waiting

[natatbeach]

Early morning at the beach was originally color---converted to BW...cropped...minimal adjustment to contrast

I like the lines to the bench and the angle but I wonder if another angle would have worked better...

suggestions and input wanted thanks

[Gerry Widen]

I like it very much. The benches as they get smaller just leads your eye away. Has an abstract feel but shows the beach.

[another view]

I like it how it is, it keeps the spacing between the three benches roughly the same.

[gahspidy]

Hey,
I dont know how it looked in color, but I can;t imagine it working any other way than it does here.The contrast between the light sand and the dark benches is a fine treat for the eyes. The comp,point of view,lighting exposure, everything is just fine. Also love the title. Fits it right.

[LLMc]

I like the image. I think the first bench should be a little lower in the frame (imo). I guess the color version would depend on what color the benches are. It is nice as is.

[paulnj]

suggestions and input wanted thanks

well i'm just a tired eyed lonely voice but...

i think a crop from the left and slightly more room on the right would further strenghthen this fine image my friend!

send my reguards to the fam..... i look at your kids every night when i grab milk for my "morning coffee"

[bobbythebandit]

[But again i would rather the strong image of the benches came in from the left and i will try and explain why.We in the western world read from left to right and so it is natural for our eyes to want to go that way.The chineese on the other hand read from right to left and your pic would look fine to them.Is this making sense ? anyway i have done a flip (again) maybe you will see what i mean.
Bobby

[bobbythebandit]

Ps. I also would like to see a body sitting on the farthest away bench, might have brought some mystery to the shot, especially if they were looking of in to the distance.Make himself usefull for a change if he was with you lol.

[CB Photo]

[But again i would rather the strong image of the benches came in from the left and i will try and explain why.We in the western world read from left to right and so it is natural for our eyes to want to go that way.The chineese on the other hand read from right to left and your pic would look fine to them.Is this making sense ? anyway i have done a flip (again) maybe you will see what i mean.
Bobby

I agree, right to left is "hard passage". Although I like to use hard passage on some shots, this shot is better left to right.

Good shot though!!!

Chris

[PuckJunkey]

This is very cool. To me, it's almost like something from Jerry Uelsmann. For those who haven't heard of Jerry, he was sort of a human Photoshop machine back when the darkroom was still the tool of choice, and he would make these AMAZING montages of multiple photos in the darkroom. They were / are completely convincing. Had you no knowledge of photography, one might think he journeyed to some imaginary landscape and took these pictures, much the same way we walk outside and shoot park benches.

As for the photo itself, it's a sort of surreal composition where the positioning of the benches and the starkness of the sand / ground, make it look like it's not real. Like park benches in the desert (or on the moon) or something to that effect. We know it doesn't make any sense, but yet there it is... three benches in the middle of nowhere (even though it's at the beach). That may not have been the intent, but I think it could definitely work that way. It's a very cool abstraction IMO.

Also, I prefer the original right-to-left variant. While our eyes do scan L-t-R, that doesn't hinder this composition.

[natatbeach]

To me, it's almost like something from Jerry Uelsmann. For those who haven't heard of Jerry, he was sort of a human Photoshop machine back when the darkroom was still the tool of choice, and he would make these AMAZING montages of multiple photos in the darkroom. They were / are completely convincing. Had you no knowledge of photography, one might think he journeyed to some imaginary landscape and took these pictures, much the same way we walk outside and shoot park benches.

Everyone,

Thank you for all your insights on what worked or didn't work ---for the comparison to a truly talented man and to those of you who had a more unique approach and envisioned it a different way. That's what makes me glad that this forum is around...and that it draws in such talented and encouraging people...thanks for taking the time to post replies and check out next version and feel free to give all your comments---the good, the bad, and the ugly Thanks again