Jeff Manser
February 2025 - Sun RAys
Original
About the Image(s)
I traveled to Washington coast to take photos of the large waves that can occur in this location. I didn’t get any great wave shots but between storms was treated to some attention-grabbing sun rays. The image was processed in Lightroom for B&W conversion and some global tweaks and then in Photoshop for a few localized tone curve adjustments. I also used Photoshop to remove objects in the area of the lighthouse to give it a more simplistic look and to eliminate a couple of distracting parts of the foreground logs. I also used Topaz AI to improve sharpness of the foreground. The shot was taken on a Fuji X-T3 with a 50mm lens (F8.0, ISO 500, 1/2000).
10 comments posted
Hi Jeff! I think that there is an almost biblical power in the waves that roll towards the viewer under the heavenly rays. The effect is fortified by the centered composition, and the dark mass of the rock on the left and large area of the light sky balance each other beautifully. - A minor thing: my eye tends to wander to the bright sliver of water at the bottom left corner: I wonder about cropping it off or cloning a bit of the dark logs to meld it in the rest of the foreground? I like the sharp dark silhouette of the lonely lighthouse in the original - I wonder if it might be slightly darker in the BW image, too? Posted: 02/07/2025 12:38:57
Thanks for the comments Kirsti and good suggestion about cloning to cover the bright spot in the foreground. Also, I'll have to try a version without brightening the lighthouse to see if I like it better. Posted: 02/09/2025 01:45:48
Great shot! I would darken the three afreas in the sky which afe completely blowened out. You could clone in some parts of the sky? Both the original aan you edited ae beautifully composed. Each tells a different narrative Posted: 02/07/2025 19:55:39
Thanks for the comments Al. I'll try to clone over those bright spots as you suggested. Posted: 02/09/2025 01:47:29
Wonderful photo. Your choice of shutter speed effectively freezes the wave action, capturing the moment beautifully. The uneven layout of the logs in the foreground sets the scene nicely and the sun rays and choppy water adds a dynamic energy to the photo. I do like the use of the trees in the original photo as it adds texture however the lone lighthouse also works. I do agree with Kirsti about making the lighthouse a bit darker. For me, it would be more in line with the darker side of the cliff. I agree with Al's suggestion too. One thing I noticed was a halo-like effect along the edge of the cliff; it's not clear if it's an actual halo or just backlighting. Posted: 02/08/2025 13:53:27
Thanks for the comments Barbara. I'll be working on a revised version of this image to try a bit darker lighthouse, cloning out the hot spots in the sky, and a couple of other tweaks to see if I can clean this up a bit! Posted: 02/09/2025 01:54:07
HI Jeff, I love this shot. I have always loved the ocean and this is an image that reminded me of that love.
As for removing the trees near the lighthouse - to my eye it would have been good either way The trees give it some context when the mono version emphasizes the lighthouse.
I like how you processed the image to emphasize the rays coming through the clouds. I also think that opening up the foreground to show the details of the coastline made a big difference enhancing the image further.
Thank you very much for sharing it with us. Posted: 02/08/2025 15:42:29
As for removing the trees near the lighthouse - to my eye it would have been good either way The trees give it some context when the mono version emphasizes the lighthouse.
I like how you processed the image to emphasize the rays coming through the clouds. I also think that opening up the foreground to show the details of the coastline made a big difference enhancing the image further.
Thank you very much for sharing it with us. Posted: 02/08/2025 15:42:29
Hi Ed - I appreciate your comments! Posted: 02/09/2025 01:54:52
Hi Jeff,
First I want to say that I am envious of your shooting locales!
Both the color and b&w version stand alone have their own merits. The blue tone in the original is very calming.
I love your crop choice and I think I like the lighthouse as is in the B&W version. I agree with Al's suggestion re the sky but I would not darken it too much as to lose any dramatic effect.
Another great photo, thanks.
Rob
Posted: 02/10/2025 18:00:49
First I want to say that I am envious of your shooting locales!
Both the color and b&w version stand alone have their own merits. The blue tone in the original is very calming.
I love your crop choice and I think I like the lighthouse as is in the B&W version. I agree with Al's suggestion re the sky but I would not darken it too much as to lose any dramatic effect.
Another great photo, thanks.
Rob
Posted: 02/10/2025 18:00:49
Thanks for the comments Rob I've really been fortunate to travel a bit over the past 6 months and end up in some really photogenic places. Posted: 02/11/2025 15:37:24