Aesthetic and Technical approach:
My goal with this image was to put a focus on the central area where we can see the mountain peaks, highlighting the dynamic movement of the water and using a short exposure of 1.5 seconds to freeze it, which in addition to reinforcing the visual guide lines allows to convey more movement and intensity in a landscape that intends to be dramatic and intense in order to express what I felt in the place.
In terms of compositional techniques, I used the notion of geometric figures with the triangle formed by the central zone to the foreground as well as the orientation of guide lines.
I used a quite different framing from the usual on this beach and started on the opposite side to what is photographed by everyone, since I consider this to be one of those privileged places where we can fully explore our creativity and a multitude of compositions without running the risk of repeating what has already been done by everyone else .
Technical Info and Gear:
Sony A7R2 + Sony FE 16-35mm F/4
Nisi V6 Holder + Nisi Medium Grad 4 Stops - GND8 (0.9) 100x150mm
Leofoto 324-C Tripod
ISO: 50 | Aperture : F11 | Exposure : 1.3secs |
Really dig the final result and your decision on shutter speed for the water.
Hi RIcardo and thanks for posting your good picture. I really like the way you make clear your thoughts, and I like the way you executed them in the image. I think the result is a good photo. If I am to critiqe something I think the most important is that I think you choose an angle too wide. This is very common and you are not to blame, but as pieces of art I really don´t understand all of these super wide angle landscape shots. I think that there is too much of the running water in the foreground. It looks cool but it is just too much of it. I think of it like an intro in a musical piece which is too long. The wide angle used to capture this seems to reduce the impact of the cliff in the horizon which I read as the main motif in the image.To illustrate my point I took the liberty of cropping your image. I think this kind of crop makes the telling of the story more effective.
Hello Kjetil !
Thanks for your feedback .
I totally agree with the issue regarding the over usage of wide angle lens, sometimes it just doesn't make sense .
In this particular case, although I tried to place my focus in the center area where you can see the mountain peak, I felt that framing the rocks on the sides was essential and I really wanted to emphasize these unusual formations .
I also needed to use a wide lens in order to make the foreground more compelling and to make the rocks on the first plan stand out and reinforce the visual guidelines .
I understand your point of view and in fact your crop makes the mountain peak stand out more, but I feel that the image loses a lot globally by removing the foreground .
Also notice that it is impossible to frame the right rock formation totally this way. In fact, it would be impossible to frame both at the same time unless this image had the proportions of a panorama .
All in all, I feel that if anything I could have done a focal blend and shoot the mountain peaks at a slightly larger focal range (maybe around 35mm) . I think this would provide the best result .
Having said that, I'm not particularly a fan of focal blends / time blends, etc, and I always try to compose my images in a single exposure whenever possible .
But yea, probably a larger focal range for the mountains would not have changed reality much here, as the mountains definitely look smaller than in reality .
Thanks for the insights again :)
HI Ricardo! Nice job. I like the image, and like Kjetil find hearing your rationale fairly fully explained very interesting - I'm always curious about the mystery of the creative process.
I strongly agree with Kjetil's general point about the widespread use of fairly extreme wide-angle lenses in landscape images. My own least used focal length in the 20-400mm range in my backpack is the 20mm, and I have no desire for a wider one, on balance. I don't feel strongly that you've used an over-wide lens here, though, in terms of producing an enjoyable image.
However.since you wanted to "put a focus on the central area where we can see the mountain peaks", they do look insignificant. Can't always have everything! I think I'd have done a wide view like this in your place, and done separate, maybe 100mm+ images for those peaks.
My main CC is rather banal: it's all just too dark, and hard to make out. The darkness is a bit murky rather than moody. So I've taken another liberty, to show something like what I might have done in post. I do like your restraint in saturation.
Also your sea horizon is slightly tilted - for some reason it looks worse than it is. I've made it look right to me.
You may disagree with both - it's your image, and your vision! Thanks for the stimulating post. Hope to see more from you.
Hi Chris !
Thanks for your feedback .
As explained in my previous reply, I find the usage of a wide angle was mandatory in this case . I believe the best result for this image would have been achieved with a focal blend .
Regarding your edit, I have to be honest , I really do not appreciate the final result and I feel like the image screams HDR this way .
The point of this image is to have a somewhat dark atmosphere of transition between night and dawn, which I think the original image is able to achieve .
I also think the water has enough pop (I actually considered to tone it down a bit further) and overall it's pretty wel balanced edit.
Your edit has way too much detail and totally loses the atmosphere generated by the shadows .
One very important thing you learn after some time editing is that less is more, and the way our brain works and decodes all this information starts making sense after a while. Eventually you understand that too much detail is not good for multiple reasons :
It's distracting
It looks unatural
It draws your eye to the wrong places .
It's better to apply detail selectively to the right parts where you want to put focus :)
I have to ask, are you using a properly calibrated monitor ?
It looks pretty fine (and just spot on in terms of brightness) in my Benq Calibrated screen and I got some rather positive feedback from other photographers regarding this edit ;)
I use a calibrated BenQ monitor too, Ricardo!
I accept your reservations - as I say it's your image, and comes down to a matter of individual taste. When I've posted in Discussions like this myself for CC, I've never agreed with any of it yet!
But the contest of ideas is interesting, and good on you for explaining your approach.