Take Two

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 8, 2011327 views11 comments

Not often are we given the chance to take a second swing at amazing light conditions, or take a failed shot over again. This past weekend, after enduring one of the more frustrating shoots I've had in recent memory along the Big Sur coast, I received similar conditions the very next day and was able to try and "live and learn" so to speak. The main culprit in this environment was the vicious sea spray that was blowing everywhere, so this was a lesson in patience, timing, and lens cleaning for me!

This was taken after the sun had dipped below the horizon, but the light bounced off the clouds and gave a very noticeable glow to the foreground rocks. I know there is a color cast here, is it too strong? Also, does the transition of light seem natural? Any advice on how this could be improved is always welcome and appreciated by me. Thanks for having a look!

-Jared

Tech Notes:
Canon 5dmkii
Canon 17-40L
5 Exposures hand blended to maximize focus and for dynamic range (3 for sky, 2 for FG)

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Koveh Tavakkol on February 8, 2011 at 12:17 PM

Jared, first let me say this is an outstanding shot! The starfish really help to anchor the scene well. My only recommendation on the shot is unfortunately not a processing one, so there won't be anything you can do about it, but I will toss it out anyway. If it was me I would have turned the camera left just a bit. This would have off centered the starfish to the lower right with the little pools of water leading the eye through the mid ground to the beautiful sky. I don't think you would have lost much from the right hand side on this shot. Very nice work though my friend.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 41 Posts, 608 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Atencio on February 8, 2011 at 12:26 PM

Thanks Koveh, I too wasn't too thrilled with the centered comp here either, but due to the location, I didn't have much room to move around, but think I have another shot that isn't SO centered. I really wanted that large rock to help break up the horizon on the right, but agree that this is pretty centered. Thanks for the feedback buddy!

Registered on June 23, 2009, 21 Posts, 422 Comments

Comment posted by Art Escobado on February 8, 2011 at 12:27 PM

Look at you guys go!! The sea stars are a great inclusion and it looks very realistic to my eye. The recent postings are awesome. You guys are getting me amped because the imagery has been of very high quality. Can't wait to see more through your lens!!

Registered on January 7, 2007, 0 Posts, 775 Comments

Comment posted by Derek Yow on February 8, 2011 at 12:34 PM

Wonderful light Jared. The starfish and mollusks in the foreground really make this shot. It could stand on it's own without them, but they add a lot of interest. My only suggestion would be to take a look at the uppermost rock on the left edge. It seems brighter than all the other rocks in the mid-ground. I think it's possibly brightened by the wave action and water, but just wanted to point that out. Glad you got a second crack at this!!

Registered on May 18, 2010, 26 Posts, 655 Comments

Comment posted by Joshua Hardin on February 8, 2011 at 2:12 PM

Nicely captured Jared. The starfish are definitely the "stars" of the shot but I also like how the barnacles attract some visual attention on the bottom third of the frame. Lovely wave action and sky too.

Registered on July 29, 2006, 40 Posts, 414 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Kim on February 8, 2011 at 3:39 PM

Looks very good to me, and given the color of the sky, the resulting color cast appears very natural. The starfish and barnacles make for an excellent foreground.

Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on February 8, 2011 at 10:56 PM

My laptop would be a very poor judge of color casts. This looks great. Those two starfish really make this look good. Glad you got a second chance.

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

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 8, 2011 at 11:14 PM

Strong comp, wonderful color.

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

Comment posted by Raymond D Smith on February 9, 2011 at 9:30 AM

The foreground has alot to look at and looks great Jared. The light on the crashing wave is sweet too. I could see dodging the mid ground rocks a touch to give them a bit more detail or blend it in from another exposure. The colour in the sky at the horizon seems a touch over saturated on my monitor, I see a touch of green there. A very good seascape and great light and I hope this helps. Cheers

Registered on January 22, 2009, 12 Posts, 479 Comments

Comment posted by Jared Atencio on February 9, 2011 at 1:53 PM

Thanks everyone for your feedback. The image isn't quite where I would like it to be and can't really put my finger on why, so I appreciate the suggestions and will experiment with the rework!

Registered on June 23, 2009, 21 Posts, 422 Comments

Comment posted by Roman Kurywczak on February 10, 2011 at 2:44 PM

Hey Jared,
I don't mind the central placement of the starfish.....but other comps would work well also here......and you did a great job overall!

Registered on November 20, 2009, 56 Posts, 748 Comments