tylerwind

Dave--This is a really nice shot...I like it a lot. In my (very humble) opinion I think it could survive without the foreground. I might try cropping it up to the edge of the reflections in the water or in the very least cropping out some of the foreground vegetation so that the upper part becomes more of a focus. That's only my opinion though--I like the shot how it is. It definitely caught my eye! Great work!

Wonderful shot...love your colors, focus, DOF, and the mist. This is great!

You may notice that this shot is almost identical to a previous one in the same folder. The other shot had no interest in the upper portions of the sky and there was much controversy about sharpness (which is probably my fault for not resharpening or sharpening at all for that matter!). So, I've been waiting for a month and have not been able to get a decent sunset until the other night. I milked this one for all it was worth, spending an hour shooting about 100 frames with every filter, combination of filters, composition, and exposure I could think of. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this shot. I have cropped it a bit on all sides down from the original composition so if you have any thoughts on it I'd love to know. Please let me know what you think of this shot compared to the previous one, assuming you see enough different between them (this is the first time I've ever been successful trying to "replicate" a sunset shot, although I do think this one is better). If sharpness is a problem in this shot then it's definitely resizing and post-processing because the original is sharp as a tack. Thanks for all the help and comments!

Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated. Thanks for viewing

my work!

Thanks again, JK! I have struggled to find foreground elements to include in my sunrise shots at the beach but I do think this driftwood makes a decent one. The sun rises just to the right of this shot so I stopped on my way out to line up the sun and lighthouse and snapped this. This is probably the only time when I can get this shot since the sun is just about as far north as it gets over the right about now. I've been back 4 more mornings to work on some details and try to get some different compositions/clouds/colors but have had 4 consecutive dud sunrises. I hope to get to this spot several more times over the next week or so before I start orthopaedic trauma (VERY busy) and before the sun heads back too far south, making it impossible to line up the driftwood, lighthouse, and sunrise color. Thanks again for the comments and thoughts!

JK--Thanks for the comment and the concerns over the Charleston community. I was actually on my way to take pictures last night at this same location when I was going over the bridge and realized the sun was being completely obscured by a plume of black smoke. I followed it and actually watched them fight the blaze for about an hour. It was odd because there was no sense of panic, no people running around, everything seemed under complete control but I don't think anyone in the huge crowd that assembled knew what the guys fighting the fire knew. I found out today that one of our faculty members in the orthopaedic surgery department is the brother-in-law of Rusty Thomas, who is the Charleston Fire Department Chief. He and his family were pretty rattled by things. They could definitely use your prayers, but I'm certain they are needed even more by the nine families that lost sons/fathers/husbands/etc. If you don't mind, I might email you the original RAW file for this shot, JK. I certainly don't expect you to do anything to it but I respect your opinion greatly and since this image has generated much discussion I'd be interested in hearing a more seasoned opinion of the original file. If the sharpness is there, I think this one would be popular if I ever get my images in some local shops. I have been trying to reshoot this scene but have had no luck...we've had 2 straight weeks of colorless sunsets so all I have to show for my efforts is wet feet from walking in the marsh and more mosquito bites than someone lost for a week in the Amazon!

Mark--Your tones and contrast in this shot are great. I can't seem to get that in my own B&W...not sure if it's lighting, exposure, or post-processing where I'm lacking. Love the composition and the heavy machinery...this is a truly great portrait. Well done...you are rapidly becoming one of my favorite B&W photographers...I've learned much but looking through your portfolio.

Antanas--Thanks for your comment. Now, what in the world does your "ps" say? I've searched everywhere on the internet to try to find a program to translate it but can't. Thanks again for stopping by!

Mark--I'm unsure how you are at the top of landscape photos but don't have a single comment! Anyway...I really like this...a LOT! Your tonal range is spectacular. Furthermore, your composition is perfect...I love how there are lines (divisions) throughout the photograph but at the same time it is not too chopped up by them. Your position of the little shed could not be any better. You hit the nail on the head with this one, buddy! Well done!

Dennis--Thanks for the critique. I'm slammed busy (have a big presentation on carpal instability TUE) right now but should be getting less busy for a few weeks after that. My goal is to really work on learning post-processing...adjustments, dodging and burning, HPF, sharpening, etc. I honestly feel like my greatest lack of knowledge right now has to do with sharpness. I don't really understand "sharpening" an image and have a hard time just looking at them and determining what needs to be sharpened and how much. I imagine that as I learn more and more about it my eye will start to see it and I'll understand it more and more. Thanks for your help--I'm glad you like this shot! I have had this ready to post for the last week and kept not posting it because I thought it would get smashed in the ratings and critiques like some previous shots I've posted that were similar but it's doing well. I've said it a hundred times, my top 5 rated photos on this site all sat on my computer for at least a month before posting them because I didn't know if they were good enough. I probably have 50 top rated photos on DVD that I've never even converted to JPEGs! :)

 

Oh yeah, lastly, this is not Hatteras...this is Morris Island Lighthouse, just off the coast of Charleston, SC. If you click on the folder I put it in you'll see 25 or 30 other pics of this lighthouse...it is definitely one of my favorite Charleston structures and photo hotspots! If you are interested, you can learn about the lighthouse and the efforts to repair/restore/stabilize it at www.savethelight.org

 

Thanks again for everything--I owe you!

Any thoughts or comments are greatly appreciated!

Very nice Dennis! Not only do I not "mind," I am very appreciative of people like yourself using your knowledge about post-processing to show me what my shots can look like. Thanks so much for all your help! If I decide to print this one I might consult you for some help touching up the original, if you don't mind.

Dennis--Yes, I am using a tripod and have a good one ($400 professional model). However, I work pretty fast and know that sometimes I will change my exposure compensation and hit my remote release before I let the camera recover from my touch. Furthermore, I do sometimes hand hold some ND Grad filters, so I could have bumped something doing that. Your thought about the bridge flexing is an interesting one. I'm not sure how much is flexes but it's a thought. I must say though, when I look at the unresized version of this the bridge and cables are much, much sharper. I shrunk this shot down for posting and never changed the sharpness before or after shrinking so what we're seeing could be the shrinking process without resharpening. Thanks for your comments!

Jason--Your macro work is looking great! I really like what you're doing. You're gonna have to teach me a few things. I found us a sunset shooting spot if you're interested (check out my recent image "Sunset Over the Cooper"--wanna shoot that scene with me sometime?). I had to search for the last week to find this location and it is not for the faint of heart, but I think the images justify the scratches, mosquito bites (HUNDREDS of them!), long walk, scary location, and potentially wet feet! I look forward to seeing more images from your new macro line of shots!

David--Another winner. I know you think a blend would have been slightly better but I can't see much room for improvement in this shot (maybe I could if there were a side-by-side comparision). As always, your composition is great and eye for the scene is dead on. The tonal range you captured is great and at the same time very real. By the way, I've been working on the blending technique you recommended...work is still pounding me right now but will be slowing down after this TUE...I'll put more time into it then and let you know how things turn out) Always good to see new work from you! Oh yeah, you said this is your "only good shot" from this location but I don't believe you--I bet your worst shot is better than the best one in 99% of the portfolios on PN! Keep up the great work!

David--I really like this shot a lot...it caught my eye when I went strolling through your shots. The peach color, especially reflected in the water, is absolutely mind boggling! (by the way, you nailed the exposure here perfectly) The tree is also the hot topic for me but I fall on the other side of the fence from the other reviewers. When I first saw the thumbnail, I clicked on it to comment about the tree because I thought the tree is what really sets this image apart. I like how it frames the shot and also fills dead space so the picture is "busy" with several areas of attention but at the same time without being too cluttered. When I enlarge the picture the tree is somewhat less attractive too me simply because of the amount of blur. I'm not sure if it's out of focus or moving too fast for a slow exposure but I think I would like the shot better with the tree at least a tad bit more crisp (probably not as sharp as the Vatican, but a little more distinct) I have used this exact idea numerous times in my own photography (see my "Beaches" folder) using palm trees to "frame" a boat at sunset. I always run into problems because I want to shut my lens down so the tree isn't completely out of focus. Combine the small aperture with the fact that you're shooting low light at sunset and you come up with a l-o-n-g shutter speed. Getting the tree leaves to hold still for that long (especially by the water, where you always get lovely breezes) is very difficult. I find I just have to shoot a lot and sometimes I get lucky. This is a tough shot but I love your idea and think your composition is impeccable. For me personally, a little more distinction in the leaves would be ideal but the shot works well how it is.

Very interesting, Lannie. I know you are really trying to emphasize the sky here but I think it emphasizes itself! For me, even if the foreground was littered with beautiful hay bales I'd still be drawn to the sky first, especially if viewing large! For me at least, having more interest would make me look at the picture longer--I would spend the same time focused on the sky and then after I was done surveying that I'd move on to the foreground. Regardless, I don't think there is anything that can overcome or even degrade the attention and drama that sky creates. Well done, my friend! Keep up the great work--I'll be back often!

A very nice and interesting shot, my friend! If you want to improve this picture, I think you could have done so by moving to your left while you were taking the picture. If you did this you could see more of the really unique tables and that big wood pole on the left side would not be so prominent (I don't think the pole is good for the picture...I think this picture would have been better without the pole and just the tables). This picture is very, very interesting to us who do not live in China (and have never been) so we thank you for sharing it with us!

Rick--this is a spectacular shot! I admit I'm a sucker for tractors, especially old ones, but I'm sure most people would enjoy this shot. The "layers" of color with the flowers, background mountains, and antique tractor (placed nicely off-center horizontal and vertical) really makes a great shot. It's always pleasant and educational to stop by your portfolio! Keep up the good work!

William--I really appreciate your comments. One thing I've tried to do is find some way to set my shots apart from the "dime a dozen" sunsets. A nice touch I've discovered is mixing artificial and natural light around dusk with exposures in the 4-30 second range, as I did with this shot. Thanks for your kind thoughts and support!

Marios--Thanks for your comment on my shot last week. This one really caught my eye when I was strolling through your portfolio. I like your composition here and your subject is very interested. Great reflections and the golden colors really make this shot special. Keep up the good work!

Maurizio--Thanks for your comment on my shot a couple days ago. I really like your composition here and the reflections you have captured in the tide pools are absolutely amazing! I think the only thing that would have benefited this photo is a ND Grad filter. If you could hold the sky back a bit while you get a longer exposure on the foreground I think you would get some foreground detail in the sand as well as the reflections in the water and add some interest to your shot. I have a shot that is very, very similar to this in my "Beaches" folder. I took it with my old Canon Powershot camera and to be honest it was one of the first pictures I took so it's definitely nothing great, although I got lucky to get it to even turn out as well as it did! I enjoyed visiting your portfolio and will be back in the future--I hope you'll do the same for me! Keep up the good work!

Lannie--I really like this in B&W...well captured! It's a shame there weren't a few more hay bales for scenery! I do think having that one bale really makes this picture. Although the sky is the focus, I think that hay bale is instrumental to making this a pleasing photograph. Hope you're doing well!

Dan--I really liked how the ball carrier is sharp here and the missing tackler is blurring creating a strong sense of motion. If I were being really picky I'd say I would like to see the ball carrier a hair more towards the middle of the frame and without his left toes cut off but I realize how tough it is to zoom, focus, and shoot in football games (I've done it many times with my brothers). Overall, this is an outstanding shot!

Dan--I assure you I am no one of consequence! And, your comment did not seem degrading at all! I can shoot some decent landscapes but I have much to learn about photography. Furthermore, I FULLY admit that I know nothing about post-processing as far as sharpening and things of that nature. I have gotten to the point where I can look at my pictures and think "Hmmm...something doesn't look right" but I don't know processing and photographic analysis well enough to determine whether that something is camera shake, sharpness, dirty lens, foggy filter, etc. I enjoyed my trip through your portfolio (especially the baseball!) and will be back! I looked for your picture of the bridge but couldn't find it--if I missed it and it is posted somewhere please let me know. I'd like to see what you captured. Take care buddy!