Weathered Warriors lll

[gahspidy]

I just like these things alot. Here is another take, from a different time of day and perspective.
What do you think?
Thanks

[Greg McCary]

Another great addition to your series. The sky and water both seem to have more detail and clarity than your previous images, is it a different time of day or that you have went digital? I also like where you placed the first post as it helps move my eye back into the picture. I like the wavy reflection of the three post in the water. Your images have a color and texture that I like. Excellent work again.....
Greg

[Overbeyond]

Hard to fault this Gary but for me it does not have the drama and impact of the original one posted a while back. The proximity of the horizon (land in this case) sort of takes away the threat that the old posts have to contend with. If I remember correctly, and I might be putting my two feet in it here, the first one did not show a horizon and we could see the might of the sea and imagine the battles that the posts had fought and won.

But leaving the earlier ones aside, this one has a charm of its own as I see it, in the way the posts are linking to each other as if to say "together we can handle this". The foreground post is a good edition and the softness of the water around the reflection area is also very nice.
But I would be delighted to have this image in my portfolio. Your standard is just so bloomin high.
Tom

[GB1]

It's a moody shot, depicts the winter, cold waters, isolated beach area, but I still feel like the photo is missing something. Perhaps more of the foreground beach and less of the sky? Hindsight is 20-20 of course..

GB

[Ronnoco]

To keep it simple, the background is too flat, there is not enough drama in the sky and there is not enough detail in the weathered warriors.

Ronnoco

[gahspidy]

Thanks all for the comments.

Greg . . yes, this is both a different time of day (morning with sun off to the side as opposed to other shots in late afternoon with sun behind me)and this is digital. This is actually the first image Ihave posted from my DSLR (Rebel XTi) The difference between this and the other ones is the time of day, though. I liked the stark appearance of these posts almost silhouetted against the light sky and water. The image appeals to me, but I feel it is not as dynamic as the previous images. Thanks for your comments.

Tom . . .I agree with you totally on this. It does not have the impact and drama as the first images. This is one of those shots that I want to work to a level that it is most unlikely to reach. I think presented in the series of pictures with these subjects it could hold up well, but not quite as powerful on it's own as a stand alone.(or maybe I'm still being too optimistic . . .) Thanks for the good words, Tom

GB . . .I don't think more beach would help here, especially since I know what the beach looks like. I think your right when you say it's missing something and i think it is missing the right lighting. The lighting here is flat, as it was an overcast day but there were openings in the clouds that every so often allowed some great lighting to show through. I did not catch that lighting and missed what would have been a potentially stonger shot.
thanks for the words.

Ronnoco . . .I agree with you that there is not enouigh drama here, but I think it is the overall lighting and not soley the sky per say. As a matter of fact, the very things you point out as faults are the very elements that I like and felt came across in the shot as I wanted. The sky in the upper third of the frame with it's diagonal line formations working down into the straight horizontal of the horizon which are both being cut into by the vertical posts ( of which I made sure to cut into and above the horizon) Also, I wanted the posts to be stark and almost totally silhouetted, but upon closer examination to be able to make out details and I have achieved that exactly as I set out to. If anything, I felt I had brought out too much detail the far posts for my liking. Overall, I agree there is a lack of drama here.and although I still like the image, I feel it suffers from rather flat lighting.
Thanks for the time.

[readingr]

Gary,

This feels like I'm about to teach you something you normally teach me but here goes.

The problem I have with this picture is:

1 Horizon too close to centre, crop the sky in half
2 select the sky and add a levels adjustment to make the sky more aggressive
3 select the poles and dodge them to keep the texture.
4 Select from the horizon to the bottom and and some contrast
5 merge visible

I found when I did all this to the picture it is terrific. I think this one can't be effective using the toned down scheme of the others as there is something required to make it jump.

Hope you don't mind me copying and playing with it. I have now deleted but can recreate it if you want.

Roger

[gahspidy]

Roger, I think you have some good suggestions. A more aggressive post process to bring out some stronger dynamic. I approached it a bit differently but achieved a similiar result from what you did. I like the tighter crop with less sky. I did not think so at first when you suggested it, but when I gave it a try I liked it. Also, I applied a little dodging and burning to achieve a more interesting lighting condition. I like the result and do think it is an improvement.
what do you think?

[readingr]

This is so much better. Very close to what I had done from memory.

Roger

[Greg McCary]

I think that I like the first one much better than the second, You are beginning to lose that
"Gary style" that you have developed with the previous weathered warriors. The sky, water and foreground are dead on in the first, if you ask me. I think the first one was fine, if anything maybe a little more detail in the post would have helped. But as Tom put it your standards are so high it's not so much a critique as it is personal taste. I am amazed at the quality and attention to detail that every image you have post gets. You inspire me to work harder, in the field and in post processing. Your high standards are helping to raise mine, but that's why I am here...
Greg

[Seb]

Gary,

I hate to say this but this picture doesn't work for me. I guess I must be missing something given how unanimous people are but I doesn't feel this picture. Once again I can't fault you composition wise but the subject by itself doesn't speak to me. As far as post-processing goes I would see something betwen your first and second edit.

regards

Seb