Breeching Time (+colour repost)

BW Version

Wonderful composition and a great sense of drama. I liked the color version as first view, but the B&W has a dynamic that I find more appealing. The tonal range in both the versions is excellent. Nicely Done!

--P

I really like both, but the B&W is the hands down winner for me. It has more of an impact for me. On the color, I might back off the blue just a touch and remove some magenta from the sky?

Black and white is wonderful, mysterious and the bad weather is implied, I love the color version to, just not as much. On My monitor the blue looks to cyan, would like to see more of a gray blue. The blues on my D 800E shot in raw are never natural, although the Jpeg files processed in camera are to my liking, ( that is for the blues).

I lik both a lot, but I also prefer the B+W version, although my first thoughts about the color version were the exact same as Harley. I think with a bit less saturation that could be a really nice one too!

Kah Kit, the extra contrast in the b&w version does add drama, but I especially like the ghostly effect of the slow shutter on the wave actions as it partially hides the foreground rocks.  I also think the color version has a better sense of flow, with the with the softened foreground rocks and the subtle pink in the sky leading my eyes to the arch.  So I'm going with the color version as my favorite.  I could see reducing the blue a bit.

Kah Kit,

I love the combination of drama and surreal, most especially in the b&w version.  The contrast and tonal range are excellent 

The color version is dramatic and works well also. For some reason though, I just get the feeling of Velvia's classic color cast in so many situations.  Not sure if that's what you're referring to when referencing color between Nikon and Canon.  With RAW files, isn't there a broad range of possibilities and interpretations anyway? I'm wondering what, if any, differences would be between the two brands. (but that is coming from a rookie dslr guy...)

Regardless, a dramatic, moody and well composed seascape.

Lon

I like both versions for their own strong points.  The color evokes the cold blue (and with of post more options could be done), while the B&W shows details in the underwater FG rocks.  Both very impressive.

Wow...I definitely prefer the B&W image on this image. Primarily because it then focuses more on the shape of the rocks, which is the strong point of this image. 

Definitely prefer the B&W image more. The arch and it's implications make this shot for me. There is something sinister and evil about it and the clouds and rocks around it play a brilliant supporting role for this motif. The sharp, dark, jagged rocks raise chills up my spine. The more I look at this the more I appreciate what it took to put this together. I normally don't like real long exposures of waves but in this case they no longer resemble water and give an appearance of fallow ground fog obscuring further danger below. Really, really good.

My first thought was that this is a wonderful scene, composed with great skill, and one that the long, long exposure works pretty well on.  (That effect often seems an unnatural "camera trick" to me, focusing on the cleverness of the photographer rather than the beauty of the scene.)  The only thing I didn't like was the intense blue, which did seem like an unnatural "camera trick" detracting from the natural beauty of the scene.

Then I saw the B&W version, and knew that it was a most excellent interpretation of this impressive landscape. Obviously it has no distracting color issues, but the tones seem to work better, including how the long exposure treats the foreground details.

I think the color version could be just as good if you manage to tame those blues.

Hands down the b/w version for me.  I think the blue overwhelms the image a bit in the color version.  There is some significant haloing in both versions but very noticeable in the mono version.  All of the rocks in the fore and most noticeable in the sea arch.  A pretty minor fix and worth it for this incredible image. Powerful.

These are both spectacular, Kah Kit! While I really like the drama in the sky in the black and white version, I think I favor the emphasis on the water and rocks in the color version.  For me, in the black and white, the rocks and water lose their distinction from each other (the texture and shapes are still distinct, but the color difference adds something there in the color version).  That's just me, though.  I'm a fool for blues in a nearly monochromatic color image.  And of course, both are just really wonderful to look at.

ML
 

Lovely blue moody scene, Kah! I personally prefer the B&W one as it helps the eye observe the details better.

These are both so cool to see. Great comp and use of long exposure. The color is nice but the blue does seem a bit strong on my monitor. I absolutely love the b&w version and that one gets my vote. Fantastic work!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Fantastic composition with superb mood.  Love the misty, long exposure on the water and the blues are fabulous.  For me the color image far outshines the black and white.

Thanks guys for the responses especially regarding BW versus colour. Here's a warmed up version of colour.

3rd times a charm for me. I like the last post with the warmer tones in the sky. Beautiful comp and i love the transparency in the fg water. The first two images looked like they had some haloing against the rock in the upper left, and that seems softened now with your latest version

Wow, stunning  black and white. The warmed up color version is also very nice.