Long exposure seascape.

[alwyncooper]

Hi, I'm trying to add impact without changng the character, the moodyness, of the image too much.
I suspect that this may be better done with more local contrast rather than simply pushing more saturation into it.
If you have any specific suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Thank you in advance!



Camera Canon EOS 450D
Exposure 4 sec
Aperture f/11.0
Focal Length 10 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
X-Resolution 240 dpi
Y-Resolution 240 dpi
Orientation Horizontal (normal)
Software Adobe Photoshop CS3 Windows
Date and Time (Modified) 2010:09:16 23:13:54
Artist Image copyright Alwyn J Cooper
Exposure Program Manual
Date and Time (Original) 2010:08:19 11:47:11.92+01:00
Date and Time (Digitized) 2010:08:19 11:47:11
Max Aperture Value 4.0
Subject Distance 2.09 m
Metering Mode Multi-segment
Exposure Mode Manual
White Balance Auto
Scene Capture Type Standard
By-line Image copyright Alwyn J Cooper
Photoshop Quality 12
Photoshop Format Standard
Progressive Scans 3 Scans

[navcom]

Hi there! Please take a look at the critique forum rules and edit your post so we can get more info. Having items such as a specific question and your EXIF info will help us help you. Thanks!

[crockny]

I love this - soft and moody ... I wouldn't change it

[navcom]

I think your contrast looks pretty good as it is. If you add too much more, you will start crossing the line from a natural look to an illustration or painting look. I do see some halos starting from the post processing of the two images. I also suspect this might be the origin of your sky noise but I'm not sure without seeing the originals.

Overall it's a really nice composition. It's also a good example of using HDR relatively sparingly to conquer that dynamic range demon but yet add some mood.

Nice job!

[alwyncooper]

Thanks for the kind words and the wise words.

I'll have to keep on top of the halos (haloes?) in future; they may be a by-product of the toning/masking process I used. I suspect the noise is from pushing the "noise channel" too hard w/r/t saturation and then sharpening it :-(

I appreciate you all taking the time to comment!

[Michael_2010]

Looks great!

Funny, but I was trying to do the same thing over the weekend and yours turned out much, much better than mine. I have not found the exposure sweet spot to get the dreamy, mysterious looking water.



Plus, the water color in mine is too intense, or something. How do I control that in a natural looking way and maintain the colors in the sky?

[navcom]

Mike...controlling your dynamic range is the secret to getting good color rendition. Your camera can't get good exposure if the dynamic range is more than it can handle. Neutral density filters are the best answer for quality. Use a solid ND to slow the shutter down if you can't get it slow enough without venturing into super-small apertures and diffraction. Use an ND grad to control the dynamic range and push back the sky so it keeps it's colors while getting a good exposure on the foreground.

Also, HDR bracketing (Photomatix or layering in Photoshop, et al) is another option such as Alwyn did here. I prefer filters as I think they produce better quality results but that's my opinion. HDR software techniques certainly have their place and produce their own unique quality.

[Michael_2010]

I hate to hijack Alwyn's thread. I may start another one on this topic, because I have a lot of questions.

[Photologyst]

WOW! Spectacular.

The only thing you "might" try is to slightly adjust the horizon.

[alwyncooper]

Originally Posted by Michael_2010

I hate to hijack Alwyn's thread. I may start another one on this topic, because I have a lot of questions.

Re the colour of the water - bear in mind yours was shot in blue hour - mine was shot in overcast conditions.
The whiteness in mine is the "sparkle" of the water reflection of the lighter part of the sky. During the day.
Sea water shows grey when subject to long exposures over 1 min.
White if you are facing the light source.
Don't compare mine to yours, as they were taken in greatly different conditions, and yours is a very nice image!

If you want flatter water, you have to go beyond 2 minutes exposure; and for the "mystical fog" you have to have waves, with the sun (or bright cloud) sparkling on 'em.
The fog is in fact the ghost image of the waves moving.

To do this you will need a very dark Neutral Density filter such as the B+W ND110 - this is what I used.

Hope this helps!