Morning Light - Series 3

[Stagecoach]

My last 4 a.m. start to get to the foreshore to shoot my adopted tree for this project greeted me with an ocean that had not quite filled back up after draining overnight and rain that produced one dismal sunrise. Not prepared to give up I scouted other locations where I was able to shelter and wait.

Here's a couple that I have worked on for two days on and off discovering such things as soft light layers, selective sharpening for horizons and water line and some gradient work. Not the 'morning light' I was specifically after but at least the showers never beat me.

No 1 - 1/30s, f/11, ISO 200, 50mm


No 2 - 1/80s, f/11, ISO 200, 18mm


For No 2 I was at my minimum FL on the 18-200 to capture this but I should have framed it more to the right but overlooked this. I have considered crops but again can not decide.

Comments and suggestions are welcome as always

Grahame

[bnnrcn]

Hi Grahame . I like the colours in #1 and IMO #2 has got potential for some crops. I would try two crops for #2 :

1- Cropping right side and leaving the bright clouds with the rainbow ( a square crop),

2- Cropping left side with the bright clouds and leaving the dark part ( a vertical crop)

[Mike Buckley]

Nice work, Grahame! I also thought of using a square crop in the second one as explained by Binnur.

[AB26]

Nature has a way of rewarding patience. Images like this, I just sit and stare at it.

[Downrigger]

Patience after early rising awfully well-rewarded, Grahame. You did a great job with these. I'm inspired. I think I'd want a coffee thermos for this sort of endeavor.

[IzzieK]

Both are beautiful, Grahame...I like #1 for the mood it conveys and #2 is such a beautiful example of contradictions of sort, one with the rainbow sometimes depicts the end of rain and the dark clouds the start of another storm. It tell a story by itself. Please do NOT crop it. It is nice as it is.

(P.S. Between you and me and 10 million readers of this post, including the lurkers...I like those head shaped clouds that have big noses... I am sure the right black head belongs to Elvis, the middle small guy is Jack Nicholson, I think...man, he is as old as Abe Lincoln! )

[Shadowman]

Nice captures.

[Stagecoach]

Binnur, Mike, Andre, Mark, Izzie and John

Thank you all for your comments they are appreciated.

I am still unsure of cropping for No 2 but have tried the square. For me this image is all about change with the blue sky breaking through after an early morning shower and catching the rainbow through the rain cloud on the left is a bonus. If cropped square I do not feel that the rainbow or cloud is defined and strong enough to give the image as much impact as with the right hand present. It may be that with the square crop I can then PP in a different way to give that cloud more definition along with the rainbow, I will give it a go.

For No 2 this is a view that I am determined to explore more for the reason that whenever I have photographed it so far not a single image has met my expectations of what I actually saw at the time. I understand this is often the case but there has to be a time, whenever it is, that you can get the best capture of what's in front of you.

Grahame

[Stagecoach]

I undertook Binnur's and Mike's suggestion of a square crop and at the same time attempted to give the image more impact. The exercise was used to also try and improve my PP procedures especially within the area of layer management and control, something I am not too good at.

Unfortunately I cropped this square before working on it so should I now revisit the un-cropped version?

So here it is,



Grahame

[IzzieK]

I'd like to be the first to tell you -- I like the uncropped version as I had wrote before because of the reason I had stated in my serious post being it tells a story of contradictions, not the jokesy one although I like the jokesy one better if I made you smile.

[Stagecoach]

I'd like to be the first to tell you -- I like the uncropped version as I had wrote before because of the reason I had stated in my serious post being it tells a story of contradictions, not the jokesy one although I like the jokesy one better if I made you smile.

Izzie, your opinion is valued as always and I agree with it totally for this image. Whilst I do not mind the square it has almost completely lost the original plot I'm presently doing a full re-edit of the full one and just have the surf to finish.

PS, Homer Simpson floated by in the sky this morning but by the time I grabbed the camera he had turned into a cloud.

Grahame

[FootLoose]

I agree with Izzie, Grahame. The crop version of the 2nd image is impressive, but I prefer the first edit. I see the arc of the rainbow balanced by the blue sky breaking through the clouds, and the lighter cloud on the left is balanced by the darker cloud on the right. The bright white of the clouds in the gap add touch of drama to it all. If I were going to crop anything, I might take a bit off the foreground. Otherwise, its a great picture.

[Stagecoach]

I agree with Izzie, Grahame. The crop version of the 2nd image is impressive, but I prefer the first edit. I see the arc of the rainbow balanced by the blue sky breaking through the clouds, and the lighter cloud on the left is balanced by the darker cloud on the right. The bright white of the clouds in the gap add touch of drama to it all. If I were going to crop anything, I might take a bit off the foreground. Otherwise, its a great picture.

Thanks for your input Greg, I had not considered the balance aspect of it and appreciate this now. Cropping at the bottom would give it a more panoramic aspect which may help. I'll wait and see if there are any more views on this one.

Grahame

[Mike Buckley]

Great treatment of the cropped version. The drama works well.

I didn't mention earlier that the reason I don't like the first one as much is because it seems to have two subjects that compete with each other -- the rainbow and the blue area of the sky.

[mstrozewski]

Nice! I'm a sucker for rainbows...#2 is interesting #1 has nice composition!

[Brownbear]

Hi Grahame,

I like #2 with just a bit cropped off of the bottom even though it loses your foreground element. For me all the beauty is in the light - the sky, clouds and yes the rainbow.

[bnnrcn]

I like the cropped version. I agree with Mike about the competition

[Stagecoach]

Mike, Mavourneen, Christina and Binnur,

Thank you each for your input and opinions which are a great help to me. To be able to produce two pictures with such a major crop from the one image has been a bonus here and I accept that each version has it's merits.

This is the final version and is my preference from the exercise



Grahame

[JasonS]

Your final edit is amazing. I wish one day to be able to get such photographs and be able to p/p like that. Well done.

[FrankMi]

Mike, Mavourneen, Christina and Binnur,

Thank you each for your input and opinions which are a great help to me. To be able to produce two pictures with such a major crop from the one image has been a bonus here and I accept that each version has it's merits.

This is the final version and is my preference from the exercise



Grahame

And a good one it is too Grahame!

The first one was a bit flat but by bringing out some of the color, you have made the triangle of lines more prominent and strengthened the composition at the same time. My eye goes from the rainbow to the blue in the sky to the details on the shore and back to the rainbow. Each time I make the circuit I see things I missed in the previous pass!

Well done!