Ocean Splash

[ericgarner118]

Hey guys,
This is a picture I took with my wife while we were in California. I decide we were going to take a day trip out there while we were in the truck. Luckily we had a camera so we got off some nice shots. This is one I snapped of a wave crashing against some rocks. Initially I liked it, but I was just wondering if the wave being all white unbalances the picture. Well here it is:


EXIF Info

• Model = KODAK V1253 ZOOM DIGITAL CAMERA
• Exposure Time = 1/500"
• F Number = F3.4
• ISO Speed Ratings = 64
• Flash = Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode
• Focal Length = 7.9mm
• White Balance = Auto white balance

[SwissJon]

Well it was a good capture.. But the white is over exposed and burned out, which means it lacks detail, and so takes over the picture.. If you shot in RAW you could probably recover some detail..

The horizon is badly disorted, you might be able to sort that out in PP

I'm not sure about the crop either.. It would have been better to have more rock in the picture, and perhaps consider a portrait shot.

Having said that, the actual shot of the wave was well grabbed.

[MovingStill]

A definite case of the camera limiting the quality of the image.Your composition and timing are great, though a bit more of the foreground rock would be nice.

A curved horizon isn't always a bad thing but it's over done here and distracting. In attempting to balance the scene, the camera has overexposed the wave so you've lost most of the detail. The foreground rock is a bit 'bright' too.

If your camera has an 'exposure compensation' feature, this is a case where you would use it to underexpose the cameras exposure meter reading.

Swinging the camera to the left a touch would help balance the image too - take out a bit of that white expanse. Think closer to a third of white wave, rather than almost half.

Hope this helps.

[Krusty79]

I like this shot, but for me, the wave feels cut off on the right and I would like to see more of it. This may contradict the previous comment, but I would suggest swinging the camera to the right to show more of the wave and rock and having your wife standing on the rock in the foreground to add a sense of scale.

[SwissJon]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

I like this shot, but for me, the wave feels cut off on the right and I would like to see more of it. This may contradict the previous comment, but I would suggest swinging the camera to the right to show more of the wave and rock and having your wife standing on the rock in the foreground to add a sense of scale.

And a sense of drama as she screams because the wave soaked her!

[MovingStill]

Originally Posted by Krusty79

I like this shot, but for me, the wave feels cut off on the right and I would like to see more of it. This may contradict the previous comment, but I would suggest swinging the camera to the right to show more of the wave and rock and having your wife standing on the rock in the foreground to add a sense of scale.

Yes, that could work too. Either way, images generally have more 'interest' if they are divided into thirds - try to frame your images to avoid a 'half-and-half' effect.