The Tempest

Here's the crop of the far shoreline.

What beautiful light you had Cory! A fine sample from the Oregon coast. My only suggestion would be to search for more catching foreground elements next time around - not that this doesn't work - but I think there's so many opportunities out there that you can take advantage of.

Hey, you're not having fun on the Oregon Coast until you get thoroughly drenched before the sun even rises!

You got a killer sunrise for sure, but I kind of agree with Floris about finding a stronger FG anchor. It sounds like you tried, but the sea wasn't playing fair.

I spend a lot of time in this area, and now how hard it can be to come up with a good FG. Not that this stretch of coast is boring by any means, but the basalt rock is just so consistent in its physical makeup, that it is somewhat monotonous, making photography a challenge. Shoot, just setting up a tripod can be a tough task here sometimes. Still, I give you two thumbs up for this one....and two more for getting soaked.

While it doesn't have a strong FG anchoring point like Floris points out, it really looks like a window into another dimension. Works for me.
I really can't see any stitching flaws, amazing considering all the moving elements.
Do you plan to write something about your design Cory?

To me the swirl of water coming in close makes a nice foreground element in and of itself. The colors are beautiful, this is a very nice image.

Amazing colors, great shoreline, well done

Cory,
Wow, you had some really nice light here! I agree with Floris about the comp. I have never been to this locaton, but it looks like there are many opportunities for great comps here. Did you have time to try any other comps during this sunrise?

Wayne

Thanks everyone for the feedback. This wasn't the only comp from the morning, but it appeals to me in part because it doesn't have an obvious foreground subject. The goal here was to mimic in the water and rocks the arc of orange/magenta in the clouds. In most respects, I consider this more a study in textures than anything else.

I do wish I had been able to get out onto the rocks closer to the shelf, as the position there would have allowed for a stronger foreground comp. But I lost my bravado when the wave hit.

Nicolas, I've experimented with this a bunch, and the coast is definitely the most challenging place to create stitches. It doesn't always work, so I always shoot a single frame comp as well as the multiple frames. Shutter speeds around one second, and shooting as the wave moves inland are the two things that helped me avoid stitching issues. As for the panohead, I designed mine specifically for my setup (5D2 and the 17-40mm lens), out of basic aluminum materials. I'll be writing about this in the next few weeks on my website ("news"), and I'll post the design there. My primary reason for building my own is the weight. The lightest commercial panohead weighs 2+ lbs. Mine weighs 8 oz. Fits in well with my "ultralight" backpacking stuff!

Cory,

I think this is an excellent seascape. Personally, I like the framing and composition because of the "u" shape and how the rocks frame the surf. I like how the water is flowing up on the shelf and creates a distinct layer in the sea. My only nit if you could call it one, it that I think the sky, as dramatic as those clouds are, is a little on the neon side. Now that may be more of a choice than a nit, but I wanted to pass that along anyway.

Great job with the stitching.

Lon

Great sunrise image. Excellent stitch. Awesome scene. I like how the foreground rocks frame the water.

Cory, you da man!

Thank you Cory for the details, i'll stay tuned for the updates

Sweet sunrise, and it looks like you did an awesome job with the stitching. No suggestions from me.