7 Hours and Choices

seastack

Well, the sun (finally!!!) came out. There's less than 7 hours and choices to make ... and it's (probably) a no-brainer that a landscape should be the pic(k) here but had to throw in a couple of funnies and a really weird (not photoshopped by the way) ...

Photos numbered below image.

Any C & C much appreciated )

tom



#1




#2




#3




#4 (Say Cheese!)




#5 (Getting old ain't for sissies)




#6 (Title?)

leaforte

#1 (Untitled)

I was unable to see #6.

Awais Yaqub

leaforte wrote:

I was unable to see #6.

me too

Elaine

#2 (Untitled)

me three

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

leaforte wrote:

I was unable to see #6.

Thanks, think I got it fixed )

annnna8888

#1 (Untitled)

A wonderful landscape series, Tom. I envy you that coastline. We don't get anything like that in my neck of the woods. #1 does it for me. The reds seem a bit too intense in #2 for my liking, but really, the whole series rocks!

Best of luck!

Ana

dadwtwins

#1 (Untitled)

#1 is very well done. Even though #5 is very clever, i still enjoyed #1 more

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

annnna8888 wrote:

A wonderful landscape series, Tom. I envy you that coastline. We don't get anything like that in my neck of the woods. #1 does it for me. The reds seem a bit too intense in #2 for my liking, but really, the whole series rocks!

Best of luck!

Ana

Thanks Ana )

I agree on #2, although it has more action to it than #1 ... surprisingly after I did my curves, et al, I actually decreased the saturation on this image ... still not right. This is a bit south of where I live, a place called Ecola State Park on the coast of Oregon ... one of my favorites. Beautiful sunset last night.

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

annnna8888 wrote:

Best of luck!

Ana

Ahhh! Just saw your entry ... very, very nice! Have to get to that part of the world someday.

Best of luck to you, too!

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

dadwtwins wrote:

#1 is very well done. Even though #5 is very clever, i still enjoyed #1 more

Thank you, appreciate the input ))

annnna8888

#1 (Untitled)

seastack wrote:

Thanks Ana )

I agree on #2, although it has more action to it than #1 ... surprisingly after I did my curves, et al, I actually decreased the saturation on this image ... still not right. This is a bit south of where I live, a place called Ecola State Park on the coast of Oregon ... one of my favorites. Beautiful sunset last night.

Yes, I've had to decrease the saturation a few times myself. Some sunsets are naturally oversaturated.

.... Have to get to that part of the world someday.

You've been saying that for a while now!

Ana

Tessa HD

#2 (Untitled)

I voted for #2 because I love the rocks in the foreground and the sun in the background. How adorable is your dog!

LiquidAir

#2 (Untitled)

seastack wrote:

Well, the sun (finally!!!) came out.

That's the weather we had down here during the semifinal--nearly 14 straight days of rain (there's a reason I was in the garage throwing martinis...)

Of the landscapes, my favorite is #2 with some color adjustments to tone down the red a tad (maybe push it toward orange with Hue/Saturation layer?). The perspective of #1 feels a bit like I am looking down on the scene rather than in it (is that the wide end of the 16-35?). I love the foreground in #3, but the sky is a bit flat.

As for #4 and #5, you have a gorgeous dog. Of these two, I like the story of #5, but I prefer #4 as an image.

I like #6 a lot but I don't know how universal it's appeal will be.

Overall I'd say keep working with #2; its got a lot of potential. I think it is worth desatuating it quite a bit to emphasize the textures (you might even try B&W).

PaulThomasMcKee

#1 (Untitled)

Absolutely gorgeous photos Tom! I voted for #1. The two of your dog are hilarious!

-paul

Swartzy

#2 (Untitled)

Tom
Went with #2. They are all nice but the sun adds to the scene. Your dog rocks!

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

Yeah, my dog's pretty cool ... and of course, smart too ... also more patient than most people I know sitting for photos )

I was testing out my field setup in our woods with canon speedlites and umbrellas. I was surprised how well ETTL worked with multiple flashes and ratios, amazing really.

Thanks for all the support ) I'm still working on these ...

tom

Nikolai

#6 (Untitled)

#1 (your signature shot) or #6 (suggested title: joyride) for me

eoren1

#3 (Untitled)

Tom-
Nothing like last minute comments...
First of all, the landscapes are really well done. I agree with the others that 2 remains too red and saturated.

I feel like my eye bounces around in 1 without settling in any one spot. I go from the foreground stones to the background rocks to the sky and back.

#2 is a very calming image and the sun is well placed. Again, just a bit too red - though it isn't, it feels overly saturated/processed.

I voted for #3. It feels complex to me. The texture to the water is brilliant. The sky is lacking a bit compared to 2 but I really like this one.

The dog ones are well done but don't match up to 1-3. The last is a bit too abstract for my taste.
Hope that helps.
Good luck,
E

pyroPrints.com

#2 (Untitled)

#2 is amazing, but I'd punch up the contrast a bit, and lower the brightness ever so slightly

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

Nikolai wrote:

#1 (your signature shot) or #6 (suggested title: joyride) for me

Thanks Nik ... hadn't thought about that, it is kind of an otherworldly landscape like I used to do more often ... signature shot, I like that, thank you very much ) It's the one I entered (as if you didn't know) ...

The last one is kind of funny. It's the inside of a tunnel (you probably guessed) but on a 6 second exposure. Took it on the way home last night on Hwy 101 along Columbia River. Yeah, I was driving but there were no other cars ;-) Surprised how interesting this turned out, contemplating how and why technique-wise for future reference. File away.

Hmmm, how about Embryonic Journey for the title (was that a Moody Blues or Jefferson Airplane album?)

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

pyroPrints.com wrote:

#2 is amazing, but I'd punch up the contrast a bit, and lower the brightness ever so slightly

Thank you Pyro ) Well, I took it last night and just couldn't get it where I wanted today ... weird oversaturated color casts ... after I stopped looking at it and went back, just didn't like it as much ... with more time though it will make a great print.

I did use a 3-stop grad ND but even then still had to blend versions from RAW convert because the dynamic range is so large. Too much PS work. The image I entered (#2) was more straightforward ... and as Nik said kind of fitted my previous landscape work.

thanks again ...

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

Thanks E, I really appreciate your input. Good comments! Gave me much to ponder (and I'd been thinking along some of the same lines).

eoren1 wrote:

Tom-
Nothing like last minute comments...
First of all, the landscapes are really well done. I agree with the others that 2 remains too red and saturated.

I feel like my eye bounces around in 1 without settling in any one spot. I go from the foreground stones to the background rocks to the sky and back.

#2 is a very calming image and the sun is well placed. Again, just a bit too red - though it isn't, it feels overly saturated/processed.

I voted for #3. It feels complex to me. The texture to the water is brilliant. The sky is lacking a bit compared to 2 but I really like this one.

The dog ones are well done but don't match up to 1-3. The last is a bit too abstract for my taste.
Hope that helps.
Good luck,
E

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

PaulThomasMcKee wrote:

Absolutely gorgeous photos Tom! I voted for #1. The two of your dog are hilarious!

-paul

Thanks Paul! You know, I probably got a whole calendar out of that photo shoot with my dog. Hmmmm, where are the sunglasses!

seastack

#1 (Untitled)

LiquidAir wrote:

The perspective of #1 feels a bit like I am looking down on the scene rather than in it (is that the wide end of the 16-35?).

Thanks for all the comments ) Right, that's the 16-35 at 16mm and 20 seconds, grad ND (3 stop) and polarizer ... I was on the top of one of the larger rocks 'cause that flow through there was going from 0 to 3 feet in seconds ... just the sound is intimidating ... incoming tides and sneaker waves make me very nervous, I was fine and in no real danger but nervous is good.

So, you're right, you are looking down on the scene a little bit ... imagine you're in a fish bowl hanging suspended above the scene by balloons on a field trip ;-)

... sorry, couldn't resist but i know you have a good sense of humor )

Seriously, great entry and good luck!

LiquidAir

#2 (Untitled)

seastack wrote:

Thanks for all the comments ) Right, that's the 16-35 at 16mm and 20 seconds, grad ND (3 stop) and polarizer ... I was on the top of one of the larger rocks 'cause that flow through there was going from 0 to 3 feet in seconds ... just the sound is intimidating ... incoming tides and sneaker waves make me very nervous, I was fine and in no real danger but nervous is good.

I'll get my ankles wet for a shot, but a three foot rip tide? Zoiks. Now that you describe it, I can see the camera position much better. Wide angle lenses really mess with my sense of scale. The rocks in your shot are clearly quite a bit larger than I was thinking they were. Having just used a 17mm to juxtapose an 8" fishbowl against a 300' bridge I forget that not everyone places their foreground subject 18" from the lens.

seastack wrote:

So, you're right, you are looking down on the scene a little bit ... imagine you're in a fish bowl hanging suspended above the scene by balloons on a field trip ;-)

Actually, now that I have assembled a semi-mobile fish bowl shooting rig I've been contemplating doing a fish bowl tour of San Francisco. Carting them up the coast to Oregon seems like a natural extension of a west coast tour.

seastack wrote:

Seriously, great entry and good luck!

Thanks! I like almost everyting you do and your entry is no exception. Good luck to you as well.