Beach&Gulls 003

A seascape from last August; Manchester State Beach, California. I

thank you for your time.

-Dave

The intense blue and white surf are very inviting, it makes you want to just be there. The gulls are another element of the scene that epitomise the beach atmosphere. I like the textures of the upright timbers too, but I can't figure out thier purpose, they don't look like part of an old jetty, but I'm sure they must have been arranged that way for some reason? Great atmosphere Dave!

Best Regards

Alf

Thank you for stopping by.  Upon further reflection, I believe I will drop the hue about 5 - 7%.  It is just too blue, a bit un-natural in my opinion.

The timbers do in-fact have no real purpose.  The beaches of the pacific north-west, which I am going to delineate at this time as anywhere north of San Fransisco, is littered with driftwood, secondary to the great forests nearby.  Visitors to these beaches enjoy spending time creating from these cast-offs from nature.  Occasionally, these forms can become quite elaborate, as one set of visitors builds upon the creation of the prior.  I have seen enormous lean-too type dwelling structures, to tee-pee like constructions standing some 10-12 meters tall.  I believe this creation was nothing more than some form of obelisk, standing some 5 meters tall, that had weathered some in time and wind.  I thought it made a nice visual point upon the beach, and put it to such use.

I was quite fortunate with the gulls, as them formed a nice "Nike" swoosh formation as they passed.  I generally like groups of three, yet the fourth in this group seemed to tug at the heart a little, appearing to be that soul who just wants to be part of the group but is never really invited to come along.

Once more, thank you for your visit, your observations, and kind comments.  If you feel inclined, give me your opinion of the changes I have made in the attached.  Best wishes, and great shooting.

-Dave

Many thanks for your explanation regarding the drfitwood, it would have kept me guessing otherwise!  Upon reflection I think the changes you have made are positive ones, and although I like the original posted image for its almost surreal holiday brochure like qualities, the more realistic version makes the scene that much more tangible and real, so If I had to choose I'd  choose the amended version. I really liked your analogy of the seagulls too, I guess a lot of people could relate to that.

Best Regards

Alf

Hi Dave,

Great shot!  I actually prefer your adjusted photo - more realistic.  I quite like the upright driftwood - but after reading the other critique I also started to wonder about them.  Thanks for your explanation.

Really nice shot.

Mark

Thank you for your thoughts and observations.  Personally, I am beginning to get a feel for how weak this photo is.  I believe I captured too many elements, making the image too busy. 

-Dave