Across-the-Deep-Blue

I can only imagine the sensation of being alone on a kayak facing an

endless ocean and sky - the immensity of it all and my small place in

it. Actually in between my sensations of awe I would be scared

turdless.

But, judging from the number of kayakers venturing out into these

waters somewhere between the Atlantic and Pamlico sounds off the coast

of North Carolina, this experience is highly sought. Comments and

critique welcome.

Wayne,

  Wow...beautiful powerful sky with amazing cloud formation's, the kayak looks so tiny against that massive body of water.  Great image!! Take care, Patsy

You were fortunate to have such great clouds, and I think you've composed this very well to convey that sense of vastness that you felt.  The horizon line doesn't look straight to me, and I wonder if that's due to land on the right that I just can't see very distinctly.

Thanks, Stephen.  I struggled with the horizon line.  Whiling imaging and processing it looked to me like it was indented in the middle.  I settled on this "compromise" horizontal.

Wayne, that's what I thought too -- dented in the middle.  I have no idea how that would occur.  I can imagine a fix:  select a portion using the rectangle tool, and then copy whatever is on the other side of the selection to the inside of the selection....that will produce a straight horizon.  The selection would have to be made as close to the probable horizon line as possible, ensuring relatively little will lap over to the other side.

I gave that try,except my original thought had a fatal flaw:  I could work only within the rectangular selection (I should have known that).  However, I could only work on a very small thumbnail.  I applied a rectangular selection to the lower portion, with the top of the selection touching the top of the water on the right, then applied a layer mask (I think), then copied the water into the space formed by the rectangular selection.  This had the effect of removing some of the lower sky.  Another alternative would be to select the sky, with the selection touching the lower part of the horizon somewhere near the middle, and then copy the sky onto the water.  Unfortunately, that would put the kayaker right at the horizon, and that probably wouldn't be good.  Anyway, working on a larger version would allow the adjustments to be made more precisely than I made.

 

Now that I added the edited photo, it's really too small to see much.  But the version I was working on could be expanded beyond 100% on my screen, and I thought it looked pretty good.

Thanks, Stephen.  I need to copy that technique down.  A few years ago visiting Italy I learned to accept things not being vertical or perfectly horizontal.  In fact it became a challenge to find the compromise composition.  I attributed this phenomena of the indented ocean in part to an illusion created by the clouds and took it as a challenge like photographing buildings in Venice.

Wayne, if that is nothing but water along the horizon, then I'm at a loss in trying to explain how that could have occurred.  I've never seen lens distortion present itself like this, especially to this degree.  It's as if a huge swelling of the ocean is happening on the right, and the kayaker is about to experience a thrilling ride.  Anyway, because the bottom of the clouds is relatively uniform, the fix is fairly easy.

I am not an expert, but it looks like lens distortion of the kind I experienced taking ocean views in NZ at the beginning of the year. I measured this image and found the horizon on the right margin is perhaps a millimeter higher than the left. And I think the chance darkness and different texture of the water on the right emphasizes the problem. Wonderful scene. And your comments, Wayne, made me thing of the Polynesian explorers and the experiences they went through.( I teach a course about Oceania, so that is an area of interest for me.) Regards, Adrienne

Thanks, Adrienne.  I first thought lens distortion too, but noticed the distortion was not present on other images taken at that time.  I think one of the reasons I photographed this scene was because I was seeing this distortion with the naked eye and wanted to image it to study it later.  I deliberately raised the right side of the horizon line when processing as my odd way of balancing the composition.  The other primary reason I photographed this scene was I sensed the awe these kayakers and your Polynesians must have felt.

Stephen, you may have hit upon an explanation.  This view may be looking towards the sound side (toward Pamlico Sound) and part of the horizon may be land mass.

Hi Wayne,

An absolute wonderful picturesque scene on display.

Well presented my friend.

Best Regards, Mike

Thanks for the kind comment, Mike.

Nice work!

Tony,

Thanks.  An image on one of my rare getaways.  Love the clouds on the Outer Banks.