Pain in The Groyne

This is a bit of a strange one. I've taken hundreds of photo's of Perch

Rock Lighthouse and thought it was about time I tried an unusual

perspective, so I climbed up onto the 2 Meter high concrete groynes

scraping skin and bone in the process, (Hence the title) I then ajusted

the tripod legs to compensate for the odd shape of the groynes and

finally took the shot. Your thoughts and comments are always

appreciated. Thank You.

I've seen many partitions but attention is on what lies on either side.  Here, the groyn demands equal attention because of the textures that you photographed so beautifully, structure, ..., so all three parts are lovely with nothing else to distract except, perhaps, the reflections on the water or the sea foam on the other side with a near-visceral movement.  I love your perspective.  It's balanced

Alf...  Superb composition with all elements leading us inescapably to the lighthouse.  While these man made edifices are unnaturally symmetrical and in lock step, they very much resemble feeding fish with their mouths to the surface.  Perfect b/w tones...  Your usual varied scenic, presented flawlessly... Mike

Very interesting perspective and angle Alf.  I like the way the lines of the breakwater lead the eye to the lighthouse.  The textures and shapes of the structures are very interesting and your composition brings out the geographic patterns nicely.  I find the tonal range however a bit limited, as a result the photo (at least on my LED screen) appears a bit flat and dark, which is a shame considering the nice patterns of the foreground which would be even more interesting with a bit more contrast (see my illustration below.  As usual not better than yours only different).  I hope you dont mind my constructive comments.  Regards always - michel

Fascinating shot Alf,  I would come down someplace in between the two renditions.

Your humor is perfect.  Nicely done.

First of all I need to thank you for teaching me new word.   I didn't know the word groyne, at least not in this context.  I looked it up, and it says an alternate spelling in the U.S. is 'groin'.  I know that word well, but in a different context.  Anyway, this is quite brilliant compositionally with all of the lines converging back to the lighthouse.  And though I like the contrast between the dark foreground and the lights in the distance, I do like Michel's version because it brings out these very interesting structures and allows their shape and texture to be more prominent. Thanks for risking life and limb :-) to get a picture of this!

I don't understand why so much writing, the composition satisfies the rules of composition, there is a certain dark mood (which is corresponding to the caption) and looks most impressive!

Warm regards Alf!

PDE

Well composed image, I like the mood of it and the BW treatment with emphasis on texture suits it well.

Really cool shot Alf. I've never seen anything like these 'groynes' before, truly fascinating. I love the texture combined with the great perspective leading to the Lighthouse, then the smooth and calm water with the lovely night light reflections. Wonderful editing Alf. *Kind regards, GAil

A very nicely composed beautiful shot, Alf!

Alf, I also really like the perspective of this with the line of the groyne leading us to the lighthouse. But also the curve of the shoreline and the white structures or their reflections guiding us to the main element. The texture of the groyne is great. I think the tonal range works very well. 

i prefer your version. looks more natural. looks great on my monitor.

boy, if liverpool continues to pop 5 per game, i may become a fan....

Nice shot, Alf...beautifully composed...my best

Isn't it funny how different one monitor can look from the next, (in tonal rage alone), on my two screens your image looks fine, but can look so out of whack if not calibrated, a very nice perspective in deed.... and thanks for your advice which I took and reworked my image, thats why I follow your work Alf, I can all ways learn something regards Grant.

To cut a long story short: as with any landscape, foreground detail makes for a good composition -  and this is here the case. That a cloudless blue sky  results in a one tone grey area can be sometimes very  boring but has a very positive impact in combination with the lighthouse and the illuminated skyline in te bg. All in all a very elegant b/w conversion imho. Compliments Alf!

Alf,

  Amazing image with wonderful details & composition.  Take care, Patsy

Excellent, beautiful tones!!

Amazingly composed and sharp fine details. Very well done work, Alf! Warm regards.

Nicely taken Alf and very funny title. 

DONNA

Sincere thanks for your constructive and well considered feedback, much appreciated. There were two main elements that I wanted to get across and you have referred to both of them, 1 was the textures of the groynes and 2 was the perspective, so I am very gratified you noticed both.

Cheers Donna!

Alf 

MIKE

I love the feeding fish analogy, I wish I'd thought of it, I'd have placed a loaf of bread on the top and called it "Feeding the Five Thousand"  : - )

Many thanks for your generous comments and encouraging feedback.

Cheers Mike!

Alf

MICHEL

Sincere thanks for your positive feedback and suggestions, your contributions are always very welcome and much appreciated. I like the contrast increase in your version, but find the sky too light for my taste, it was dusk when I took the shot and I think your lighter sky loses that last light atmosphere to some degree. I think that maybe somewhere in between both versions would be about right, but with the sky relatively dark to allow that light house to remain the contrasting focal point.

Cheers Michel!

Alf

STEVE

Many Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, much appreciated. They are weird looking things, they were originally placed there to re-establish the beach area that had all but been washed away by the river., and it has to be said them engineers knew what they were doing because it's worked.  I agree with your anaolgy, somewhere in between is my opinion also.

Glad you liked the play on words too : - )

Cheers Steve!

Alf

CHRISTAL

Good to hear from you I hope you are keeping well.  Yeah....errm the word "Groyne" the title was a bit of a play on words that took into account the concrete structures and their ability to inflict a nasty graze from thier abrasive barnacle covered textures : - )

I'm pleased you liked the composition because thats one of the things I wanted to do differently, and it seems to have worked. I also like Michels version, but prefer a darker sky. As for risking life and limb....well you know me....I never want to make it look too easy : - ) Sincere thanks for your thoughts and positive feedback, much appreciated.

Cheers Christal!

Alf

PIERRE

You are a man of few words, but ever so elequently written : - )

My sincere thanks for your positive and thougtful feedback.

Warm Regards Pierre!

Alf

TIBI

What can I say, you touched on every aspect of the image that I wanted to convey. My sincere thanks for your positive feedback, much appreciated.

Cheers Tibi

Alf

GAIL

This is the River Mersey with the tide out, when it comes in, the rush of water is really strong and the currents all but washed away every bit of sand some 30 years ago. The concrete "Groynes" were strategically placed in rows at intervals along the shore and they have stopped the erosion and indeed reversed it, and we now have a great sandy beach once more. The title as you may have guessed was a bit of a play on words : - )

I'm really pleased you liked this one Gail. Sincere thanks for your visit and thoughtful contributions.

Cheers Gail!

Alf

RUUD

Many thanks for your visit and positive feedback, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

TONY

Sincere thanks for your interest and for sharing your thoughts, much appreciated!  I wanted to do something different with the lighthouse, I have photographed it so many times, and from just about every angle, it's one of my favorite subjects, so it is very gratifying to learn that you enjoyed the different perspective and composition.

Cheers Tony!

Alf

DROR

It was a clear blue sky on the original, but as dusk approached there appeared some discolouration over my home city across the water, and so I opted for a B & W version. I couldn't decide if I should post this or not....and finally I think I deleted the original and the RAW file, but then came across this version a couple of months later and decided I liked it again lol.

I think we have to settle for 5th spot now, but I can't wait for next season.

Cheers Dror!

Alf

KALLOL

Many thanks for your interest and kind words, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

GRANT

I know exactly what you mean about different monitors, on my last posting  "Gingham" I was horrified to see that a lot of the highlights were burned out, until I realised it was the uncalibrated monitor that I used in work that was at fault. Glad I could be of some help with my comments, and my sincere thanks for your interest and positive feedback.

Cheers Grant!

Alf

EL

Sincere thanks for your positive feedback and attention to detail, much appreciated. You are a most observant viewer, it was indeed a cloudless blue sky and I might hve been tempted to leave it in its original colour format but the City (Liverpool) across the river cast some odd last light  shades into the sky that I didn't like and couldn't realy hide, and after playing with the B & W conversion, I decided I liked it. It's most gratifying to learn that you do too.

Cheers El

Alf

PATSY

Many thanks for your interest and feedback, I'm really pleased you liked it,

Best Regards

Alf

ALBERTO

Thank you so much, I appreciate your kind words.

Best Regards

Alf

ANABELA

Sincere thans for your interest and positive feedback. It was a bit precarious being perched on top of one those things with the my precious camera at risk, but I got the shot..........famous last words eh : - )

Cheers Anabela!

Alf

ANDREA

Many Thanks!  Though I'm not quite sure that everyone got the jist of the  play on words : - )

Best Regards

Alf

fascinating, Alf! i enjoy perceiving it as an abstract, with all those wonderful shades and textures, composed in such a way that my eyes hop around to each bit; and i luv the sort of, well, drabness of the tone (it is industrial afterall and the groynes are rather yucky looking), allowing perky Liverpool lights to dabble along the river; and of course i'm always up for a stand out lighthouse, lighthouses have so many ghosts, so quiet, yet always the center of attention; and El is so right, Alf, the tone of the sky is elegant and nice to look at, oddly enough. well worth your pain for our pleasure... thanks, Alf! ;-} dp

A superbly composed B&W Alf! The things a guy has to do to get a good shot hey! Architects really need to keep photographers in mind when they build things ;-)  Love the shot, great tones, and awesome lines! Hope that groyne heals up soon!

All the best,
Neil

Excellent shot , wonderful composition and light , great details with beautiful B/W tons ....................... Best regards. 

Wonderrful. It is a word that is probably overused but it sums up the way i feel about the image - the depth, the clarity and perfect composition. I like what Michel has done but I also agree that the sky should be darkened in his version. I am happy when folks go the extra mile to show us additional possibilities.  All the very best on a superb image.

I have seen photos of these wavebreakers before but not from this angle.excellent pov and such good light make this image so good,the BW conversion also adds drama to the scene,wonderful enjoyable work Alf,my best regards