Sand Beach + repost

Ed, this is very gently inviting, it's easy to see why it's grown on you.  It's not an eye grabber, but it is the kind of view that you can look at again and again as well as imagine being there.  I like the textures in the water and the leading line of the the thin strip of sand.  I do think that some dodging to bring out a bit of detail in the trees and the dark rocks as the end of the sand strip would add nicely.

Ed, I too can see why this has grown on you. It is great shoreline view and does seem to have the feel of a bit more remote place. The 3 second exposure worked well and the heavy cloud cover made for a nice mood to the overall scene. A little dodging as Mark mentioned would probably work nice on this and it doesn't need much. I'm enjoying the mood you captured!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.

Ed,

A quiet image with a somber mood given the soft light and minimal colors.  And just because there is no glorious sunrise/sunset, doesn't mean we can't capture the beauty of the moment.  Like Mark, I like the texture of the water on the beach and especially as that texture carries out in to the surf and sea.  I know not everyone likes this effect, but I do.  I think these oceanside seascapes are difficult to compose given the angles of looking up/down a shoreline - but you've done very well to compose this. For me, the primary subject is the surf and sand and so I could see cropping some of the sky out, but that's really an after thought.

I could also see squeezing some detail out of the dark areas in the rock and trees, but that's minor.

Nicely seen and crafted.

Lon

My favorite part of this image is the wedge of cliffs and the trees leaning to the right. It's almost as though there is an overwhelming force from the left that is bent on destruction. The shape of the wedge together with the trees on a stormy day tells a wonderful story full of emotion. I would build a composition around that idea. 

I like this Ed.  The curve of the shoreline and the detail in the large view are excellent.  I would clone that little wedge of land, mid left and there may be a dust bunny hiding just below the wedge. This has a quietness to it in my mind.  Very nice.

With the lack of color, I might try a BW conversion to create a moody image using this as a blueprint.  Bumping of sat. just would look right with the type of lighting you had and might looked forced, so I appreciate your decision to present as is.  Your take on Acadia reminded be of my experience at boulder beach which I'll post.  While I have nothing to compare the park's visitation with, it seems this was a big national park year in general from friends I have spoken with.  Busy, busy, busy!

Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions everyone. Here is a repost incorporating those suggestions: a little dodging of the rocks and trees on the left, a small crop of the sky and cloning out that bit of land on the left horizon along with the dust bunny hiding underneath.
Harry; Good call on the B&W; I will work on that and repost.

Ed

Ed, in reviewing the repost I think I would like to see a little more dodging of the foreground rocks to add a little more life in that part the scene, and to bring their tonality a little closer to the rocks in the upper part of the scene. But I agree with Harry, you should also try this image in B&W, especially with all the interesting texture in the clouds and foamy water in the foreground.

Acadia has certainly seen a big increase in visitation over the past 2 to 3 years. Even shoulder season months like September have become very busy thanks to all of the cruise ships coming to Bar Harbor. Fortunately Acadia is diverse enough that there still are some spots to get away from the hordes.