anchored

I am interested in your comments. Thank you for your time. Dan

Beautiful b&w work , Very good exposure and tones

Excellent composition

Very well handled in the whites and blacks with plenty of detail, Very Nice Work

Alon, Richard, and Lauren, thank you for your kind comments. Dan

This is a terrific shot. I love the way you've somehow convinced the birds to be still while everything around them is in chaos. If it were me I might think about cropping off some of the sky, although it does contribute a sense of isolation. Nevertheless a very strong image.

 

Phil

Philip, thank you for the kind comment. I appreciate the suggestion about the top. I felt it was more dramatic this way, but you could be right. In any case, thanks. Dan

Very good composition and b/w tones!

Great bw, and the square crop works really well. Regards, --George

Fabrizio and George, thank you for your kind comments. Dan

You have achieved a terrific sense of isolation with this one , a small respite for the birds in what appears to be a vast churning sea. I like the way in which the long exposure has generated a lighter arc of water from the waves breaking in the shallows. I enjoy the sense of heightened drama which results from that lighter arc being somewhat mirrored by the linear zoom effect of the clouds behind the island catching light as they move rapidly towards us, leaves the island encircled by lighter tones.

 

For my own taste I like the balance that comes from your square crop but then I've always been partial to a 1:1 ratio. I do not know how much of the darkness in the sky is a result of burning in the sky. If there is more detail available in the clouds further up the frame from where the cloud above the island currently fade to black, a possible suggestion could be to open up the sky in that area a touch more. This would reduce the black zone in the print as well as lending further emphasis to the star burst effect of those clouds rushing out and away.

As always I appreciate your thoughtful and considered comments Gordon. First, thank you for the kind words. Second, there is not much in the sky beyond the distant clouds. It was pretty clear above me. This was a little strange actually for the California coast. Usually there is marine layer along the coast in the mornings, but for the several days I was there, there was only one day of "good" clouds. I may have been alone in this description as everyone else seemed to enjoy the sunny days. Anyway, I admit the black sky is pretty imposing, and it is possible I pushed too far. You know, if it is worth doing, then it is worth overdoing. Anyway, if there were some interest in the sky above, it probably would have completely changed my vision for the image. Thanks again. Dan

Dan;

 

Thanks for the follow up. Now knowing that the remainder of the sky was clear makes my suggestion rather moot :-)

I do like the imposing weight of that heavy sky.

 

I am rarely happy to see a clear blue sky when I am out with my camera. I have noticed that people who are not lugging around camera gear seem please by bright glaring sunny days and often assume that such days are what photographers hope for.

Regards! CL

Thank you Christoph.

awesome shot. I like this darkness.!! Best regards

Thank you Emma.

 

As an aside, so I am sort of amused by the rating on this one. Often on my photos, the rating are all over the place. At the time I write this there are 17 ratings. 15 of them are 6/6s (thank you). The outliers are a 4/6 and a 4/4 (really?). Anyway, I was amused by the remarkable agreement (ignoring the one significant outlier) on the ratings. Thanks all. Dan

 

P.S. It occurs to me that this comment probably makes it clear that I work with statistics for a living. :-)

wonderful...and not allowed to give you ratings on this so i will come back when i will be allowed...(he,he)

Denis, thanks of the kind comment. Dan

Great composition, great contrast.

Thank you Yalçın.

Hi Dan

Why haven't I seen this until now ?

It has an amazing  kind of strong monumental beauty to it - I love it !

Re.: Lars

PS.: Yes - photo.net ratings must be a real challenge to a statistician !

Thank you Lars.

excellent one!

powerful, cheers Jana