Storm Approaching Flinders Beach

Here's a similar one to previous. It was quiet and still. The waves hardly making a noise as the rolled onto the beach. There is a little, freshwater creek that has pushed it's way through the foreshore that changed it's direction every tide. No day was the same. The lump on the horizon line is the huge sand dunes of Moreton Island.

I have taken the liberty of two images. (If this is not acceptable, please remove) Your thoughts and suggestions on the both is welcomed.

In ACR - Contrast added +47, Higlights increased +100, Shadows -78. All colours in the HSL panels increased.
In PSCS6 - This is the biggest play I've ever done! Colour version - Separate Curves layers on sky, beach, ocean, creek. Separate Hue/Sat layers on sky, beach, ocean and creek. A vibrance alyer.
B&W version - Brightness/Contrast layer added. Along with Silver Efex Pro 2 and Dfine 2.

Canon 5D2
Canon 24-70mm @ 70mm
f20
.80 sec
ISO 100
Tripod

C&C Always welcomed and appreciated.

Marvelous!! My preference is the B&W. The sandbar in the FG is a really good compositional element and the drama in the sky is amazing. Great job on this one, Glennie. Love it. Would be proud to have this on my portfolio.

I would keep the color version simply because of all the different colors. You lose that in the
black and white version.

I do like the b&w, but I think of it this way. If you show only the b&w version, chances are
you'll probably describe the scene and its wonderful colors, but the person looking at it
while you are explaining it, only has the b&w to go by. Color, due to the uniqueness.

Doug

This is interesting, and I love the B&W! Something I notice in my Astrophotography images is demonstrated here. The B&W version "appears" to show more details to my eye than the color version, and I notice this same phenomenon in my AP images. I wonder if it is just my eyes or if this is common and the reason people like Ansel Adams shot in B&W.

Warren, I was just about to comment on something similar that I was seeing. In the Color version, the rain looks to be a solid downpour with one section a bit heavier than the rest. But in the B/W version, you can really see the gradation of the amounts of rain coming down from the clouds. If I could have my choice, I would want the Color version (love the colors!) but somehow get that b/w version of rain volume contrasts ........

Well done, Glennie, and this is fun giving us choices like this!!


AP

This was a great big DUH moment for me after posting my reply. In AP, we shoot in Mono because every pixel on the chip registers light in the image so you get higher resolution. In color, you don't get the same resolution because only certain pixels pick up a certain color coming in, and in most color chips there are more pixels that register Green than Red or Blue, so the resolution is less. We then use the Luminance image (B&W) and layer it over the color image so the details in the B&W come out and the color comes through. It can be tricky though since doing this can alter the color of the image and you have to work to then get the colors back to what they really are.

If I have misspoken anywhere, please correct me!

So here is what I am describing. Hopefully Glennie you won't mind me playing with the image. I downloaded both and put the B&W version over the color and then made the blending Luminosity in PS CC. I first blurred the color version a bit with a Gaussian Blur before layering the B&W version over it since all I wanted is the color to come through.

Attachment 163027

Warren, I like it a lot!! When I was saying I wanted a combination of both, I wasn't sure how you could do it, so thanks for your explanation.

Glennie, how do you remember the actual moment? Was it more like your fist pic, or more like Warren's repost? Again, I have seen down-pouring torrents of rain from clouds that look exactly like your post, and I have seen softer rain coming down like Warren's.

Water and weather really interest me; I should spend more time thinking about getting shots of weather like this (actually looked into getting a meteorology degree when I went to college -- way too much Math for me!!!) .....


AP

No problem posting the two versions here, but best to use the third icon from the right that shows above the message composition window, so you can put some space between them to make then easier to separate visually.

I like both but find the clouds too blue in the color version.

The several horizontal bands in this image are a little visually busy for my tastes, with their very different colors. I would try to find more similarity (analogous color) for the ocean and clouds and perhaps keep contrast closer. I don't know if you have separated them out with the processing, but possibly so. In the B/W the sand and water are much more unified.

I agree with Diane about the busy-ness of the scene here. I think that's why I am more leaning towards B&W as well.

Thank you all! Warren great job. Thank you for taking the time. This is something that I will have a play with.