Tide's out (and so are the fires)

[billtils]

"Tide's out" is self-explanatory, but the "so are the fires" probably isn't. It refers to the structure at the top right, which is the now closed Longannet coal-fired power station.



C&C are always welcome but I'd especially like some feedback on this one: it was shot using the 14mm lens and the B&W conversion is rather more, shall we say "dramatic" than is my usual taste in these things.

[JohnRostron]

I find the sky very dramatic. I do not usually go for B&W, but this is very impressive. I do get the impression that the horizon is slightly tilted clockwise, though this might be an artefact.

John

[Mike Buckley]

Nice foreground interest. Considering the large amount of drama in the scene, I'm surprised that you limited the drama by omitting pure blacks and pure whites. Check out your histogram for confirmation and try adjusting your black and white points to determine whether you like the change.

[John 2]

Just been checking out the histogram and it's fairly well distributed. I think this is because there is a bit of HDR in the treatment but I'm with Mike, I think I would prefer to at least see some deeper blacks. Very nice composition though. I like the impact of the FG.

[billtils]

John, Mike and John 2

Thanks for the feedback - much appreciated.

Yes, you are correct re the blacks and whites. The image was processed in SilverEfex and the "white whites" and "black blacks" gave a result that was too stark for my taste. However, here is one that goes from 25 to 236, just for you .

[Mike Buckley]

The image was processed in SilverEfex and the "white whites" and "black blacks" gave a result that was too stark for my taste.

It's your taste that matters most, so stick with what you prefer.

[billtils]

Thanks Mike. It's not entirely that simple - if I stick with nothing but what I like I'll never get better.

Also, it wasn't just the black/white point issue: with this last one, the white is in the wrong place and draws the eye out of the picture. Your comment on adjusting the B and W points in the first version posted is probably pretty close to the mark though

[xpatUSA]

Thanks Mike. It's not entirely that simple - if I stick with nothing but what I like I'll never get better.

Also, it wasn't just the black/white point issue: with this last one, the white is in the wrong place and draws the eye out of the picture.

That it does, almost to the point of suggesting to crop out the "blown" cloud at top right and some of the more featureless content at left?

[Mike Buckley]

I agree, Bill, that it's not entirely simple. However, you knew you had omitted the use of pure black and pure white and you liked it that way. It would have been an entirely different matter, as is usually the case with most people, if you had not realized that you had accidentally omitted them. It's in that context that I admire that you're creating the image the way you like it.

[Shadowman]

Nice capture.

[Wavelength]

Don't know why i am distracted in all directions; i feel confused may be too busy