Critique This, Please Pt 3

Another of my shots from our recent holiday at Cape Cod. Please let me know what you think.

Thanks in advance.

 

Wow!!! Well! Right up front. There's that wave pattern. Grabs the eye and leads it in. There's also a lot more but I don't have time to go into it right now, so I'll pick up later.

OK I'm back. Now! There's the wave pattern. Mentioned before. Working out from there. There're those bits and pieces of what I'm guessing are shells, gravels, small pebbles maybe, etc. at the base of the ridges, helping to outline them, going into a smoother middle pattern filled with the same stuff, fading into what appears to be a smoother and lighter sandy area that sort of looks like it might be a sandbar, going into the water. I'm guessing (and I could be way off base here) that what we're looking at is low tide, with that smoother area between the wave patterns and the sandbar, being the bottom at high tide. Going back along that wave pattern and coming in from the upper left is that channel. I'm guessing that it's filled with water. A little way down from where that channel enters the image, is what appears to be a secondary channel or spillway (don't know if that's the right word but it works) going into that wave pattern. To the left of that spillway (as I'm looking at the image) a smooth sandy area (that's what it looks like anyway), which may be another sandbar, or part of the actual beach itself (I've been to Cape Cod and as I recall it was sand beach backed by at least partially vegetated sand dunes, not bits and pieces of shells and gravels). On the other side (upper left corner) of that main channel is that sand beach backed by dunes.

All in all, the combination of different patterns and the low angle from which this image appears to have been captured, makes for a very compelling piece of artwork. Congratulations!!!!!.....Izzy

Really works in black and white. I like how things become indistinct at distance. Somehow it loses reality and becomes something else, Land merges with sea, the birds become a black line. The stones in the pattern give interest. Well done, this grainy shot is so much more than a nice photo of a beach. 9.5 out of ten. Is the horizon just a smidgeon off level? Thank you, Charles.

Sorry, I keep looking at it. For me it is nostalgic of times past and lost. Would I hang a print of this on my wall? You bet.

Hi guys many thanks for the kind words. Yes the horizon is off kilter a wee bit, as captured. I thought I’d straightened this out but clearly not.

Hi guys many thanks for the kind words. Yes the horizon is off kilter a wee bit, as captured. I thought I’d straightened this out but clearly not.

Don't know if your planning to go back and straighten it or not, but if you are considering it. I don't know what editing program you use, but if you're able to apply a grid overlay, maybe applying in such a way (if you can) so that you get a straight line at the very top where water, beach, and sky meet (a little to the right of center) going across to the right edge of the frame, that'd give you a thin sliver of water above that line. You might be able to use the sky as a clone source to clone out that sliver....Izzy

My immediate thought when first viewing this, after appreciating the unusual and personal approach to the scene from perspective to exposure to the capture of design, was that I'd like to have seen a more skewed horizon which I think might have added to the sense of abstraction and the overall personality of the shot. When shooting from such a low angle, and especially given the landscape we're dealing with, I don't think there is a straight horizon line and I wouldn't expect to see one. I doubt a half a degree one way or the other will make a visual, emotional, or even technical difference.

Love this photo. Nailed it. Just the right amount of patterns, lines, and subject. Really well done

Hello everyone.

Popped by "Critiques" to see what's going on and see some activity on some of my shots. Thanks very much for the kinds words here, I really appreciate your time and opinions.