Shell Game

[Ed Vatza]

My wife and I hit Sandy Hook (NJ) for sunrise with visions of bird photography dancing in my head. It was a total bust. I did take a single bird shot. I did run into Axel out there on North Beach and he was heading back toward the parking area due to a lack of shorebirds.

As we (my wife and I not Axel and I :)) were walking along the beach, I happened to see this single shell lying alone in a pretty clean (shell-less) stretch of beach. No birds so let's photograph the shell... with my 50D and 300mm f/2.8L IS w/ 2x TC. I worked the shell from a couple of angles without touching it at all and ended up liking this angle the best. After I was done, I asked my wife if she wanted the shell. She said sure so I picked it up to hand to her. And when I did, I glanced inside and there was a hermit crab neatly tucked up in there. After a brief discussion about the merits of a pet hermit crab, I gently returned the little fella to his spot on the beach.

1/250 sec @ f/8.0; ISO 400; +1 EV, Sunny WB

[Jerry van Dijk]

Wonderful find, Ed. The image is so quiet and peaceful, one wouldn't suspect a little crab living inside. Excellent DOF and I especially like the complementary colors of the shell and the BG.
- Jerry -

[denise ippolito]

Ed, I like the tone on tone colors of the image. The clear details of the shell are appealing. I wish the entire shadow had been included as it is an important part of the scene IMHO. I might take a slice off the top. Nicely seen and captured.

[Steve Maxson]

Good sharpness and DOF, Ed, and I like the low shooting angle and the simplicity of the comp. You might consider cloning the white spot in the shadow and adding a little room on the left to include the entire shadow - if you have it.

[Julie Kenward]

Perfect DOF on this one, Ed. I, too, might consider taking just a slice off the top but it's not a do-or-die kind of thing. One thing I did think of would be to maybe deepen the shadow just a bit more to give it a little more presence in the sand.

Lovely lighting on this...it almost made me squint thinking it was real!

[Ed Vatza]

Thanks all. I appreciate all the feedback. I tried to incorporate some/all of the comments into the re-post above (full shadow, cloned out the white spot in the shadow, tried to make it look like I took a little off the top). Just a comment regarding cropping. I will often find myself cropping to a specific dimension with a print in mind. When I looked at this image out of the camera, I started thinking about the possibility of printing an 8x10 so I cropped to that ratio. Rather that just taking a slice off the top, I went back to the original and resized to a 2x3 ratio so I could do a 12x18, for example. Which brings me to Denise's comment (I alway pick on Denise :D)



I might take a slice off the top.

I am officially nicknaming you "The Barber" because of the number of times you've told me to take a little off the top!:eek::D

[Julie Kenward]

Ed, that was the best laugh I have had all day! Denise, a.k.a. "The Barber"!!! Too funny!

[denise ippolito]

Ed, I like the re-post ALOT! The crop no longer has that square feel to it. The complete shadow really makes this special-well done!
PS-I don't care if you call me "The Barber":) As long as you know I am only trying to help.:D

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Ed,
I might even go tighter to a pano......since I do have a buzz cut......am I the buzz cut barber?:D
Where did my hair go?:confused:

[Ed Vatza]

Ed, that was the best laugh I have had all day! Denise, a.k.a. "The Barber"!!! Too funny!

What can I say? I'm just a funny guy!:D


PS-I don't care if you call me "The Barber":) As long as you know I am only trying to help.:D

Hey Denise,

Three things to remember:

1) I take my photography very seriously.
2) I don't take anything so seriously that I can't laugh, joke and have fun.
3) Learning is a lifetime process. When we stop learning, we stop living.

How's that for a Sunday morning at 7:00 am philosophy to photograph by! ;)

[Mike Moats]

Hey Ed, the suggestions and the repost really has made this a better image. Well done.

[Vida van der Walt]

Hi Ed. A great image and the repost is even better. I love the soft light and pastel colours in this. Enjoy your sense of humour.:)

[Anita Bower]

I agree with Mike and Vida's comments. I liked the image to start with, and the improvements make it even better. Great job in getting all the shell in focus! Wow! I got out my magnifying glass to look at its details.
How do you do a 2x3 ratio? I never think of printing sizes when composing or cropping my images, which leads to extra work.
Among your images of this shell, do you have one with a small aperture so that most everything is in focus? Just wondering how it would look.
I admire your getting out most weekends to photogrqph! You must have a patient wife.