Beach Sculpture

[Karm Redland]

Comments welcomed.



karm

[Wavelength]

Simple, yet very powerful....it is very much a sculpture by Nature.....
it has a 3 dimensional appeal too

[Mike Buckley]

I think this has the potential for being magical in black-and-white. In color, the image has two halves that detract from the appealing subject.

[Stagecoach]

Karm,

I like it and agree with Mike that it would be worth a try at B&W. Also wonder if taking it from a lower angle may have helped ?

[John 2]

The thing that bothers me a bit is that it leans out of the frame. Well worth another attempt if you can for all the reasons given above.

[Digital]

Karm, I like this photo. IMHO I would have used a shallower DOF so as to isolate the subject.


Bruce

[Karm Redland]

John, I understand your point. However, the "stuff" to the left of the image is unappealing.

karm

[Karm Redland]

Mike, I'll try your suggestion.

karm

[Karm Redland]

Hi Bruce. I think this photo would definitely work with a shallower depth of field. I also like it with its current DOF.

karm

[Karm Redland]

Nandakumar, thanks.

Mark

[Karm Redland]

Grahame, I think your suggestion of taking this shot from a lower angle is a good one. I want try more of these "beach sculptures" and I will definitely take shots from a lower angle.

karm

[Zone XI]

You invited comments, so here goes

To me, it's what I call a record shot, you've taken a competant photo of a 'thing'. It's in focus, its exposed correctly, difficult with such strong back lighting. One form of photography is to record things, for posterity, this has its place, and it may be what you like, the images have to portray accurately the 'thing'.

Another form of photography is art, more abstract, invoking feelings into the viewer. It looks like, to me, you haven't applied much post processing. this is where your creative side can be found (if you want to go this way). Better to get things right in camera, so perhaps go back during sunrise or sunset, or when geese are flying past, but a photo _needs_ more than one thing going on to be interesting.

There's been some good suggestions so far in this thread, experiment with black and white, perhaps add grain, or add some dynamic colour effects like a coloured graduated filter. Throwing the background out of focus somewhat is a good idea too.

So ... experiment with post processing, and let those creative juices flow.

[FootLoose]

Hi Karm, that's an interesting chunk of tree you found. I see arms and legs going in all directions -- very sensuous / sensual / sexy. I'd try moving in with a wide angle to capture more of the sculpture and less of the landscape. Maybe try some close-ups of the folds and crevices, too -- see how 'erotic' they are.

[Karm Redland]

Hi Les. You're right, I treated as a "thing." The "thing" in this case I called a "beach sculpture." I simply wanted to record it because I found it beautiful to look at.

You're also right about my processing. I liked the lighting I captured, I liked the object I took a picture of, and felt that the image required subtle processing just to bring out what was there.

I also agree with you that there are lots of other things that could be done with this image. I want to return to this beach and try some of the things you suggested with this object and others on the beach.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments.

karm

[Karm Redland]

Thanks Greg. I'm going to definitely try your suggestions. Who knows, maybe next time you open the centerfold of Playboy magazine the curvatures you'll see will be a picture from this sculpture.

karm

[Karm Redland]

A few people suggested that I try this image in BW. Normally when I convert an image to BW I can pretty quickly find my footing and develop the image. This image left me with too many options when I converted it to BW. Here's one I chose to process.



Karm

[Mike Buckley]

I like your toning a lot; it works great with this image.

Try selecting the subject and applying a fairly aggressive S-curve and a mild amount of texture (using whatever method you use to do that). I did that and liked the increased drama. However, if you don't want increased drama, of course don't try it.

[Karm Redland]

Thanks Mike. I added a bit more detail.



Karm