Baker Beach waves

At first glance the water looks like a sky - then you really look and realize that its water!

This is really REALLY great!! The thin ray of light in the foreground makes it perfect.

I am in awe of this image! And, for once at a loss for words. This is great.

This image is exquisite. You did an outstanding job. Your whole portfolio is beautiful.

The water doesn't look real - it looks like a painting. Great effect.

Beautiful photo. On the other hand recently I hit the web page of Lee Rentz (http://www.leerentz.com/). If you look under 'water colors' you find beautiful photos like this one. MAybe those are better, if not digitally manipulated. The ratings of originality of photos on photo.net is in my opinion too high. What is the major difference between this photo and photos of Lee Rentz? Except that this one is a beach wave and those are river waves. I would rate the originality of this one 3-4, but it is a beautiful photo so the esthetics rating could go to 6-7.

Very subtle colors, nice composition.

Overall, I can say that the pictures I see in your portfolio are not at all pictures I would take, but a variety of visions is exactly what this site is all about, and I must say, it is all well done... Now this image is my personal favorite: the composition and this amazing orange line is what strikes me most... A really great shot...

The point of view is what separates this one. It has great tonal quality, excellent range of color, and a very surrealistic effect is accomplished.

 

Nice work.

Wow! I've been to Baker Beach 20 times and never come away with an image that even touches this. The sunset must have been fabulous that day. Great eye!

What this image has going for it is color. Nice tones are always pleasing to look at. However as far as seascapes go, this one falls short in my opinion...far short.

 

The composition simply does not carry enough of the orange toned shoreline to make this successful for me. What is so great about the little that we do see? In addition, sharpness is clearly lacking both with the shoreline, and even more importantly, the lone rock. You simply MUST have sharpness and a good measure of detail on the stationery object anytime you use a slower shutter...whether sunsets, waterfalls or anything else. Where is the detail here? While I always enjoy most seascape images on this site, I cannot quite give this one the thumbs up! In fact by looking at the ratings, not many others have either.

Still objects must be sharp. This doesn't work for me.

Let me begin by saying that the colours are FANTASTIC in this photograph. The orange band along the bottom is great, and the colours on the water, and the little hint of colour on the top left of the rock are just great.

 

But my eye sort of gets lost in the composition, wandering off to the right, wondering what else there is. I guess that could be a strength, with the photograph engaging you to wonder more about it, but I don't think it quite works in this case.

 

I think that perhaps the lack of sharpness is causal (nothing for the eye to really latch on to) ... though I disagree that stationary objects simply MUST be sharp - there are instances in which that can work. This just isn't that instance.

It's nice, but I agree that if the still objects (rock, sand) were sharp it would have better impact and not look like a fortuitious result of camera shake.

Great balance and flow. Light, tones, calrity etc.

It really looks like a painting.

The strength of the image lies in its' colors, but also in its' simple, clean composition that presents these elements as a harmonious abstract. I find this sort of intimate portrait much more appealing than the typical broader view which puts you in the scene.

Very simple but still attractive. Nice colors, smooth looking but I'd like to see a better presentation. With frames and so on...

Strict, clear composition. Superb use of lighting, to harmonize light and shadow. No need to see each grain of sand as in Vinces Hawaiin shots...The overall effect is the main point here, not the size shape and color of each piece of lichen on the rock...Wonderful natural film color. Only one point, though, if I may...I feel the sea looks too much like a cotton wool blanket and not water.. There is nothing wrong with making water look like water..The exposure time here should have been bracketed, and just under one second would have made the water look like real, and still given it some gentle movement...

In my opinion, what makes this photo so wonderful is that it's *not* a picture of a beach scene, but a picture of a Turner-esque "sky" with a misty mountain in the distance. I enjoyed my first-glance confusion followed by trying to figure out what it actually is. Critical sharpness isn't necessary, going wide to see the beach misses the point completely, and making the water "look like water" would spoil the effect.

 

In other words, Bill needs to be congratulated for spotting such an unusual viewpoint for a beach shot and making it so beautiful.

This is one of those abstract color things that actually recognizes very conventional

compostional devices. Nice work. Most photographers either go for the very rational OR

the very abstract.

This is an exquisite creation that defies simple categorization. Is it a photo? Is it a painting? Clearly it began as a photo, but the degree of manipulation makes it almost unrecognizable as a photo. I personally have no problem with that, but it seems that some of the criticisms are from the perspective of those who are critiquing it from a traditional photographic perspective. Surely it needs to be accepted or rejected on its own terms, and therefore needs to be analyzed and critiqued on those same terms.

... but this image doesn't do it for me. I think the composition is just a bit weak. The subject (rock?) is too close to the border and doesn't let my eye examine the rest of the shot before it leaves the frame.

 

I also think it is too minimalistic in it's approach. Yeah, it's a nice scene, but it's a rock on a shore with a wave. Not much detail, not much texture. It leaves me looking and wanting for more. In the same folder is this shot which I find a lot more interesting and I think could spark some great conversation... Baker Beach Sunset

 

Bill, you have some great images in your gallery. Excellent work. This one just doesn't grab me. Hope that's OK.

I sense here an abstract trying to get out, but one that didn't quite make it. There was an interesting discussion on one of Carl Root's photos about whether being "recognizable" was a bad thing in an abstract. I think this photograph makes the argument against recognizability because I, at least, find myself unable to truly focus on the abstract compositional and color elements because I keep looking at it as a beach shot. I think this is a nice shot and an interesting shot, but a shot that didn't quite make it to the next level.

 

As an abstract, it's composition is not quite strong enough for me. I'm not quite certain of the function of the rock, in particular, and the orange line, the most interesting element of the photograph, virtually forms a border to the photograph.

This is great shot, It departs from ordinary and captures energy of the place and the moment. Just a beautifull shot. And there is no more to say to it,..