Sunset and Rocks

[TBrown00]

Hey everyone, I went out to the beach today to take some photos and was wondering what you think of the composition (mainly in the foreground) and how well the foreground works (larger version on Flickr). I know that the horizon line isn't lined up with one of the thirds of the pic. There are a few others I'm curious about the foreground in as well that are in my photostream on Flickr (link in signature or you can click on the photo) since I'm only allowed to post one pic here. Thanks!

EXIF:
Camera: D700
Focal length: 18mm
Exposure: 10s
Aperture: f/22
ISO: 200
Taken in manual mode

[Sistereinstein]

I like the overall image - I wish to see more rock, but what I look for is where my eye is directed. Thanks for sharing!

[windrider86]

First of all - THANK YOU FOR READING THE RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The composition is great, the rocks are too dark tho, perfect subject for HDR. I'd also like to see just a hair more color in the sunset

[navcom]

I think the composition is pretty good. The clouds almost add a touch of "symmetry" as they sort of mimic the rocks below and their lines draw you in, almost like you are looking into a tunnel. In this case, I don't think the almost-centered horizon is that bad.

Windrider is right though...foreground too dark. I might suggest trying a graduated ND filter to reduce the dynamic range. This will also give you the most sky color as well.

Hope that helps!

[TBrown00]

Thanks everyone.

Originally Posted by windrider86

First of all - THANK YOU FOR READING THE RULES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The composition is great, the rocks are too dark tho, perfect subject for HDR. I'd also like to see just a hair more color in the sunset

You're welcome. I enjoy shooting landscapes but haven't tried HDR yet. Thanks for the suggestion, hopefully I'll be able to give it a try soon. I would have also liked there to have been more color, but there was a large cloud in front of the sun that kept it from giving the sky more color. Last time I went to this location, there was a lot of color in the sky, but it was pretty boring since it was a pretty clear evening and there was only one cloud. I went out there after the storm hoping for more clouds, which I got, but the one big one in front of the sun was annoying. Thanks, I'll keep this in mind next time I go out.

Originally Posted by navcom

I think the composition is pretty good. The clouds almost add a touch of "symmetry" as they sort of mimic the rocks below and their lines draw you in, almost like you are looking into a tunnel. In this case, I don't think the almost-centered horizon is that bad.

Windrider is right though...foreground too dark. I might suggest trying a graduated ND filter to reduce the dynamic range. This will also give you the most sky color as well.

Hope that helps!

Thanks. I have a 3 stop grad ND filter, but don't remember if it was used for this shot. Too bad that isn't included with the EXIF . I did notice though on shots it was used with that 3 stops might not be enough and I'll see if I can find a 4 or 5 stop grad filter. This was my first time using it though, so I'll also experiment some more.

[danbaileyphoto]

I actually like the middle line horizon, it doesn't bother me because I think it's well balanced by the foreground. I think you did a great job with what light was present. The grad ND filter certainly would have helped here. Great eye!