Catching the Sun

[Stagecoach]

Ok, the titles a bit naff but I have a warped imagination.

My intention tonight was to get to the shore and set the camera on tripod shooting my favourite island after the sun went down, just because I could.

As I arrived spotted this guy fishing so ran along the beach plonked on a log and grabbed four shots before he packed up. He was one of the chefs from a nearby hotel, catching bait for a fishing trip on Saturday.

No 1 - 1/3200s, f/3.5, ISO800, 75mm


No 2 - 1/5000s, f/3.5, ISO800, 75mm


Can't quite decide what to do with the crops on these and I don't like going in tighter and losing IQ. I really wish I'd had my longer lens but it was back in the car

Grahame

[Shadowman]

Nicel captured.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Grahame, not that I know a lot about this type of photography, but if they were mine, I would lose the shore of both images? but that's just my take on it!

Cheers David

[bnnrcn]

Nice images Grahame I especially like #2 as the fishing operation can be viewed better and it is a nice composition with the net. There is a pale dot in middle right of the sky , might it be a water drop on your lens ? I would clone it out.

[NorthernFocus]

Nice shots. Yes the second image shot/cropped tighter would be awesome. Good job seeing the opportunity and making the most of it.

[Downrigger]

Just great. Really interesting/impressive to me how you managed the thread the needle on exposure with the obviously huge dynamic range, and DOF, which you nailed despite f/3.5, and freezing the action (in the second). I wonder how you were shooting... manual with auto-ISO maybe? Whatever, great job.

I really think the second one is just terrific - I can imagine fooling with the crop and returning to it as is for the sense of space needed to hold that fine light.

[Manfred M]

Two nice images, Grahame and I would tend to agree that losing the shoreline could make these strong images even stronger.

Now, I must admit I am rather jealous of your location right now, having just come in from shoveling some 25cm / 10" of freshly fallen snow off the walks and driveway.

[Tringa]

Two good images there Grahame, especially the second.

I appreciate that sometimes a shot presents itself and you have to go for it, but if there is a chance of repeating it - I'm guessing the chef may be catching bait on another evening - a lower viewpoint to place the silhouette of the figure against the sky would, I think, be better.

However, I would be more than happy to have taken either of these.

Dave

[arith]

It's a very good photo. You can easily get rid of the spot in the sky.

[HaseebM]

Number two is great, wish the sun in number one could be merged with number two, would have been perfect.

[Stagecoach]

John, David, Binnur, Dan, Mark, Manfred, Dave, Steve and Hasseeb

Thank you guys for your comments on these and rather than reply to each individually I'll try and cover all points mentioned along with hopefully some useful info.

Firstly, whilst I take many images of sunsets as a rule I never include the sun within the camera frame, I use the light at the time to emphasise the scene so I have no experience of shooting the sun at this time of day. So I am going to use this experience to gain knowledge with the idea that the next time I get an opportunity like this I will know how best to tackle it.

CROP

These were hurriedly PPd and as often happens I can not decide straight away how best to crop, but I know I will get advice so tend to post the image with bits that I would more than likely remove. In this case I left the shore should someone suggest it would be better with a bit of shoreline showing

DOT/FLARE/REFLECTION

There are no marks from water on the filter front and splashing would have not happened so I can only put it down to reflection or flare. I do have a 'cheap' UV on this lens for protection but I have also noted the flare does not show in the one horizontal shot taken but is evident in the two differently framed portrait shots, lens hood shape maybe?

Whatever the reason fortunately very easily cloned out.

VIEWPOINT

Agree that a lower viewpoint would be an advantage and shooting No 2 with the net above the sun rather than below would have been an awesome capture.

To have got a lower viewpoint and I was already initially sat on a 6" bamboo log on the ground would have meant lying down on the wet dirty shore sand/mud which also presents the problem that you are then restricted in movement and these guys wander around and you never know what direction that net is going in until it's released.

On a purely un-technical point we have had no running water for 6 days now, showers are limited to using the rainwater stored in my tank and I had had my ration of two showers for the day

EXPOSURE

Based on the fact that I know how fast the sun sets here, not knowing how long the guy would continue fishing and the unknown frequency of the casts I decided to use, Matrix metering, Aperture Priority a wide aperture and a high ISO (knowing my camera is a bit noisy at 800) for the priority of getting the sharpest image I could and freezing the movement. I did not get a chance to notice the high shutter speed before grabbing the first shot No 1.

I took two more shots in manual with settings of f/4.5 and 1/320s not yet PPd but I expect one will be acceptable.

With this information gained I can now work out the best way to tackle the situation again, which will be lowering the ISO to a level that I have adequate speed for freezing the motion.

DOF

A short time ago there was a post here with a shot taken on a beach with very close foreground rocks, a bigger rock 20 metres (approx) out in the water and a horizon. The question was 'how to achieve sharpness throughout' which expanded into long discussions regarding DoF charts, hyper-focal distance etc etc. The significant aspect of the image was that whilst the very close foreground rocks were sharp, the one at 20 metres was very fuzzy but the horizon also appeared sharp.

My focus for these images was set on the fisherman and yet at f/3.5 we see a water horizon and the wreck parts that are pretty sharp. I have only undertaken basic global sharpening and actually consider the horizon looks too sharp?

Hope the above is of use and to me the shots demonstrate how well the camera can perform in its Point and Shoot Auto modes and give good results, you just need to be lucky enough to be in the right place at the right time

Grahame

[ST1]

Well caught Grahame, I do like them both but...as others have said the addition of the net adds to the second image. Great colour well captured.

[MarieV]

What a glorious sunset and beautifully captured Graham. Having the action of the guy fishing really adds to it's beauty.

[Stagecoach]

Well caught Grahame, I do like them both but...as others have said the addition of the net adds to the second image. Great colour well captured.

Thanks Peter, for info I had the WB set on Daylight for these and have not played with the WB in post.

[Stagecoach]

What a glorious sunset and beautifully captured Graham. Having the action of the guy fishing really adds to it's beauty.

Thank you Marie, we are lucky with sunsets here but I can still never work out or predict what weather gives the best ones

[IzzieK]

Both are beautiful images, Grahame, testing your waters on sunsets or not. I particularly like the colour of the first one and the inclusion of the net of the second. Even before I saw your images Rod McKuen's song of "I'll Catch The Sun" came to mind. Seeing your images with that song in mind, it made it more beautiful in my eyes.

[Stagecoach]

Hi Izzie,

Pleased you liked these, I did so you may have to put up with seeing some more in the future, I want to get that sun in the net

I listened to that track on You Tube, I'd never heard of it before.

Here's the final one of the set, there was just one other with the net in the air but too much motion blur



Grahame

[bnnrcn]

This one is very nice too Grahame. I like the vertical frame .Interestingly if you crop most of the sky for a landscape format it gives another nice composition

[Stagecoach]

This one is very nice too Grahame. I like the vertical frame .Interestingly if you crop most of the sky for a landscape format it gives another nice composition

Thanks Binnur,

It was quite interesting playing around with crops on these but I do like the emphasis on the sky area with this one. The landscape crop also works well but you are then losing pixels.

With this one I tried to emphasise the fisherman silhouette so lightened the midtones but suspect it could now do with a gradient run down the sky area to darken the top a bit.

I also uncovered an anomaly in that somehow my PSCC had changed from my standard 'Bicubic' when downsizing to 'Automatic' which was crunching things up in the first two posted images.

In addition have just noticed the save for web options of 'Optimised' which I'm set on or 'Original' that I have not yet sussed out.

Grahame

[FrankMi]

Just now seeing these. The third one is a real beauty with the sun's reflection off the water making the fisherman and his net clearly visible while still being fully silhouetted. Nice work Grahame!