Skookum.. what?

SKOOKUMCHUK: it's an Native name meaning 'rapid torrent'

Hi All,

This was taken in 2000. I was not too happy with this shot, but a bit of PS magic brought life into it. I mostly manipulated the curves to bring out the clouds and the inner light from the first layer of the water. I've darkened the FG as it was not very attractive.

FYI the reddish cast on the border of the water are sea fishes! The water movement is created by a strong tide: at this location, the sea is squeezed between the main continent and an island, which results in a very strong tidal current.

F70 + 24mm + bad tripod + umbrella(!) - on Provia 100 + pola (for longer exposure)

Let me know if this works for you, and if you have any good idea on how to make this better...

Thanks,

Cheers,

Steph.

PS: BW did not work!

This is fantastic. I think you have done a great job on this. I don't know what it looked like before, and how much you had to do to get it this way. . .but it makes no difference. The end result is beautiful. I would not change a thing, and wouldn't think about b&w here. the texture and swirls of the water, the frame up and composition is great. Dramatic clouds and sky to cover the scene with drama and intensity. I really like this one alot. Make a large print and frame it up. While your at it, sell some as well.

Gday Steph_B!,

WOW, this awe smacking. Very very interesting picture.

I just wanted to make a comment though, this isn't necessarily a bad thing (I like it), but the water in the foreground seems a little flat. Maybe over computerized.......? On the good hand I think this creates an curiosity and mystery.

Hope Im not stepping on toes, best wishes JJ.

This pic has a surreal feeling to it. I like the end result and personally I wouldn't change a thing. I'm no expert but I really like what I see.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steph_B

SKOOKUMCHUK: it's an Native name meaning 'rapid torrent'

Hi All,

This was taken in 2000. I was not too happy with this shot, but a bit of PS magic brought life into it. I mostly manipulated the curves to bring out the clouds and the inner light from the first layer of the water. I've darkened the FG as it was not very attractive.

FYI the reddish cast on the border of the water are sea fishes! The water movement is created by a strong tide: at this location, the sea is squeezed between the main continent and an island, which results in a very strong tidal current.

F70 + 24mm + bad tripod + umbrella(!) - on Provia 100 + pola (for longer exposure)

Let me know if this works for you, and if you have any good idea on how to make this better...

Thanks,

Cheers,

Steph.

PS: BW did not work!

---

This is one of those WOW pics. Terrific.

I really like this image a lot. The clouds and the blue-green color of the water against the black really make the image for me. I also really like the lines of the waves in the center of the picture. It is great that you were able to get such a great image out of a shot that you initially didn’t like.

Greg

I agree with Nina.Awesome feel to this.
Bobby

This is beautiful Steph. Even more beautiful than the last one that I said was the best yet. Keep em coming :)

Steph,

This has to be one of the most dynamic shots of the ocean that I've ever seen. I think I just stared at it for a good 15 minutes! The way that the tide-driven surf tends to be flowing downward, almost out of the sky gives me the feeling like the whole scene is a huge dream unfolding. As the others have said, I wouldn't change a thing. The swirls in the foreground have just the right amount of color to offset the dark, almost apocalyptic clouds.

I love it!

-Chris

Simple uncluttered lines and shapes that have a natural flow. The colours and saturations are muted but high impact. It grabs and holds your attention. An awesome image!
Bill

I've been posting critiques and saved the best for last. Yours! It's just plain amazing. It just eminates texture, movement, mood. There's excitement in the beauty of that magnificent scene. You might be tempted but don't touch it. It says it all. The word I think of is Dynamic. Everything is moving different directions from the sky to the forground. I especially appreciate the see through water. That is not easy to pull off. I think this place could not as looked as wonderful as it does in your photo or everyone would be flocking there. That means it was your post processing that stretched it to the limits but definately not too far. Just right!
Kit

ps, I noticed that you used an umbrella. What do you do with an umbrella in a landscape? I would like to know if it helped say make the water in the front more trasparent. Thanks

The first thing that makes this shot for me is the 24mm lens. This shot would be nothing without the wide angle, which causes you to feel the water is flowing around you.

Then after that it's the colors you've achieved. I like how it's almost monochromatic, and then there's the splash of green and hint of red and just the tiniest suggestion of blue.

Great job!

Wow, thats what I call art very, its a beautiful picture, its so rich in in color it almost looks surreal.

10/10

Nothing to add at all, I'd have that hanging in the hallway, excellent picture.

Thank you all for your kind words and appreciation. This means a lot to me! You made my day... mmm.... week really (some stuff at my work s***ed major lately!)! :p

Now, I'm afraid I have to come clean: this is a chance shot that I rescued in PS! At the time I took this shot, I had about 5 to 10 slide rolls under my belt :D… so clearly this was not planned and I didn’t know what I was doing! I think the exposure time was about 1/2 to1 sec. And I achieved this by putting all the filters I had on top of one another to get longer exposure… I thought that this would still be insufficient… and considering the tripod that I was using, I am still amazed at how sharp the surrounding tree lines are.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by gahspidy

I don't know what it looked like before, and how much you had to do to get it this way. . .but it makes no difference.

---

I have attached here the original version. As you can see, I got rid off the little lighthouse, the very annoying foreground and ... the head of a guy in a sea kayak. Actually, there were quite a few of them that day, which forced me to adopt a low viewpoint to 'hide' them behind the waves.... The colors/saturation and overall contrast were also quite bland. I didn't think much of this shot at the beginning because of that...

Personally, I also really like this shot, even though I find the rounded foreground a bit distracting/boring. I’m surprised that no one mentioned this… It must be me!

All this very positive comments left me with a feeling of dread: how I am supposed to top this up now :D? Even my most recent work (i.e. where I get EXACTLY what I hope for) is leagues away from that…

Yeah yeah, I know: I am turning into a grouch!...

Cheers,

Steph.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by >JJ<

Gday Steph_B!,

WOW, this awe smacking. Very very interesting picture.

I just wanted to make a comment though, this isn't necessarily a bad thing (I like it), but the water in the foreground seems a little flat. Maybe over computerized.......? On the good hand I think this creates an curiosity and mystery.

Hope Im not stepping on toes, best wishes JJ.

---

Step on my toes, be my guest!

Actually the greenish strip of water was quite small and shallow. It's importance relative to other elements got blown out by the use of the 24 mm.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Trevor Ash

. Keep em coming :)

---

Aaah... I wish!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shesells

ps, I noticed that you used an umbrella. What do you do with an umbrella in a landscape? I would like to know if it helped say make the water in the front more trasparent. Thanks

---

Thanks Kit for the kind words...

The umbrella was for me... and the lens! We started to get soaked! I almost didn't get the camera out of its bag. Somehow I got mightily disapointed because the weather took a turn for the worse and we had to hike back to the car and go camping.

Well, the worst the weather, the more interesting the pic! Ain't that true?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kellybean

The first thing that makes this shot for me is the 24mm lens. This shot would be nothing without the wide angle, which causes you to feel the water is flowing around you.

Then after that it's the colors you've achieved. I like how it's almost monochromatic, and then there's the splash of green and hint of red and just the tiniest suggestion of blue.

Great job!

---

You're SO right! A 20mm might have been even better.

The 24mm is so far my best lens investment. When I look back, 60-70% of my shots are with a 70-300mm. But 80% of my portfolio was taken with the 24mm. That's also the only pro lens that I own... Coincidence?

(lots of 70-300 mm shots are really good, but they kind of all have small defects such as overall softness , not enough DOF ... or something). I guess I still need to learn to use them. Also vibration is a bigger problem with long lens...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steph_B

All this very positive comments left me with a feeling of dread: how I am supposed to top this up now :D? Even my most recent work (i.e. where I get EXACTLY what I hope for) is leagues away from that…
Yeah yeah, I know: I am turning into a grouch!...
Cheers,
Steph.

---

Join the club, Steph, you can be the president. As for your feeling of dread.. for some strange reason, I know how you feel. I went into a near coma after your last comment to me. lol Paybacks are hell. :) Now lets get down to the nitty gritty. I hate to make your problem worse but now that I have a choice, I actually like the second one even better, if that's possible! I like the sky without the green in it better. (mind you, I like the green too) The mood is better in the second one and the light on the forground is really nice. I dont even mind that little head bobbing up. I don't recognize it as a head, but it's kind of interesting. I also love that smiley face that appeared out of nowhere. KIDDING! If you offered me one to have, it would be hard to choose. Now will you answer my question about the umbrella?
Kit

Nina, Chris, Bill, Bobby, Greg, Chunk, TekkenAttic and Hindey: than you all for having a look and dropping a line.

Cheers,

Steph.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steph_B

Let me know if this works for you, and if you have any good idea on how to make this better...

---

Yes, I do have a idea on how to make this better...........

Are You Kidding Me?

Awesome, Inspiring, beautiful, Surreal, Gorgeous... How much space do i have to post?

Landscape as Art.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by shesells

Now will you answer my question about the umbrella?

---

Kit, I think she already did....
:cool:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kellybean

Kit, I think she already did....
:cool:

---

Thanks Kelly, what happened is that we were posting at the same time, then my phone rang while I was in the middle of writing my post. When I finished and posted it, I then saw that he had just answered it. Doh! :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Steph_B

SKOOKUMCHUK: it's an Native name meaning 'rapid torrent'

Hi All,

This was taken in 2000. I was not too happy with this shot, but a bit of PS magic brought life into it. I mostly manipulated the curves to bring out the clouds and the inner light from the first layer of the water. I've darkened the FG as it was not very attractive.

FYI the reddish cast on the border of the water are sea fishes! The water movement is created by a strong tide: at this location, the sea is squeezed between the main continent and an island, which results in a very strong tidal current.

F70 + 24mm + bad tripod + umbrella(!) - on Provia 100 + pola (for longer exposure)

Let me know if this works for you, and if you have any good idea on how to make this better...

Thanks,

Cheers,

Steph.

PS: BW did not work!

---

Hello Steph,

I cannot actually had anything to what was already said (I showed up on this tread way too late!) but I feel that I couldn't not comment on this one. It is plain fabulous in such a way that you included the unique mood of B.C. nature (which I personally experienced and learned to love not so long ago) in a very dynamic composition.

Now, my opinion on your original may be tinted as I saw the post processed picture first but I feel that they are both remarkable and I don't mind the foreground at all.

kudos

Seb