Ocean, Beach and Fence C&C appreicated

[flashback]

The matching angles of the ocean, beach and fence caught my eye, as they all taper towards the upper LHS. I'm just not sure if I should crop out the stairs in the upper LHS or leave them, do they add or subtract from the image?

[Shadowman]

Nice, I wouldn't have noticed the stairs.

[Kodiak]

I'm just not sure if I should crop out the stairs in the upper LHS or leave them, do they add or subtract from the image?

That's the 64,000$ question Jack, and the answer is in your intent. Others
may say otherwise… but the only thing that count is "what did you want
to show?"

The reportage depicts what is/was, in its truest nature: YOU were the
viewer's eyes on the scene —leave the stairs where they are… very ok in
my book!

The artistic approach forces you through the process of analyzing
everything (perspective, content, distribution of elements, composition,
colours, textures, …and what not) as to end up with a photograph that
will reflect an insight and render a quintessential representation of reality.
—leave the stairs only if they are part of your quintessential representation
of reality.

The imagery approach will not be bothered by the previous definitions.
This is the "art of cooking" in photography and the result is only defined
by the creator —you may add/remove, move/rotate, compose everything
to suit your project. Though created by photographic processes, the result
is always imagery.

Now, tell me: "What did you want to show?"
•••

There are two dirt spots in the upper left corner.
I would like to see an SOOC version of the take.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Jack I wouldn't crop the image but I would clone out the stairs. It is difficult to understand that they are stairs and I don't think they add very much to the image.

[Wavelength]

Very nice image.... I think the stair case may please be cloned out as B suggested. I think it is a bit anti taper

[Slipper]

I would crop the LHS upto where the fence begins to widen again.

[flashback]

John, thanks.
Binnur, thanks and I agree.
Nandakumar, thanks also, agree the stairs should go.

I will post an edit of the image with the stairs gone.

Kodiak,
Thanks for your insight/input. Regarding the two spots, oops. They have been banished. As well as the stairs.
I do prefer the image without the stairs as it lends a greater sense of isolation and, as Nandakumar pointed out, they were a bit anti-taper.
I am also posting the image SOOC and, as you'll see I had already a fair amount of 'manipulation' to promote my vision of the scene, so deleting the stairs only adds, in my opinion to what I had envisioned.

#2 re-edit of #1 I did a little more tweaking in PP, some shadows, irregularities and a person on the shore I never noticed.



#3 this is SOOC for Kodiak. All C&C welcomed.

[flashback]

John (Slipper), thanks. I'll experiment with the image and see how it looks cropped as you suggest.

[TonyW]

I like this cloned or not, but not cropped. It looks like a giant model of a guitar.

[flashback]

Tony, I too had thought guitar, or maybe fiddle, or even an old style Coke bottle.

[Mike Buckley]

Nice image, Jack. The issue of the stairs isn't important to me. If I wanted to include them, I would include all aspects of them shown in your SOOC version.

Check out the sky. There are some artifacts in the top left corner of both monochrome versions that aren't in the original color version. That happens often when converting. One method of solving the issue is to apply blur or noise reduction (even if there is no noise) to the problematic area of the sky in the color version before converting.

Also notice that your horizon dips noticeably in the center.

[flashback]

Mike, thanks. Lost some of the stairs while straightening the image but I prefer to have them gone anyway.
The artifacts you're noticing, is it the 'granular' look of the sky in the top LHS? I've futzed with the horizon and the sky, let me know if this is an improvement.

[FootLoose]

Well seen, Jack, I like the way the various layers all recede into distance. Looking at the original post, the stairs don't bother me at all, although I see Nandakumar's point. But the dip in the horizon does bother me.

Looking at the colour version, I would have been inclined to leave the stick (or whatever it is) in the middle of the sand. It adds to the sense of isolation for me.

[NorthernFocus]

Not a whole lot to add to what others have said. I do prefer the version with the stairs removed. Gives more of a sense of stretching on forever. Nicely done.

[Mike Buckley]

The horizon now looks fine. The artifacts in the left area of the sky are still there, but perhaps less noticeable. Try blurring that area before and/or after converting to monochrome. You may need to be really aggressive, though make sure whatever you do doesn't blur the horizon line.

[Kodiak]

this is SOOC for Kodiak. All C&C welcomed.

Thanks Jack, when I'm only considering the B&W conversion, I get this if
I apply the reportage approach: rendered as seen.

I love the presence of that tree as "it lends a greater sense of isolation".
In this version, the sea retained a lot more details and by filtering harsh
sun specific light features one get a less contrasty rendition. This is not
ment to tell you how to render it but to show you some of the possible
tweaks. I am happy to have seen the SOOC because I can better evaluate
the options you have chosen.

[bnnrcn]

Very useful tip Mike , thanks

The horizon now looks fine. The artifacts in the left area of the sky are still there, but perhaps less noticeable. Try blurring that area before and/or after converting to monochrome. You may need to be really aggressive, though make sure whatever you do doesn't blur the horizon line.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Jack. I prefer your PP in post #12 to the one in post #16 because shadows are darker in your edit and that's why the sand and the bushes in the FG don't distract . IMO it might be better to reveal the sand in the FG just a little bit in your edit too, but not too much.

If I wanted to add the stairs, I would also add the lonely tree , because it improves the impact and the scene makes more sense than the scene with the stairs only. I would actually keep two versions of this image after seeing the lonely tree : 1- The one in post #12 without stairs and tree 2- With stairs and tree.

Anyway, whichever version you prefer, you obviously spotted a very nice place to shoot. Thanks for sharing

[IzzieK]

Awwww....the lone tree is what I missed too from the original. This is a good composition, Jack...I like the edit of Kodiak here...it gives more sense to the isolation. 'Don't mind the stairs. To me it adds to what you already had in your comp.

[Mike Buckley]

I forgot to mention that the tree is a stellar part of the image for me.