Never dispose of your RAW files

Thanks for all the comments.

Bill (and others). Regarding..............

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Originally Posted by billtils

"Latest threads" won't load for me since late last night.

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I got the following e-mail from Sean earlier today -

"I am in the process of several changes with the web server so this is a consequence of that. I don't yet know why this page has stopped but I'm working on it. I suspect it's an incompatibility with the newer versions of PHP but not certain. It may take several says to figure this one out though. On the bright side all the other pages on the website should be a lot snappier now."

Just to keep you up to date.

The immediate foreground is distracting. It is too bright and there is too much of it. If you really think it is necessary to keep it then crop half off and tone it down but I don't think you need it at all. The rising curved vertical of the cliff on the right is sufficient to signal to the viewer that the lighthouse is in some remote location (aren't they all?). Break your square rule and crop for the subject, no-one is going to admire the square frame and disregard the scene.

Overall, I think the scene is too bright. You have probably done this to reveal detail in the land and sky but it makes the lighthouse beacon seem almost irrelevant.

Personally, Donald, I like the crop without the grass and additionally have no worries at all about it being not square. An interesting thread and good to hear all the differing views.

The foreground as is in Donald's original forms an essential part of the scene to me.

My reasoning behind this opinion, although I'm not convinced reasoning is always necessary is;

a) It divides the vertical area into three clearly different 'contrast' (used loosely) areas, namely grass (semi smooth), rock (gritty) and sky (very smooth).

b) It divides the vertical areas into roughly three pleasing graduated depths, 1/8 grass, 3/8 rock, 1/2 sky, disregarding the small depth of sea.

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Originally Posted by FootLoose

The immediate foreground is distracting. It is too bright and there is too much of it. If you really think it is necessary to keep it then crop half off and tone it down but I don't think you need it at all. The rising curved vertical of the cliff on the right is sufficient to signal to the viewer that the lighthouse is in some remote location (aren't they all?). Break your square rule and crop for the subject, no-one is going to admire the square frame and disregard the scene.

Overall, I think the scene is too bright. You have probably done this to reveal detail in the land and sky but it makes the lighthouse beacon seem almost irrelevant.

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No they aren't. many lighthouses are at harbour entrances.

That's a funny thing, Brian you have made me think. We have two lighthouses here and they are "surrounded" by the city now. One is on the breakwater (harbour entrance) and the other is on top of a cliff. In fact I walk within a couple of metres of both of them everyday, and often sit down on the plinth of the oldest one to rest. They are not remote by any means and are both functioning. I guess being so familiar with them I tend not to see them more as tourist attractions than anything else.