Michael Hrankowski
June 2022 - Pocket Beach
Original
Original 2
About the Image(s)
30 sec; f/11; 19mm (28mm FFE); 10-stop ND filter
Last Saturday I participated in a long exposure workshop down at the Seattle waterfront. It was led by my long exposure mentor, Thibault Roland. It rained off and on and the light was quite flat. The outing was sponsored by a local camera store and their rep was responsible for choosing the various shooting locations. Although the group meeting place was this beach, the rep apparently didn't think it photo-worthy. She led the group a block or two away and I lagged behind to capture a few images of the rocks with the receding tide. Editing was a chore due to the rain droplets on the ND filter. I used Lightroom, Photoshop and finally Gigapixel for a 2X up-res. I did two crop renditions. I like them both, but I think the 1:1 crop draws the viewer's eye a bit better than the full frame. Your thoughts?
This round’s discussion is now closed!
12 comments posted
Michael - I love the tranquility that seems to result from your long exposures. This image strikes me particularly for its sharpness and the aethereal feeling of the stones under the water.
I have a question. I am struck that so much of your image is in such sharp focus: from the stones on the beach to the furthest rock - and I was surprised that this was achieved with f/11. To what do you attribute this sharpness? Is it the long exposure, or the 28mm lens? I am jealous and I would like to understand what I am missing. Posted: 06/01/2022 14:37:15
I have a question. I am struck that so much of your image is in such sharp focus: from the stones on the beach to the furthest rock - and I was surprised that this was achieved with f/11. To what do you attribute this sharpness? Is it the long exposure, or the 28mm lens? I am jealous and I would like to understand what I am missing. Posted: 06/01/2022 14:37:15
Gerard, thank you for your comments and questions. As mentioned above, the editing was difficult. Shooting conditions were less than ideal and I had to set my tripod in about an inch of water on loose rocks. Even though it was only a 30 sec exposure I think there was some very slight camera movement. If you compare the sharpness of the original and presented versions, I think you'll see the difference. In general, however, I think the wide angle + "Live View" focusing yielded the basic DOF focus. I had to sharpen the image in LR (come to think of it, I may have also used Topaz Sharpen AI, but I can't remember) and the up-res algorithm of Gigapixel adds additional sharpness. Posted: 06/02/2022 09:52:09
I love the rocks and the details showing in the water at the bottom of the image. I find the lightness of the sky and little detail to be distracting. My eye (maybe not the best) looks at the rocks but is being pulled to the sky. Perhaps cropping down lower? The long exposure is great and nice job on the editing t pull the details up in the rocks. Posted: 06/02/2022 08:04:40
Randy, thanks for the comments. I do think the horizon is an important part of my image, but I think you (and Peter) are correct that I could do away with some of the sky. I tried cropping out the horizon completely, but that cut off the top of the taller rock at the right of the frame. I didn't like that. Do you think this crop improves the image: Posted: 06/02/2022 10:33:28
Cropped version 2 Posted: 06/02/2022 10:34:04
I think I like cropped version #2. My vision does not flip up and down as much. Nice job Posted: 06/02/2022 10:37:38
Great editing job with this - those rocks in the foreground appear like m monsters rising out of the sea. My question is, do I really want to see the horizon and have all that sky when the interest is in the rocks and the water? For me, the rocks alone provide a perfectly good picture. Posted: 06/02/2022 08:54:38
Peter, thanks for your comments. Please see my replies to Randy. Posted: 06/02/2022 10:34:37
Hi Michael,
Lovely image. I like the texture of the rocks against the softness of the water. The image is peaceful. Cropped version #2 is my choice. You made the right decision staying behind the group. This is a great composition and well executed. Posted: 06/05/2022 09:02:18
Lovely image. I like the texture of the rocks against the softness of the water. The image is peaceful. Cropped version #2 is my choice. You made the right decision staying behind the group. This is a great composition and well executed. Posted: 06/05/2022 09:02:18
Thank you, Barbara. When we did the photo critique the week following the outing, Thibault commented that he thought the composition would have been a bit stronger had I moved my camera position a little to the right (in my original version) in order to gain a bit more separation from the foreground rock and the middle one. Posted: 06/19/2022 16:36:48
Hi Michael, You did have a great Idea to stay behind to get this interesting image. When I first looked at this image I noticed the center of the image with the textures of the rocks and the smoothness of the water. This is a suggestion. I feel like this is the image. I flipped the image too. My eye flows around the image. What do you think? Posted: 06/19/2022 14:11:25
Linda, thank you for your comments and your flip/re-crop. I like it! Thanks for the suggestion. I would like to return to this spot at an earlier time of day when we are fortunate to have a) decent weather and b) a particularly low tide. I think there are several other compositions to be had. Posted: 06/19/2022 16:39:34