Under the pier at Low tide

[jgredline]

Critique please...The difficulty of this shot was well, ''difficult''. I was never able to really get the exposer right. I shot this with K10D and Sigma 24-70 F/2.8.

[Liz]

This is a cool shot. The composition is right on IMO. You timed the low tide perfectly which made the shot interesting in many respects. I really liked the way you framed it - the people on the pier, position of the posts, the moss on the bottom of the pier (top of photo), and the elements clinging to them. I enjoyed viewing this shot - it's very interesting and fun! I think you did a good job with the lighting - that couldn't have been easy! I'm not the best at critiquing, but I don't see anything I would change.

Liz

[bayville126]

Just a red x no picture. Can you post a link to it?

[Dylan8i]

exposure seems great to me, nothing blown out, highlights are good on the beach and the darks give the feeling of being under the pier.

[jkriminger]

Nice compositon Javi. The greencast on the pier is a little overwhelming IMO though. The water has a seperation where you layered midway up on the right. You need to be a little more careful when layering...did you magic wand it? Adjust your tolerance if it wants to grab too much of the scene and edit in quick mask to only layer what you want. Is the moss a hue/saturation adjustment?

[gahspidy]

While I agree with others here in that the composition is good, very good I think, the problem for me here is that it seems you have tried to bring out more than you should have from the shadows in the pier.

Looks like an HDR, but in that there are no real shadow areas. . .everything is exposed. The shadows look washed away. I do not think it is neccesary to have to see all detail under the pier. We lose the mood of being underneath it and the intrigue that comes with being in its shadow and cover.
I bet this shot looks very good without all the exposure under the pier. Any chance of seeing the original or something in between the original and this?
The scene and your comp are strong

[jgredline]

Liz. Thank you so much for the kind words

Bay, I don't see w red x ?

Dylan, thanks a bunch for the kind words,

Rod, Thanks for the PM, and have at it . By the way, I did not layer anything at all.

Gary, I was thinking that very same thing in regards to shadows of the pier. Tomorrow I will post the original untouched image. I have it at work.
Thanks everyone for all the comments.

[jgredline]

Oh, I did have an original at home.
Here it is.

[jgredline]

Hi Folks,
I am working on another edit as is Rod, so lets see what comes out.
I am happy to hear the composition is good as I struggle with that often.
Thanks again.

[Greg McCary]

I was about to say the same thing as Gary until I read his post, Yes it looks as though you really pulled up the fill light. I also a agree with Gary on the point that something in between what you have and the original would work.

[jgredline]

Thanks Greg.
Here are two more edits. Which one or none?

[jkriminger]

Javier, much better on both attempts. What I thought was a layer was actually the blown out area not being affected by your levels. I like the beams of number one and the background of number 2. This looks to be a hard exposure..maybe try again with softer light if you get the chance.


so heres one I played around with..not great by any stretch.

[jgredline]

Rod, I really like the crop. The problem with the light here is that the best light is at high tide and all those barnacles are under water at that point.. I have been thinking about going back tomorrow with my external flash and see what happens.

[GB1]

Javier - It all depends on what you're trying to emphasize. Geometry is what I see.. unusual verticals, interesting background stuff, and a few people that introduce the idea that they may actually be the subjects (???!!!???). But I'm not sure you'll ever get the exposure perfect with all this tricky lighting and things competing for attention, though I do think it's good source material for a photo manipulation. Here's a stab at a crop and effect -gb

[victorhuang20]

that almost looks like its solarized or polarized...or some sort of ized effect

[jkriminger]

Rod, I really like the crop. The problem with the light here is that the best light is at high tide and all those barnacles are under water at that point.. I have been thinking about going back tomorrow with my external flash and see what happens.

If you dont like the tide, it will change1-1 WaveCast

[Dubbs5050]

I like the composition a lot, and the water looks great....although I think the first one may be over-saturated just a bit.

[GB1]

J - Just thought of something.. What might help you deal with the tough lighting is an HDR. Try one and see!!!

G

[jgredline]

G, I really like what you did with it. That is really thinking outside the box. In-fact, that would be something I would print and put in my office. I like it. What filter did you use? I will try and HDR as well. Never done one, but hey, time to learn.

Dubb, Thanks a bunch, I am happy with the composition, but obviously not with the outcome. BUT ...i / we are working on it.

Rod, thanks for the link. Again your crop makes it a much nicer image. I am also thinking I will shoot it in RAW next time.

[GB1]

Javier - It's a Corel PhotoPaint effect called local equalization. It sort of looks like an HDR. I just did my first HDRs a few weeks ago actually ... found out that my PS CS 2 has built-in support for HDR. Unfortunately, I didn't get good results, the final products looked pretty much the same as one of the shots. I think HDR might be best for tricky lighting situations like this.

Btw you can download CorelDraw X4 suite, which includes PhotoPaint, free for a 15 day trial. That local equalization filter in PhotoPaint is great.

Gb

[jkriminger]

gb..photomatrix is a must for hdr..works as an add on with cs2.

[Greg McCary]

I like the second one better Javier. Nice edit