Mary Ann Carrasco
December 2025 - Old Boat
Original
About the Image(s)
This old boat sits in the bay at Inverness, CA. It is an iconic image as several photographers have captured it's decay over the years. I have photographed it three times and it has deteriorated dramatically. This was taken this fall. I used the Nikon Z9 with 28-400 lens at 39mm, f/10, ISO 250, 1/160. I edited this in camera raw and used the new adaptive B&W feature to convert it to monochrome. Then I used the sliders to increase contrast, etc. I also cropped it. I look forward to your comments.
10 comments posted
The boat is so good, so captivating, I wish you had excluded the left third and the bottom quarter of the frame. Those pieces do not contribute to the power of the boat. Texture is excellent...the tilt of the boat makes for mysterious stories! Well done Posted: 12/02/2025 22:53:24
Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Posted: 12/17/2025 20:45:22
What a great subject to have near you! I look at the boat and I bet there are hundreds of other compositions and especially closeup images which could be taken there.
The blacks and whites in the boat are really good with lots of contrast. I wonder how the image would look with sand a little brighter and a darker sky (if there is more detail in the sky). A little painted light might draw the viewer's attention (on the boat).
A couple of nits -- watch the Lightroom Adaptive Mono. I have not had much luck with it but it is new. Also I would remove the person behind the boat and some of the other stuff going on on the left which grabs my eye.
Good job with this image! Posted: 12/08/2025 19:32:43
The blacks and whites in the boat are really good with lots of contrast. I wonder how the image would look with sand a little brighter and a darker sky (if there is more detail in the sky). A little painted light might draw the viewer's attention (on the boat).
A couple of nits -- watch the Lightroom Adaptive Mono. I have not had much luck with it but it is new. Also I would remove the person behind the boat and some of the other stuff going on on the left which grabs my eye.
Good job with this image! Posted: 12/08/2025 19:32:43
Your comment regarding "the person behind the boat "is well said. Often, I forget these details. I need to review my images before posting them, to insure I have cleaned up my shot. Good reminder! Posted: 12/12/2025 17:06:20
Thank you for your comments and suggestions. And, the tip regarding adaptive mono! I usually use silver efex but when I saw this feature I thought I would see what it was all about. Posted: 12/17/2025 20:48:27
Mary Ann - this boat is perfect for mono. I find the image has a lot of similar tones and needs more localised contrast. Looking at your original, the colour of you boat and sand is similar - I think through localised masking, the image would be improved if you could change this. You have a lot of detail shown in the old boat, but in the quick play version I've added here, I have added more texture and lightened shadows. I've also used dehaze mask on the sky, removed all white things to the boat's left and lightened the vegetation/sand. This may not to be to your taste - your image offers so many options. Posted: 12/13/2025 10:01:31
nice touch go dehaze Posted: 12/15/2025 22:10:05
Thank you for your comments/suggestions and your edit. I like your version very much and will go back to this image and work on it. Posted: 12/17/2025 20:49:48
Well that is a wonderful subject matter that I hope you took from many angles. The weather was not great for you so you are struggling for the light. But the shape is nice but I do find the image a tad flat and grey and wonder if more tonal work could be done. The version I showing is through NiK Efex 7 and luminosity mask, then Denoised through Nik's Denoise.
This would be well worth going back to. Posted: 12/16/2025 14:50:14
This would be well worth going back to. Posted: 12/16/2025 14:50:14
Thank you for your comments/suggestions and edit. Based on your comments and others, I plan to rework the image. Posted: 12/17/2025 20:50:51