Everybody's Secret

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 19, 2010495 views23 comments

This is from Secret Beach in the Samuel H. Boardman Scenic Corridor in the southern Oregon Coast. As I noted in my prior post, I had beautiful (except for photography) sunny skies the entire weekend. To work some color into the image, I took this well after sunset when the scene was quite dark to my eye.

I've wrestled with whether to post this or not. This was taken on Labor Day when a lot of people had spent the day enjoying the beautiful weather. While they were all gone by the time I took this, the beach was just chewed to pieces by footprints. There were a lot of comps I would have liked to play with, but couldn't get around some of the ugly beach. As is, this photo crowds the surf line much more than I would like. On the other hand, this was my favorite of all the places I explored while there; this tiny beach is enchanting. I shall return.

Nikon D80
Nikon 12.0-24.0 mm f/4.0 at 22 mm
Hand Blend of 2 and 10 secs at f/16 and ISO 100

The photos were taken 23 minutes apart. The color is all from the second photo, but I've used the luminosity from the earlier photo (taken just after sunset) to improve shadow detail.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on September 19, 2010 at 12:28 PM

Very well composed John! The balance is great. Looks a tiny bit hazy - not sure if that's from the conditions or from recovering some shadows. But that's just an observation. It actually adds something to the image for me. A place worth to get back to.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Hillary Dennison on September 19, 2010 at 12:32 PM

I absolutely love the colors in the image. It is too bad about the mess on the beach, but this is a great shot!

Registered on September 14, 2010, 2 Posts, 12 Comments

Comment posted by Arnab Banerjee on September 19, 2010 at 12:48 PM

This is nowhere near your last post, but still nice work with the condition you had. Nice work with that magenta sky

Registered on January 3, 2007, 313 Posts, 2270 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on September 19, 2010 at 1:03 PM

The composition is outstanding and overall the image is pretty sweet all considered.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on September 19, 2010 at 1:04 PM

It was one of those warm hazy days Didl, thanks for pointing that out. I worked at removing it from those distant sea stacks, here's a version trying to correct overall a bit more.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Hamed Musharbak on September 19, 2010 at 3:39 PM

Amazing composition

the colors just lovely

Hamed

Registered on June 1, 2009, 372 Posts, 2282 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on September 19, 2010 at 3:47 PM

I very much like te comp here John and of course the gorgeous color. I like your repost best.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Cory O'Neill on September 19, 2010 at 3:48 PM

I'm glad you decided to post this, John. Fantastic comp, wonderful tones, and etheral feel make it one of my fav's from this area of the coast. I prefer the second version, only because of the greater vibrance. Just beautiful!

Registered on October 4, 2008, 28 Posts, 273 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on September 19, 2010 at 8:42 PM

Neat shot, and process of capturing it. I like the crisping up of the contrast in the second. But it seems to have lost a tiny bit of the color from the first. Since the color is subtle, I'd try to get that back.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on September 19, 2010 at 9:38 PM

There are a couple of things that really hold my interest on this one John. All the bluffs leading from the foreground to the background and the trees growing on the top of them. A very interesting photo and worthy of display.

Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on September 19, 2010 at 10:43 PM

The color is the star of this show! Gorgeous. And excellent work to pull out so much detail in a tough situation lightingwise.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on September 19, 2010 at 11:16 PM

Fascinating blend, John. I think this looks great. The trees on the rocks look sort of Dr. Seuss like. I'm glad you were able to find a way to share the scenery with other visitors.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on September 20, 2010 at 12:18 AM

What a fantastic arrangement of sea stacks, John! Just wonderful. I was wondering about the haziness, but now that you've posted a 'clarified' version, I gotta go with the original - it seems to have more depth.

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on September 20, 2010 at 2:34 AM

Outstanding photograph John. I could see this exact spot becoming very iconic! Had you seen this perspective before?

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Stan Rose on September 20, 2010 at 2:52 AM

I think i like this more than your last post--its less obivous. I like the way it goes from light in the urhc to the dark llhc, with good balance in between.

Registered on September 15, 2005, 836 Posts, 17099 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on September 20, 2010 at 5:29 AM

+1 for original. Great comp and light

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on September 20, 2010 at 10:21 AM

Thanks again all!

Steve, I had not. In fact, wandering around Samuel Boardman for the couple of days I had there, I was amazed that we don't see photos from this area more often. (In comparison, for example, to the sea stacks along the Olympic Coast.) This surprises me, mostly because there is a lot of wonderful stuff that is easy to get to. The only photo I specifically had remembered before visiting was Jesse's sea stack/sun star shot. (There have probably been many more posted, but they didn't stick in my memory or I didn't know they were from this area.)

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Goldwasser on September 20, 2010 at 11:00 AM

I like this, especially the re-post. The comp with all the little islands and their vegetation makes my eye wander.

Registered on May 10, 2009, 127 Posts, 970 Comments

Comment posted by Sean Bagshaw on September 20, 2010 at 11:40 AM

Wonderful image John! Secret Beach is one of my favorite spots on the south coast. Your vision of it is just magical! Love it.

Registered on February 14, 2007, 99 Posts, 479 Comments

Comment posted by Trevor Anderson on September 20, 2010 at 1:47 PM

Again, nice handling of the exposure. I would suggest lightening the foreground rock a little to bring out that tree. Otherwise this exudes the feeling of twilight.

Registered on April 25, 2007, 64 Posts, 483 Comments

Comment posted by David Cobb on September 20, 2010 at 9:06 PM

A great place to explore John, and I like the wonderful scene you brought from there.

Registered on December 14, 2007, 312 Posts, 3243 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on September 21, 2010 at 3:35 AM

It's a rather large park w/ many other interesting parks nearby. Pistol River, Rogue River Wild n Scenic Area & Harris Beach. I scouted the place out and saw my first banana slug, butt the light was mediocre. I loved the large cliffs there.

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Taylor Reed on September 21, 2010 at 12:54 PM

I really like this one; the colors and composition are very pleasing. Cool title too.

Registered on February 18, 2010, 26 Posts, 556 Comments