San Diego Beaches (taken earlier this month on a family trip), please critique

[hareshkhanna]

<p><a title="View from Marine Room restaurant, La Jolla by shutterbug70, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3429/3911171801_bdb4809bbb.jpg" alt="View from Marine Room restaurant, La Jolla" width="500" height="331" /></a> <br /> <a title="pacific beach sunset by shutterbug70, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2640/3912014322_45eeab7d19.jpg" alt="pacific beach sunset" width="500" height="331" /></a> <br /> <a title="surfer and pacific beach sunset by shutterbug70, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2453/3911234917_37bceb15ef.jpg" alt="surfer and pacific beach sunset" width="500" height="331" /></a> <br /> <a title="Torrey Pines State Reserve by shutterbug70, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3022/3913701003_cc9764dd05.jpg" alt="Torrey Pines State Reserve" width="500" height="331" /></a> <br /> <a title="Coronado beach by shutterbug70, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2498/3925488584_7c300233af.jpg" alt="Coronado beach" width="500" height="331" /></a> <br /> <a title="pacific beach by shutterbug70, on Flickr" href=" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3492/3923684754_d88b98de91.jpg" alt="pacific beach" width="500" height="331" /></a></p>

[dcstep]

<p>#1 The light is very flat and constraining. Did you try this same scene later in the day for better light? Are you using a UV filter? I might have tried this exact shot, but I would have also tried moving closer to the water, using the land for 2/3ds of the image and the sky for 1/3d and used the curve of the shoreline to carry the eye, left to right and bottom to top of the image. Most of the interesting part of the sky is near the water, so you've filled about 1/3d of the image with pretty ordinary clouds.<br>

#2 This sunset if my favorite of the group, but I wonder if the light hit the underside of the clouds more dramatically a few minutes later. Did you wait to see? Often, I wait and I'm not rewarded for the wait, but often I am. This is a "nice" image, but nothing special. (I've got literally hundreds like this in my files).<br>

#3 I assume that this is dusk. I like it but yearn for more focus on the surfer, like using a wider angle lens and getting closer to him, yet showing the nice sky and the shoreline. I might bring the exposure up a notch or two.<br>

#4 The light is really flat. What time of day is this? Why didn't you go when the light was better? Are you using a UV or polarizing filter? This might have been all that you had to work with no matter when you went, but all always ask myself, "When's going to be the best time for me to be out there with my camera?" I DO like the balance of the image and use of the shore curve. Great light would have elevated this one to the top of the pile.<br>

#5 Something strikes me as "off" here. The white clothing makes me think that there was plenty of light, but it looks like its underexposed. Maybe there's too much compensation for the surf and sand. I want that sky blue instead of dark grey and the foam and white clothes should be white. (Maybe WB is out of whack. Set it right on that guy's white shirt).<br>

#6 I'd have gotten way closer to the sunbather and included the dock, but not the housing in the left third, which really distracts. Also, the clouds look more interesting to the right As it is, the sunbather is almost a distraction, I'd almost rather the see the view from the posts out past him, without the housing, more clouds, more dock, etc. If I'm going to keep him in, then I'd get closer with a wide angle lens, with him in the lower left, then the dock and sky. As you've composed it, the sky is too plain and takes up too much space.<br>

Is your objective here to primarily document your trip? If so, then I think you're asking in the right place. I have much the same objective in many of my shots, but by being aware of light, composition, etc., they get better and better.<br>

I have a feeling that you're using a good bit of Photoshop (or some other program) here for exposure and color. If so, then focus on taking pictures in good light first, because it makes the post processing so much easier and effective. If you're always starting with flat, midday light, then it'll be frustrating.</p>

[bernard_korites]

<p>Very nice, Vineet, I especially like the first one, reminds me of a Barbizon painting.<br>

Can you tell us what camera/lens/film you used?</p>

[35mmdelux]

<p>I like the beach/hotel shot. Better if you turned the beach white t-shirt black.</p>

[hareshkhanna]

 

 

<p>Thanks for the comments. These were from a 4 day trip to San Diego with my wife and 2 year old son. #1 is La Jolla beach, #4 is Torrey Pines State Reserve and #5 is at Coronado beach. We stayed on Pacific beach where #2,3,6 are taken. #6 has the Crystal Pier hotel in the left. San Diego is a very nice place! </p>

<p>I was shooting on the go, while sight-seeing (which is pretty much how my photography is) and could hardly decide the time of being somewhere based on light. My intention is to record as I see (hence the proportions). </p>

<p>The camera is a Nikon D70, imaging set to raw. #4 is with a Nikon 50mm f1.8 lens, all others are with Nikon 28mm f2.8 lens. I didn't do any processing. Mostly I shoot aperture priority or manual exposure after spot metering my palm with the camera.</p>

<p>David, #3 was dusk. I took a shot as the surfer just went past, but I underexposed it too much, because I had taken a previous shot of the sun. By the time I compensated, he had walked that far!</p>

 

 

 

[dcstep]

<p>Thanks for the follow up Vineet.<br>

Your statement, "...could hardly decide the time of being somewhere based on light" says a lot about your photography. Apparently it's not very important to you. Your wife will love these shots, but just think of her reaction if they were all correctly exposed with the best possible light of the day. Most of us have or have had kids and a spouse. My wife and kids sleep late, so I get up before dawn and go to whatever site we're visiting for sunrise. If my wife says at 2 p.m., "Let's go for a walk on the beach" I say, "Can we wait until 5 when the light's much better?" She knows.<br>

We routinely travel with friends and they all take pictures, but they'll say things like, "I can't wait to see what Dave got." I send everyone a DVD of my shots with only the real clunkers removed. You've got the equipment and the fact that you're hanging around here tells me that you really do want to improve.<br>

I think the D70 has an automatic exposure program for beaches and snow. Use that. You're hand actually gives a false reading for a scene that will be 90+% sand, sun and water.<br>

You might consider getting something like Photoshop Elements or Apple's Aperature for light post processing of your shots; otherwise, why would you shoot in RAW? I suggest staying with RAW, but purchase a program for some processing. I really love DxO's Optics Pro, which does an amazing job of light compensation and lens/body correction in it's default settings. There are sliders for exposure and most other parameters, which would have improved most of the shots that you posted. You can also crop in Optics Pro.<br>

You asked for opinions, so I hope that you accept my advice in the helpful spirit I'm intending. Your wife and friends will see the difference and love the fact that you're making the effort when they see your images on their big HDTVs, with great light, proper exposures and good technical values. You're off to a good start, but the journey is long.</p>

[clark_yerrington]

<p>you'll be amazed how much better the clouds and sun will look with just slight adjustments of brightness-contrast-intensity. worth your time.</p>

[hareshkhanna]

<p>Thank you for all the critiques and comments, especially David. I'll certainly look into learning a photo editor.</p>

[dcstep]

<p>You're welcome Vineet.<br>

I was just in San Diego also, but we didn't go to the beach. Still, you can see how waiting on the light helped my images. Also, almost every one has at least a small tweak of Vibrancy or Lighting, even though I started with pretty vivid images already.<br>

The shots from the airplane of the Grand Canyon literally needed rescue due to flat light from a high sun and shooting through the glass windos of the plane. There were major adjustments there to get anything presentable.<br>

See:<br>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcstep/sets/72157622467517403/">http://www.flickr.com/photos/dcstep/sets/72157622467517403/</a><br>

Dave</p>