landscapes/seascapes 15 Minutes before sunrise

...did I expect to see THIS photo HERE.

 

But now that it is, my thanks to all who have looked and commented. I find it interesting how different everyone views this image and the reactions to it...both favorable and not-so-favorable.

 

Technically speaking, this is a straight forward shot looking down from the top of a cliff with the early warm glow of dawn just beginning to appear in the east (right of camera) with some "fill" from a street light just behind me that gave enough light so I didn't end up falling off the edge! The noise from the DC4800 is there but not too bad since I always used ISO 100 and this is a small file. The saturation may have been boosted about 10-15 on the master channel and that's about it. No filters were used since I didn't have any at the time that would fit this camera. The white balance may have been set to auto...I just don't remember since it's been 1 1/2 years since this was taken. And yes, a tripod was and is ALWAYS used. Other than the "touch" of saturation the only PS was to resize and USM. Oh yea, and add the frame!

 

About the black border, this was from my "large black border" period that may have lasted...uh, too long for some tastes but in defence of this border some have agreed that the stark white of the photo.net background often "bleeds" into the edge of darker photos somewhat veiling the subtil details and this black border eliminates this to a large degree for easier viewing of the image. Just look closely at the border and depending on your type of display you'll see it. I have about 3/8 inch of bleed on my display but with this border it's NOT in the photo.

 

Personally the thing(s) that impresses me most about this image is the reaction to it and the fact that the auto focus actually worked with it being as dark as it was.

This is the same subject with a different camera and different light. The light is not as warm in this recent photo as well as the flowers are blooming. The original photo was taken in mid-winter with the rocks having a "cleaner" look due to the rain and a deep pink glow in the east.

 

The DC4800 always has a warmer look to it compared to the Fuji S2 which tends to be cooler.

 

Also the later shot shows a lower tide revealing the rocks below where the waves were in the previous photo.

At first I thought the shot was some sort of artificial Bryce computer-modeled landscape with the type of electrical arc sky you see in fantasy computer video games. It's quite a pleasure to get the rest of the story and see how radically my perceptions of the image change. For once, I agree with the POW choice. Thanks for the mind-warp.

After living in San Diego for 3 years and knowing Bob's turf I knew immediately what it was. So much for those who question the reality content of the picture. I've never been to this place at dawn, but nevertheless it looks like Bob touched the saturation slider (as he put it) and one might discuss whether touch or grab would be the more appropriate term.

 

Anyway, by clever composition, perspective and long exposure time Bob managed to separate the image from the actual content and make it into something one can enjoy just for its shapes and color.

This photo has earned the highest rating I've given here so far. It's a terrific blend of composition, technical accumen and artistic license. I love the colors and ... well...loved the photo until I read Bob's comment on what it actually was! Sometimes, Bob, "less is more" ya' know? What a fine job!

 

Frank

yes - look twice. at least.

first of all, congrats on POW, such a great capture. what i am intrigued about is how come no noise at all with the DC4800? even though you have it set at asa100? is there a technique of taking a picture to reduce noise? if so please let me know:))

At ISO 100 there is very little noise on the DC4800 if you don't under-expose too much. Also you can run the files through NeatImage which helps quite a bit. This photo has never seen NeatImage and is right from the camera as stated above. I didn't discover NeatImage until later the next year.

 

For those interested I will try to locate the original file for comparison. I just don't remember how much saturation boost I gave it but it couldn't be much since the noise level would be unacceptable with anything over 20 which isn't much.

Please don't consider my previous question to be giving you a hard time over a cool image. It's just I struggle constantly with the DC4800's graininess, which I find to be a sick irony in the fact that everything else it does is above par for a digital camera.

 

 

I use NeatImage at times, but I find that for many of my images, there's a sense of blotchyness in the noise correction. Do you know of a calibrated profile available for the DC4800 in NeatImage? I see them for other Kodak digicams...

 

 

:-P thanks

i like the colors and the light... good composition too...

but i doubt that the trick of perspective was intentional, since it's hard to imagine you're looking up, if you're really there and you don't.

this doesn't take from the picture, of course, and what would photography be without luck (snapshots, the famous being there and such) i was just surprised that this seems a major point of the elves' choice...

however, it does make you look twice, birdsh*t or not = )

and i think in this case, the grain (i normally hate like hell) even adds to the painting-style of the image, but some of it seems .jpg artefacts to me...

someone mentioned bryce, true, it has a slightly unreal atmosphere, but i like it...

ah yes, and congrats and whatnot = P

 

Who would have guessed bird terd could make for such an eye-popping photo. Thanks for the intrigue.

Initially my feeling was "this is a pile of poop." And guess what it is! But in a great way. Digital photography amazes me. I always assume photos shot in this format are completely re-worked in PS, and it bothers me when they are - though I don't know why. Dark Room work uses it's own manipulations and I have no problems with that. Probably stems from a fear of the unknown Digi-Dark Room software and being such an amateur.

 

The ocean is what gets me, it's haunting and I'm drawn to it more than the rocks/cliff. It took me a bit to understand the perspective, but that's good.

Hey Bob!! This is a fantastic long exposure, I knew what I was looking at right away but the water looks so much like a stormy sky.

Very nice work!

A strong ironic construction to those heroic landscape photo, congratulation!

Had to look down through the responses to work out what it was.

Could indeed be a cracking shot but at this size and compression it's impossible to say.

I just read my comment early up on the POW thread - wouldn't you know it, I mistook the sea for sky ANOTHER time! I don't know how many times I will view this picture in the future, but I'd put money on it I will mistake the sea for sky every damn time ;)

Well, Bob, congrats... I think it's a great shot and indeed one of your best ones. 2 other images I liked a lot from your folder:

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1202814

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=1108547

But I think the Elves got it right, simply because this POW is as nice as these 2, but perhaps more interesting to discuss because it is indeed very original. The only very minor regret I had about this image when I first saw it ages ago was that it wasn't framed in a perfect square with just a tad more foreground. Yet, I'm not sure what was there, and therefore, I can't really complain about what I see - which really looks great. I love the colors and this strange and fascinating angle. To me, this has always been the sea, not the sky, by the way. Finally, after reading your comment, I would regret that this image was a small file - talking here about the original capture. I see very interesting textures here, and certainly, it would make a great print. Conclusion perhaps useful to digital camera users... Try to record large files, since you never know: one of your shots may some day end on the frontpage of photo.net and then require a publication of 1 billion copies...:-) Congrats, Bob. Cheers.

I had to look more than twice at this image, after reading many of the comments I understand it more now. I think it's like a modern art painting they mean different things to different people, this is to me very beautiful, the contrast is amazing, the colour of the sea is wonderful and I like the diagonal run of the cliffs with the water, in all it is simply excellent.

I did take this at the largest file size the camera has. The "small file" I was refering to is the file I uploaded to photo.net. I've been able to print up to 11x14 from the DC4800 but some (including me) might question whether that is a good idea. 8x10 is probably a more realistic limit depending on subject and personal taste. I've always shot at the highest setting except for family stuff.

 

The Square idea might work but the foreground was framed this way due to some plants just out of the frame that changed the whole look of the shot. See the link below to see the same rocks from a wider angle with more light.You should be able to see water instead of sky Geraldine. ;-)

 

 

 

bob

Thanks Bob, that's interesting. Not just because you can recognise the sea and the fact you are looking down, but also the difference in light. Considering what the scene looks like normally, only serves to confirm how exceptional this POW capture is.

Just a thought on the comparison of those two shots Bob, is it the same light at the same time, only with different exposures?

This was shot at the "same" time but several minutes later in which the light had gotten brighter by the minute. The light changes quickly at dawn as you might know. Also, in the wider view you can see the sky reflecting in the water with the right side pink and the left side bluer. Soon after this was taken the whole sky turned pink and the water took on a pink hue for a few minutes that slowly faded to the normal gray/blue of early morning.

 

The original photos shows the water dark since the sky was just starting to turn reddish-orange at the horizon. It was still quite dark then.

 

If you're ever in the area you just have to hit La Jolla before dawn and stick around a couple of hours as the light changes. Oh yea, bring the camera!

I'm sorry I've shown up so late to this thread. I do want to congratulate Bob on a very nice image. Talk about finding beauty in the strangest things? Poop! :-) And I mean that sincerely! It takes a good eye, and a good imagination to produce this shot.

 

The perspective is very interesting here. I wasn't sure what I was seeing at first. Sky? Water? Which is it? Whatever it was I knew it was a great compositional element, and added tremendously to the image from a color standpoint. Also the lighting at this specific moment is wonderful.

 

A very original approach to the subject indeed! Well done.

sorry for what 'm saying, but i completely diasagree with most opinions here - it doesnt matter if its birdshit or whatsoever - the thing is it dont look as photography - and so it is not. i think a picture must resemble to some aspect of real world more than to a spray-paint artwork of some dragon tale.

Image witha very good atmosphere.