Michael Lloyd
09-15-2012, 11:07 AM
Yesterday I was out scouting locations for a portfolio that I'm working on and I came across this pier. To be honest, this is no where near a final image for me. Something isn't working and I can't put a finger on it. It's not the obvious, like bad lighting, not enough blur, or weak B&W conversion, I can fix those things. I suspect it's the composition, which I can also fix. I think this scene would work in color (and B&W) if the clouds were more foreboding or if there was fog. I find myself wanting to see the top of the pier and still see the foreground rocks. That should be easy enough to accomplish with a T-S lens. The angle of the waves and pier seem to work but something is not right and I can't put my finger on it. I thought that I would get a second opinion(s) or two or ten...
5DMKII manual on a tripod
Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZE
Singh-Ray Vari-ND @ 8 stops
ISO 50
1/4s @ f8.0
I shot this at around 10:15. Contrary to what you might think, this is too early. High noon or late afternoon would have worked better for the Vari-ND. Also note that 8 stops wasn't enough. I could've stopped down to f22 at the cost of sharpness but this was a test run for the Vari-ND to see if I really needed the Mor-Slo ND (5 more stops). I do. 1/4s is still too fast for what I'm trying to do. I put two images in one to compare the timing of the waves in the two shots.
http://wildlightimagingstudio.com/img/s2/v58/p1124631984-4.jpg
5DMKII manual on a tripod
Zeiss Distagon T* 2.8/21 ZE
Singh-Ray Vari-ND @ 8 stops
ISO 50
1/4s @ f8.0
I shot this at around 10:15. Contrary to what you might think, this is too early. High noon or late afternoon would have worked better for the Vari-ND. Also note that 8 stops wasn't enough. I could've stopped down to f22 at the cost of sharpness but this was a test run for the Vari-ND to see if I really needed the Mor-Slo ND (5 more stops). I do. 1/4s is still too fast for what I'm trying to do. I put two images in one to compare the timing of the waves in the two shots.
http://wildlightimagingstudio.com/img/s2/v58/p1124631984-4.jpg