Wave Action - Which is better?

[UKDivemaster]

I took a number of pictures of waves crashing onto a rocky shoreline, playing about with timing & shutter speed. The results are below. I'm not sure if I have captured the mood - it was bright and stormy. Feedback welcomed.



4 secs @ f22, ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.



5 secs @ f22, ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.



0.8 Sec @ f22 ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.



0.8 Sec @ f22 ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.

I then moved position to get closer to the action - and wet!



1 sec @ f22 ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.



1 Sec @ f22 ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.



1 Sec @ f22 ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.



0.6 Sec @ f22 ISO 100, Variable ND Filter.

You'll also note some cloning out of the navigation light at the end of the pier - should it be 'in or out' of the final picture?

[Daisy Mae]

Hi Mark.

3,4 &6 for me as I like some movement in water and definately keep the post in as it Picks up those posts out to sea and adds some nice verticality. Lovely set.

( aren't wellies a wonderful thing? )

[Andrew1]

Mark, I prefer your shots that are less than a second and might even try going a bit faster. These are long enough to show some movement and short enough to still look real. It's nice to play around and experiment with different things to learn from but water doesn't look like fog or milk. You also wanted to know if you captured the mood. You're longer duration shots will actually take away from that. Look further out in the water. Nice and calm out there. Not the stormy you were after. For that you may also have to get higher so we can see down into the swells to add some contrast and depth. Either that or wait for larger waves.

[arith]

#6 without the light; but I do like it a bit quicker and 1/30 might be slow enough. It is a matter of taste I suppose.

[Polar01]

Mark: I like the last and third from last. Here is something I did, I took 3 exposures. 2 right after the other, gave me something like your last one, then waited until the water slowly flow up the shore and took the last one. The camera then put them together and it came out rather nicely. Also I think it looks better when you are down among the surf. How the water was not too cool.

Cheers:

Allan