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Author Topic: Safe Haven  (Read 2608 times)

KMRennie

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Safe Haven
« on: July 05, 2017, 11:43:13 am »

Taken on a wild and windy January day in the late afternoon on Scotland's North Coast. I used to push the white and black points to the extremes but recently have stopped doing this It gives you lower contrast but in my opinion improves mood. I am unsure about the amount of foreground water to show so any comments welcome on composition, black and white points or anything else. Ken
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #1 on: July 05, 2017, 12:50:50 pm »

It is quite lovely just as it is. I would not change a thing.
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John Cothron

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2017, 12:52:53 pm »

It's a beautiful image.  Like you I have been "reducing" the white and black points a little more lately although that is still a work in progress.  I do like the mood in this image very much. 

As far as the foreground water, I can see where you might want to crop it a little more, but on the other hand if you do it will get that dark to light transition in the water closer to the bottom of the frame, and my personal feeling is it needs a little space much like you have it now.  I guess if I were going to crop it a little more it wouldn't be by much.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #3 on: July 05, 2017, 02:26:24 pm »

Very tranquil. I'd decrease the saturation of the orange lifebelt and post slap in the middle, though. They're bright and draw the eye, and they're obviously not intended to be the focal point of the shot. I might even clone them out, but nobody could call me a purist.

Jeremy
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Cornfield

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #4 on: July 05, 2017, 03:38:53 pm »

Very nice image.
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James Clark

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #5 on: July 05, 2017, 05:43:03 pm »

I too agree with your choice to soften the extremes of the image.  It's beautiful.
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KMRennie

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #6 on: July 05, 2017, 07:59:20 pm »

Thanks for the comments. I also am no purist but haven't cloned the lifebelt out yet Jeremy but desaturated and darkened it down a bit. I also noticed that the buildings on the left hand side were leaning a bit so have straightened them. Desaturated the lot and removed/ reduced the big stopper colour cast, changed the crop to add some foreground water and a little more of the RHS to try and add the feeling of being on the edge of the world, the only thing North of here is the Arctic ice cap. Ken
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farbschlurf

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2017, 03:08:17 am »

Very nice. I like the matching colors of sky and what is below on the left and the right side of the photo.
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Paulo Bizarro

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2017, 03:56:27 am »

Very good photo. I like the extra small touch of colour given by the life belt. The main building seems a bit distorted though.

Bob_B

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #9 on: July 06, 2017, 08:33:01 am »

Very good photo. I like the extra small touch of colour given by the life belt. The main building seems a bit distorted though.

I like the second version a lot. I hadn't noticed it, but Paulo brings up an interesting point about the building. Could be corrected without a lot of hassle, I think.
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KMRennie

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2017, 08:56:49 am »

The image was taken with the Nikon 16-35 @16mm with the lens pointing to include the rocks at my feet hence the edge distortion. I seldom take buildings and am only now noticing that corners and edges show this stretching. I will start to produce panoramas when I have edge straight lines in future. The building is not symmetrical but I have corrected it, whilst doing it I noticed that I have a version where the red car has gone, the small yacht is not moving as much and will combine them. Also the horizon is not straight so I will correct everything and repost. However the weather is excellent and I am about to go out cycling to try and keep the old man paunch in check. Ken
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JKoerner007

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2017, 10:07:23 am »

It is quite lovely just as it is. I would not change a thing.

I agree, Eric.

I prefer the first vision; the second looks pale to me.

PeterAit

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2017, 04:10:55 pm »

Taken on a wild and windy January day in the late afternoon on Scotland's North Coast. I used to push the white and black points to the extremes but recently have stopped doing this It gives you lower contrast but in my opinion improves mood. I am unsure about the amount of foreground water to show so any comments welcome on composition, black and white points or anything else. Ken

In many ways this is a a wonderful photo - I love your rendering of the stones and sky, they look real! But I cannot help but comment on the water - why the soft approach? Water never, ever looks like this. And, to be honest, I associate this look with calendar and postcard photography. Is that what you wanted?
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KMRennie

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2017, 05:20:39 pm »

Thanks for the reply Peter. I stood in this position for quite a long time trying different exposure times and looking at their effects. Unfortunately I did not get the water effect that I was looking for before I had to shelter from yet another squall. This shot has a shutter speed of 104s and, as you have said, gives a water effect that is unreal. I have chosen the image with the softest water because it allows the breakwater and buildings to stand out with the eye washing over foreground as a kind of coloured "negative space". The waves in the space in front of the breakwater were just a maelstrom with no pattern or at least none that I could render. The water in the image posted looks exactly the way I wanted it to although I would have loved a series of breaking waves to have been sweeping in and would have used a far shorter exposure time to just soften the waves but that was not an option and moving out to the right beyond the shelter of the rocks where the waves were sweeping in would have been foolhardy as the wind was gusting to 80mph and the waves mountainous. Only producing photographs that look real would severely limit my output and probably that of many other photographers.
I did not intend to produce a postcard image but if it strikes you as one so be it. Ken
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KMRennie

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #14 on: July 09, 2017, 07:04:26 pm »

Here is the new one with a few things changed, mostly the bouncing yacht, the stretched corners and the colour cast. It probably will not please those who dislike water rendered like this but it is how I like it as it produces a calm image curiously at odds with the weather when it was taken.  Ken
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francois

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #15 on: July 10, 2017, 05:40:22 am »

This last version is a beauty and I wouldn't touch a thing.
Bravo!
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Francois

Vieri Bottazzini

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Re: Safe Haven
« Reply #16 on: July 16, 2017, 02:26:51 am »

Very nice work! :) hanks for sharing, best regards

Vieri
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