Devastation possible from two very different sources

[lovelife65]

Crude ship passing by Mount Baker. From Cap Sante area, in Anacortes, WA
The light was interesting yesterday, may not work.
Any ideas for improvement welcome

[Geoff F]

I would definitely do something about those out of focus stems in the foreground. Either crop or clone. Maybe this would be a suitable case for a more panoramic crop?

[Manfred M]

All those sticks in the front of this image are not doing you any favours, so I would be tempted to remove them. I might also trim a bit of the sky and water in the foreground, as well as warm the scene up a touch as well as adding just a bit more contrast...

[Dave Humphries]

If it were my capture Sharon,

I would crop about 1/3 of the foreground water away and clone out any remaining plant stems (because I don't think they add much* to the composition), these two actions help concentrate the viewer's attention on the ship, land masses, cloud bank and the mountains and sky behind. It also lowers the 'sea' horizon to the improvement of composition, I think.

* OK; so they do add 'depth' (i.e. another plane to the image), but there's such a vast distance between the foreground stems and everything else, I'm not sure it works so well as they're out of focus.

Cheers, Dave

PS
As an amusing aside (well it made me chuckle at my own stupidity), when I read the text, I thought you'd error corrected 'cruise ship' to 'crude ship' - until I looked at the image larger!

UPDATE I see Manfred has similar ideas, but took it further.

[Wavelength]

Beautiful ; edit has done justice; i would also rotate it by 2 or 3 degree clock wise

[Saorsa]

All those sticks in the front of this image are not doing you any favours, so I would be tempted to remove them. I might also trim a bit of the sky and water in the foreground, as well as warm the scene up a touch as well as adding just a bit more contrast...

I think a panorama crop would help this a lot. The OOF sticks were too evident and distracting and removing them helped but left a lot of vacant space in the bottom half of the image. Taking it to a pano makes it a more intersting image for me. I think the Ship, Cloud layer and Mountain show depth. The ship becomes the foreground object for the shore and mountain.

[lovelife65]

I think a panorama crop would help this a lot. The OOF sticks were too evident and distracting and removing them helped but left a lot of vacant space in the bottom half of the image. Taking it to a pano makes it a more intersting image for me. I think the Ship, Cloud layer and Mountain show depth. The ship becomes the foreground object for the shore and mountain.

Love this much more. I went back and forth between cropping the sticks (purposely out of focus) and sky, and not. I'm not sure why I left them in, and also why I'm so afraid to crop my images. Maybe because I believe it means I am not composing right, which in many cases I am not.. still learning better techniques in so many areas.

So many beautiful and fun things to photo out here... so I have plenty of practice opportunities.

[lovelife65]

All those sticks in the front of this image are not doing you any favours, so I would be tempted to remove them. I might also trim a bit of the sky and water in the foreground, as well as warm the scene up a touch as well as adding just a bit more contrast...

Adding warmth and contrast helped a ton, thank you for the suggestions. The image overall is very "cold" with the winter, mountains, water. Warming it up made a big difference

[Tronhard]

I live part of the year (the warm part actually) not far from you in Victoria, BC. On the theme of your image I think we have another source of devastation.
There is the threat from the volcano, Mt Baker, seen in the background
There is the threat of pollution from tankers ploughing along the coasts of otherwise pristine islands
Added to those a the hidden threat:
The massive Juan de Fuca subduction fault that lies about 100km off the coast of the continent. I has produces a quake in the region of level 9 about every 300 years, the last being on January 29th 1700, so we are overdue. Evidence from core sampling indicates that the Pacific Plate has elevated the west coast by about 1.6m and pushed it about 6m to the East. When the fault releases that movement will produce a massive quake and a tsunami of about the same height as the Fukushima one in 2011. It will impact cities from Vancouver down to the top of California. The fault was discovered only about 25 years ago, and the implications for cities is still being gauged as they have never suffered any serious seismic movement. All the indications are that for Canada at least the results will be totally overwhelming...

[lovelife65]

I live part of the year (the warm part actually) not far from you in Victoria, BC. On the theme of your image I think we have another source of devastation.
There is the threat from the volcano, Mt Baker, seen in the background
There is the threat of pollution from tankers ploughing along the coasts of otherwise pristine islands
Added to those a the hidden threat:
The massive Juan de Fuca subduction fault that lies about 100km off the coast of the continent. I has produces a quake in the region of level 9 about every 300 years, the last being on January 29th 1700, so we are overdue. Evidence from core sampling indicates that the Pacific Plate has elevated the west coast by about 1.6m and pushed it about 6m to the East. When the fault releases that movement will produce a massive quake and a tsunami of about the same height as the Fukushima one in 2011. It will impact cities from Vancouver down to the top of California. The fault was discovered only about 25 years ago, and the implications for cities is still being gauged as they have never suffered any serious seismic movement. All the indications are that for Canada at least the results will be totally overwhelming...

There is some support for Shell/Tescoro in town, yet a lot of opposition to the old technology and unsafe practices. You just had to remind me of that fault line? ;-). Coming from living 15 years on top of the Hayward Fault, I choose to falsely believe I am safer where I am. Does it help we live on top of rock? Nah, probably not. The fault line you talk about is absolutely frightening. Much devastation that you talk about. There have been several articles in the Seattle Times discussing it, and it's pretty sobering. I have also read that it could not only set off a tsunami, but possibly volcanic activity as well. Luckily we are not in danger from that, but there are many many concerning ramifications for when it does happen.
I still love living here despite the risks.
Victoria is stunning, been over on the boat a few times... love stepping outside of the tourist areas, to find a funky, artsy community full of interesting architecture, people and neighborhoods. Hope to come over in the spring. Beautiful island....

[madcrow]

You might not got your image perfect but when you added "so many beautiful and fun things to photo out there" you were a 100% right. Enjoy learning.

[Saorsa]

Love this much more. I went back and forth between cropping the sticks (purposely out of focus) and sky, and not. I'm not sure why I left them in, and also why I'm so afraid to crop my images. Maybe because I believe it means I am not composing right, which in many cases I am not.. still learning better techniques in so many areas.

So many beautiful and fun things to photo out here... so I have plenty of practice opportunities.

One of the problems with thinking that you must fill your frame is that it limits you to the aspect ratio of your camera. The real world isn't like that. Some areas fit squares, some near square rectangles and some stretch from side to side. Your image is one of those. When you look at it, the sea is an intrinsic part, it gives the ship a place to be but it is not the subject, The cloud layer is an interesting vertical separator but one that actually puts the high mountain in perspective and provides some horizontal separation between the ship and city.

I find it a really interesting image

Does anyone know of a camera whose aspect ratio is the golden mean?

[FootLoose]

Perhaps a touch of sharpening too.

[Tronhard]

Hi Sharon:

I love this area too. Apart from being the most temperate part of Canada, and for your the NW USA, it is rich in a vast variety of flora and fauna, and full of stunning views. I have visited Seattle only twice but it is already my favourite city in the USA (not that I am a well-travelled expert!). But the folks there seem very like those in Victoria and Vancouver - which is to say they are gracious, welcoming and open-hearted for the most part.

Yes that fault is a bit of an issue. I must say the US authorities seem to be taking it a lot more seriously than either Provincial or Federal governments in Canada. The auditor general just raked the Provincial Government over the coals massively for not making the public more aware, making preparations and "generally endangering their lives". Not only do we have the subduction fault off the coast, but VERY recently they have found a crustal fault only a few km off the coast of Victoria. They expect this to generate a quake similar to that the hammered Christchurch in NZ, and that fault could easily be triggered by the subduction fault's movement.

I have spent considerable time and effort trying to get the owners of apartments in my building to wake up and do some preparation. I think at last we have some momentum, but the big test is when they have to vote to spend money on emergency shelters and supplies. Having lived in NZ and been a structural engineer way back, I know what an big quake can do - they have absolutely no concept of the carnage it will cause.

There is some support for Shell/Tescoro in town, yet a lot of opposition to the old technology and unsafe practices. You just had to remind me of that fault line? ;-). Coming from living 15 years on top of the Hayward Fault, I choose to falsely believe I am safer where I am. Does it help we live on top of rock? Nah, probably not. The fault line you talk about is absolutely frightening. Much devastation that you talk about. There have been several articles in the Seattle Times discussing it, and it's pretty sobering. I have also read that it could not only set off a tsunami, but possibly volcanic activity as well. Luckily we are not in danger from that, but there are many many concerning ramifications for when it does happen.
I still love living here despite the risks.
Victoria is stunning, been over on the boat a few times... love stepping outside of the tourist areas, to find a funky, artsy community full of interesting architecture, people and neighborhoods. Hope to come over in the spring. Beautiful island....

[lovelife65]

Hi Sharon:

I love this area too. Apart from being the most temperate part of Canada, and for your the NW USA, it is rich in a vast variety of flora and fauna, and full of stunning views. I have visited Seattle only twice but it is already my favourite city in the USA (not that I am a well-travelled expert!). But the folks there seem very like those in Victoria and Vancouver - which is to say they are gracious, welcoming and open-hearted for the most part.

Yes that fault is a bit of an issue. I must say the US authorities seem to be taking it a lot more seriously than either Provincial or Federal governments in Canada. The auditor general just raked the Provincial Government over the coals massively for not making the public more aware, making preparations and "generally endangering their lives". Not only do we have the subduction fault off the coast, but VERY recently they have found a crustal fault only a few km off the coast of Victoria. They expect this to generate a quake similar to that the hammered Christchurch in NZ, and that fault could easily be triggered by the subduction fault's movement.

I have spent considerable time and effort trying to get the owners of apartments in my building to wake up and do some preparation. I think at last we have some momentum, but the big test is when they have to vote to spend money on emergency shelters and supplies. Having lived in NZ and been a structural engineer way back, I know what an big quake can do - they have absolutely no concept of the carnage it will cause.

That is quite disturbing. I always figured Canada would be much better prepared than us here in the States. Maybe you guys over in Victoria are too busy figuring out the sewage issue. hehe. Sorry.
I get reminded of the subduction zone quite often by my dear brother still living in California... he doesn't want me to be too smug about leaving behind the Hayward fault ;-). Christchurch is a great cautionary tale. I know of someone over in NZ and she says many of the buildings in Wellington are going to be condemned. I think your efforts are noble and kind.

[Tronhard]

Hi Again!

The last quake in NZ was massive compared to the shake that devastated Christchurch back in 2011. Christchurch itself will take up to 5 decades to completely rebuild.


A chart of energy released by NZ Govt. Geological and Nuclear Sciences

That was because the devastation was across an area with comparatively few settlements, but damage to the land is massive. The quake we just suffered has caused 12% of the high-rise buildings in our capital to be condemned, requiring either massive repairs or a full rebuild. Over 10,000 people have been displaced, either temporarily or permanently and the bill will rise into the billions of dollars again.

There have been major earthquakes pretty well everywhere around the Ring of Fire EXCEPT the US and Canada. That silence is ominous to me, and it has to be just a matter of time before the pressure on the fault causes it to slip, and it will be an experience. To put the quake that the west coast is looking at, the island and mainland for perhaps 200km is currently bowed and compressed, and if that energy is released Vancouver island could well drop 1.5m in height and move 6m to the west. The last time such an earthquake happened was well before European records, but First Nations accounts say it was felt as far west as Manitoba, or Minnesota on your side of the border...

That is quite disturbing. I always figured Canada would be much better prepared than us here in the States. Maybe you guys over in Victoria are too busy figuring out the sewage issue. hehe. Sorry.
I get reminded of the subduction zone quite often by my dear brother still living in California... he doesn't want me to be too smug about leaving behind the Hayward fault ;-). Christchurch is a great cautionary tale. I know of someone over in NZ and she says many of the buildings in Wellington are going to be condemned. I think your efforts are noble and kind.

[NorthernFocus]

...There have been major earthquakes pretty well everywhere around the Ring of Fire EXCEPT the US and Canada. That silence is ominous to me...

When we travel we find that most people confuse Alaska as being part of Canada. Including a lot of Americans. Trev, I think you are the first to exclude us from both the US and Canada. Presumably at least based on your statement. We are, in-fact, part of the "ring of fire" and are also, in-fact, one of the 50 states We have dozens of quakes every day across the state but since they rarely impact human habitation (much less the US or Canada) they go unnoticed by all but interested professionals. We had a 7.1 in January of this year that you'll have a hard time finding any headlines about. Much like Kaikura if there aren't enough casualties for a decent headline, no one cares. And Alaska is six times the land area of New Zealand with 1/6th the population. So we make few disaster headlines. Unless polar bears or whales are impacted

[Tronhard]

Hi Dan:

I think there is some confusion here. I know that Alaska is part of the USA and I am not ignoring the quake that Alaska experienced in 1962, and I would in NO way belittle the trauma that those in Alaska suffered in that major event. I am also aware that there is ongoing seismic activity in Alaska What I am referring to is the CURRENT cluster of major subduction quakes that started around 2004 have impacted the ring of fire except North America.

Specifically, in my conversation with Sharon, who is virtually my neighbour, I am referring to the Juan de Fuca fault that forms part of the Cascadia Subduction Zone beginning at the North End of Haida Guaii (below Alaska) and extending south down to the southern end of Oregon. The existence of this fault was discovered only 30 years ago. However bores indicate that this fault has a massive movement around every 300 years, the last of which occurred on January 26th 1700. It produced a movement that dropped the coastline of the continent by over 1.5m and created a tsunami that hit Japan hours later at a height of almost 15m. According to First Nations oral history it wiped all live along the coast of Vancouver Island to a height of about 20m.

It is possible that a movement of the Cascadia fault will trigger a cascade to the San Andreas Fault - the results of either scenario are catastrophic. As you said yourself there is little impact if a major quake occurs outside of our settled areas If just the Juan de Fuca fault moves it will extend over 600km and impact Vancouver, Victoria, Seattle, and all of the other major and minor populations down to the north of California. FEMA and DHS are both aware of this and have been conducting extensive exercises to practice for such an event. Sadly Canada's preparations are nowhere near that level.

Yes absolutely you get earthquakes with monotonous regularity, but when this one comes it will dwarf any experience in the European history of North America as it happened over 300 years ago. We are looking at a quake in the region of the Fukushima one, with similar Tsunami implications. As I am sure you are aware, the measurements for earthquakes go up exponentially, which is why, as shown on the graph, the 7.8 earthquake we just had in NZ dwarfs the 6.8 earthquake that clobbered Christchurch.

When we travel we find that most people confuse Alaska as being part of Canada. Including a lot of Americans. Trev, I think you are the first to exclude us from both the US and Canada. Presumably at least based on your statement. We are, in-fact, part of the "ring of fire" and are also, in-fact, one of the 50 states We have dozens of quakes every day across the state but since they rarely impact human habitation (much less the US or Canada) they go unnoticed by all but interested professionals. We had a 7.1 in January of this year that you'll have a hard time finding any headlines about. Much like Kaikura if there aren't enough casualties for a decent headline, no one cares. And Alaska is six times the land area of New Zealand with 1/6th the population. So we make few disaster headlines. Unless polar bears or whales are impacted

[NorthernFocus]

Just poking fun, Trev. We had more than one chuckle about our mistaken citizenship during our recent travels. The vast majority of folks seemed to think us Canadians with a few others giving us our own nation. Very few connected us with the USA. Good news is that no one wanted to give us back to Mr.Putin

[Tronhard]

I hope you won't ever have to worry about learning Russian!

Actually down here we have quite a bit of stuff on the purchase of Alaska from Russia, we even have a memorial:[



Alaska is one place I would love to visit, preferably by driving up there, but I suspect I won't be able to manage it before I return to live in NZ. Still, maybe on a later visit...

QUOTE=NorthernFocus;647855]Just poking fun, Trev. We had more than one chuckle about our mistaken citizenship during our recent travels. The vast majority of folks seemed to think us Canadians with a few others giving us our own nation. Very few connected us with the USA. Good news is that no one wanted to give us back to Mr.Putin [/QUOTE]