Out to Sea

Very nice Mark. I love the mottled coloration and texture of the rock. Nice composition.

The comp works very well for me, but there is an over-exposed look to the entire image. I'm not sure if this was blended manually or with software, but maybe increase contrast selectively. I would expect deeper shadows in the arch, which might give the entire image more depth. The sky and water make the image really inviting. Great job with this, just a little re-process adjustment needed IMO.

Excellent lines and textures here - especially love the colours and textures of the rocks.
The peek at the ocean , framed by the rocks, is just beautiful.
Sandy

I'm not sure what it is, but the relationship between the rock and the ground looks unnatural... in both the sand portion and the water portion. It looks like it was cut out and placed on top. I'm guessing it's because of the blend and that you cut out the rock portion of the bright exposure. It's odd to me that the water is rushing by the rock, but not splashing on to the rock, and that there is no shadow between the sand and the rock on the left.

I agree 100% with Ted. It's beautiful, colors are great and a fantasy inspiring image - but where the rock meets the sand/water it looks totally unnatural

Superb Mark!

The colors and view are lovely! The rocks in the upper left look very organic. I do agree that the rocks seem overly bright, since it seems like they should be in shadow.

I like your comp Mark but feel there is a very HDRish feel to this which doesn't sit right with me. The arch should be much darker in my opinion.

Wonderful tones and textures in the rocks Mark but seems a little bright to me. Love the view to the ocean and sky. Agree with other comments about the sand and water but a very nice scene.

Fantastic composition Mark. But like the others already mentioned, there is a contrast issue here that makes it look like it was cut out. The arch is too bright and over all the transition with the sand needs more contrast as well as in the shadows on the arch.

Another point that has not been mentioned yet, is that the water moving past around the arch does not show any water actually piling up on or around the protrusions of rock as one would expect.

striking overall scene, Mark, and the color is really nice. I like your comp and exposure.

You have a very nice composition here, but I think the processing needs some work. It looks like you were trying to show detail through all of the shadow regions, but the net result is that there isn't any dark tone in your image. As it was pointed out, there really isn't any sort of shadow on the sand in the foreground, and that looks a bit odd. I would love to see a repost that restores some of the natural rich dark tone that provides a sense of mystery. Don't be afraid of the dark (tone), embrace it!

Very nice, very 'inviting' I should say, as if passing through here you are entering paradise.