Juno Beach Pier Sunrise

[Harold Davis]

this is a five image HDR. i used the HDR to try to bring some more detail out of the pier and tame the sun. tried to make it realistic without the HDR feel. cloned out some surfers and some dust bunnies along with some of that "pixelization" that you sometimes get with Photomatix.

D300, 18-200 at 18mm, f/22, 2s, ISO 200, double stacked 3-stop GND filters.....five images were +2, +1, 0, -1 and -2.

one of the last time i posted in here, paul marcellini told me i should really work hard to present the best i could. well boys, here it is! i worked on this, walked away twice only to tweak it some more. what do i need to do now?

thanks for looking. comments and critiques much appreciated.

[Axel Hildebrandt]

I like the idea, crop and morning light and am undecided about the difference in sharpness of the pier and the water underneath.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Harold,
Well gald to see someone is paying attention! Love the comp.....nice job using the pieron the diagonal to lead us through the frame.... and while the sun is close to being too bright....I am fine with it as presented. I think the SS you chose to give the water a silky look was right on.....just might bring it up a touch in the darker areas on the left.....(whites only perhaps levels layer or B/C) for more depth. Toy around with the dodge tool on the RH of the pier to see if you can get it to match the tones with the other parts....that's it! You did a really nice job with this and you could leave it....or keep trying subtle layers to even further make this shine! Very nicely composed and thought out!

[Fabs Forns]

Good use of vanishing point, son. I like natural looking HDR when nature is involved, so you got mu blessings. Maybe getting the sun a couple of minutes before at f/22 would have been an interesting option.
Are you working tomorrow?
Crandon Gardens at 7:30AM, then lunch?

[Dennis "Curly" Buchner]

Awesome comp Harold!!

[Dave Mills]

Harold, Very strong image as presented! Roman suggested some helpful tweaks but IMO it's excellent as is. Good comp with dramatic lighting. Well done!

[Morkel Erasmus]

I really like this one Harold. Great dreamy HDR feel without it looking 'fake', great tonal depth and I quite like the soft movement of the water against the sharp pier. I agree the sun a few moments earlier might have been even better.

[denise ippolito]

Harold, Really beautiful scene. I love the dreamy water and your composition.