Unprotected Beach . . . take two

[gahspidy]

This is a second attempt at this scene, and i feel this is more to my liking. I decided not to go with b&w, but instead selectively use the colors for the effect i was happy with. what are your thoughts on this?
Thanks

[Overbeyond]

This looks brilliant Gary but I feel it lacks the bleakness and discomfort of the earlier one. I admire this one greatly but it does not ask the questions the first one did for me. Lets say in a competition this one would probably win hands down. The colouring is very subtle indeed.
Tom

[dbutler]

Im with Tom. I think this one is great. But the first one had that ominous feel to me. I liked the smaller chair, and the ominous hidden meaning of the sign, and no sunbather in the pic. The question of what may have happened to the person who put the chair there isnt so sharp in this one.

[Seb]

This is a second attempt at this scene, and i feel this is more to my liking. I decided not to go with b&w, but instead selectively use the colors for the effect i was happy with. what are your thoughts on this?
Thanks

Gary, there is a lot to love about that second take, the composition looks great to begin with. I feel more drawn inside the scene than in the first version. The lighting is gorgeous, so is the sky. I also like the larges ships (they are ships right?) located at various distances in the horizon. Finally, the color rendition is remarkable, it actually looks better than a plain b&w for that scene.

The problem here (and I think that I can talk about a problem, knowing your original intent with that concept), is that I don't get that disturbing impression that a person is missing. Somehow, I wonder what is the chair and the umbrella doing there but the lacks of strong waves remove some tension. The chair pointing outside the frame leads me to think that the person probably left for a walk somewhere to the right. Also, the previous composition acted in such a way that I felt like looking at the scene of an accident from a spooky distance.

That's a fine piece but a little something is missing.

Seb

[mdmc]

Yep, What they said. Technicaly perfect. What I can think of quickly is that the sign is the right distance to the camera, but the chair should be closer to the water. I don't think the chair should be angled out of the frame. I miss the rough waves. I think someone has gone for a stroll, but will be back.
Excellent image though.
Mark.

[gahspidy]

Tom, dbutler, Seb, and Mark. . . you really bring up some keen points and observations and i have to agree with what has been stated . As I mentioned in an earlier thread in response to a question, my focus usually ends up being on the aesthetics and visual appeal of a composition and the "story" gets placed on the backburner. I think that is what happened here. I like the image alot because of it's visual appeal , but I may go for a third attempt if the oppurtunity lends itself.
Thanks for your time to lend your thoughts . . . truly invaluable

btw, Seb, I'm glad to know you feel this color-play is working . .I like it as well

[PuckJunkey]

Good stuff as always, Gary. : ) How are ya? I will finally have some time to get back in here and post a few shots / see what everyone is up to. It's a good forum; I've missed it.

Anyhoo, great shot. The only thing I can see is that it's a little flat / could use a mild S-curve.

[OldSchool]

Hi Gary,

I think the composition is much stronger with this image. The left-right and top-bottom have a much better balance to me. You timed the lighting nicely (sunrise/sunset), and the subtitle coloring is also well done. I also like that the beach here is VERY wind-swept adding greatly to the "unprotected" theme.

For me, I don’t see a need for a third attempt. But, maybe you want to add something that I don’t see. If you do go again, order-up some of those big waves that you had in the first image ;^).

Cheers,
Tim

[Chunk]

I like both shots for the dark humor they contain. I think the larger waves made it more threatening but the subtle colors are nice in this one.
Great work.

[gahspidy]

Puckjunkey. . .Always a pleasant surprise to see you on the board. Hope all is well with you. Thanks for the comments, and i look forward to seeing some threads from you.

Tim. . .Appreciate your thoughts, and very happy to know this works for you. Your observation on the windswept beach is very keen and surprised me somewhat. I did not think it was so obvious, but the wind was so strong that day I had to keep chasing after the chair until I finally buried the rear bar of the chair into the sand.

Chunk. . .I'm glad you can still see the dark humor in this.
I would like to know what you all thgink about this other composition from that day. I had taken many shots at varying angles and lighting and these two were the best of. I always felt stronger about this one, but at the last minute went with the other comp that I originally posted.
I think this one lends itself more to the dark story here with the clouds and a wider view of the beach that the chair is facing maybe making it feel as if there is no one around to return.
What do you thinkl about this one?

[CLKunst]

Gary,

I instantly prefer the second image. What I like most, is that the sign is now off to the far left. The image now seems to say to me, 'Yes I see I'm unprotected and I'm unconcerned about it. I've set up my chair and here I shall sit to ponder this view. . . when I get back.'

A funny little observation, I can see your shoe prints in the sand around the chair which weren't so readily apparent in the previous image. I wonder if I would have noticed them if you hadn't mentioned that the wind kept blowing your chair away and you kept having to chase it and put it back? At any rate, I prefer this latest incarnation and it's idiosyncratic details.

Cheers!

[OldSchool]

Gary,
I like this one to. It's more spooky (if I may use such a simple word).
Tim

[dbutler]

I like the second one as well. I think OldSchool has it right when he says it's "more spooky". The shadows are longer and stronger. Now I get the impression that it's getting late and the person should have packed up already but is nowhere to be found.

[photophorous]

Hi Gary,

As usual, you're images are so technically over my head, I can only tell you what kind of feeling I get from it, as a piece of art. It appears to be focused and exposed with out flaw.

I think these two are very different. They make me look in opposite directions in time. The first one is much darker or humerous, depending on your mood. It makes me think, "geez, I wonder what happened to that person," or "hahaha, that guy drowned." It can go either way, but I'm creating a story of what might have happened in the past.

In the second one, I want to sit and enjoy the view for a few hours and watch the story unfold. The sign really seems to be in stark contrast with the serene beach, which sort of enhances the rewards of sitting there in defiance. I like how you lowered the horizon to show more of that awesome sky. I think that adds a lot, as does the empty space to the right of the chair.

Hope this makes sense. Both images are very nice...just different.

Paul

[Chunk]

Looking again at them all I think the desolate sweep of empty beach with the small chair in the old post and it's more threatening water wins out over the nice colors and great sky of the second and third. If you want the feeling that someone left that chair and couldn't make it back, that's strongest in the earliest post, IMHO.

[gahspidy]

This has been very helpful. . .you guys ( and Gal) have been great with your observations and expressing your points of view on these. Thanks

[dbutler]

Ahem...gals.

[gahspidy]

Ahem...gals.

My sincere apologies. . .these clumsy oversights seem to come naturally for me.

[PuckJunkey]

Puckjunkey. . .Always a pleasant surprise to see you on the board. Hope all is well with you. Thanks for the comments, and i look forward to seeing some threads from you.

Indeed... long overdue I'd say. Here you go...

http://forums.photographyreview.com/...6193#post96193

[drg]

This photo has a more potentially ominous feel for me. The lime/light green chair gives me a sense of recent abandonment.

The chair sunk slightly in the sand, the water bottle and leaning closed umbrella plus the lack of obvious footprints kind of says 'rogue wave'. Yeah, I like this one.

[mdmc]

Hi Gary, Two more cents worth from me. I like this one better for the reasons that you and the others have said. I espeacially like the clouds encroaching in the top of the frame.
My one problem with both of these is that thing or that stuff between chair and sign at the edge of the water. I cant make out what it is and it distracts me.
The amount of interest in the images you post here is a tribute to the quality of your photogrphy. Also you show N.Y in a way people don't think about.
Thanks for sharing,
Mark.

[gahspidy]

drg, and Mark . . .glad to know what you think. Mark, the name of those barriers slips my mind, but they are piles and concrete that extends out into the water. There are many of them about 100 yardfs apart . they divide the beach into sections so the life guards can be assigned to certain sections

[Chunk]

they divide the beach into sections so the life guards can be assigned to certain sections

Is this a test to see whether we were paying attention?

[gahspidy]

Is this a test to see whether we were paying attention?

LOL. . . .I should have mentioned that the sign on the beach only goes up after Labor Day, and that during the summer there are lots of life guards as this is an enormously popular and crowded beach during the season. ( This beach is also known for it's deadly rip tides, which has claimed the lives of many over the years)
Glad to see your paying attention

[CLKunst]

I believe the term you are searching for is jetty. Definition: breakwater: a protective structure of stone or concrete; extends from shore into the water to prevent a beach from washing away. Hence your nasty undertows.