Sunsets - Feedback appreciated

[Ricco]

Hi - last time I tried sunset pictures I failed dismally. After I looked at them I realised that there was some camera shake going on, poor focus, dodgy composition amongst probably a bunch of other factors. Following this I went out and borrowed a more sturdy tripod and tried for a bit more practice.

So - here are the results. Go on, be brutal. I'd like feedback on all aspects of the photo but mainly composition and PP.

With the PP side of things, I have done everything in Lightroom. I'd be interested to hear if there are better ways of going about this - I have GIMP but can generally translate any commentary that is photoshop based.

Thanks in advance!


#1


#2


#3 - this one is just for interest. I don't think it is a particularly strong photo but loved the light and colour of the moss on the rocks.

[Pandrion]

Just a novice comment Ricco, but my preferred picture is #2.
I like the slightly brooding, cold quality. Also the emptiness and emphasis of the angled beach in foreground and the clarity of the rocks both lead you into the picture.
For me it has the strong composition that the other two lack.

[JohnC]

I really like photo 1 - it has warmth and I feel myself relaxing as I look at it and want to be there It just goes to show how subjective photos are - Mike likes photo 2 because he sees a brooding cold quality about it which appeals to him.

Sorry but I don't like the green of the seaweed in the last photo- it doesn't look natural, I assume it's been tweaked some on vibrance or the like.

Ref. your camera shake problem I don't think it can be the tripod alone unless it was breezy. Some may say it's OTT but I use a sturdy tripod (Manfrotto 458B-no clips or screw locks - brilliant), mirror lock-up and a cable release. When you press the shutter you'll get some vibration and also when the mirror flips up too as the photo is taken. If you don't have a cable release then just use the self-timer -probably 5 seconds but check your manual to see if this will work with mirror lock-up,it should.

Also you may like to stay there past dark next time and try for a longer exposure to get the sea even smoother although I do like what you've captured here,maybe try a .9 ND filter and then you don't need to stay until darkness.I think you can get away with a couple together to get the shutter speed even longer than the 1/4 sec. here.

I have a lot to learn about composition myself so I wouldn't even attempt cc - it looks fine to me but we'll see what further responses can offer.

[Ricco]

Thanks for the comments.

My improvements from last time were:
* more sturdy tripod
* turning IS off on my lens
* using the mirror lock up function

I usually use the self timer because I don't have a release.

They seem to have improved a little.

John - the seaweed actually is pretty close to the colour, there weren't too many tweaks. As I said, not a strong photo but I thought it was interesting.

Appreciate any other thoughts on PP.

Funny story about the staying until after dark bit - this was fully my intention. Unfortunately I brought the kids and wife down to get a bit of fresh air. After the wife proceeded to fall between a couple of rocks and graze her knee / hurt her back there was immense pressure to leave as soon as the sun went down. Her pain wasn't as bad as mine when I was looking at magnificent colours in my rear view mirror on the way home....

[ucci]

Hi Ricco
#3 is the one I liked. Brilliant colours with lots of interest. It is your piece of art but if it were mine I may have been tempted to trim a bit off the RHS and maybe isolate the sea background so I could darken it a smidgen and give it just a touch of gaussian blur. Just to keep focus on what I thought was the centre of interest, the seaweed and the rocks. I have attached a 'quickie' to show this. But this is only my concept of 'the picture story' and maybe not yours.
Also, a total irrelevance I know, but did anyone else see the face and the pig's head profiles in the rocks? Or is it those damn tablets of mine having funny side effects again?

[JohnC]

Yes, I can see the pig's face now, well spotted but keep taking the tablets, Ken

Ricco- Looks like you had it sorted already.

Amazing colour then, the seaweed. Oh, the IS-yes, I bet that catches a few people out. My latest lens knows when it's on a tripod and switches the IS off if I forget to but I don't need to bother now - whatever next ?

Sorry to hear about your wife's fall,they can be nasty on rocks too, hope she's ok now. Rob had a problem having his MIL with him when he was photographing he said.lol..photography is best done when you're on your own. You'll have to try again one evening ,it's a lovely location.