

There is a whole lot going on here - I can look at this for a long time - minor tweak ? maybe lighten the clouds UL just a smidge ??

Steve,

I think you hit your target on the bullseye. Very beleivable. Wonderful timing as well wonderful placement of the sun. It looks a bit tilted CW. Otherwise, awesome composition everything is placed well and the swirl leads the eye in nicely.

Steve,
Very Believable. Nicely composed.

Very, very sweet! I am a big fan of this, Steve. Probably one of my favorite images you have posted. Cheers!

Real nice image here, Steve. Congrats on the EP!

I think this photo is perfect, therefore done. I love seeing the new wave arriving and the swirl returning to the ocean, a complete cycle. This "still" is actually moving.

First class in every way! And the blend of the images is fantastic...I'd like to see a GND filtered shot look as good. Just wish I could blend images that well, I might do more landscapes then

Beautiful. Nice technique.

Looks believable to me. Excellent composition. I would like to know technicals on the lower half exposure.

Great photograph.

Hi Ed, not sure what the f stop was, some where around f13 f16, shutter was 1/8 sec iso 100.