Venice FL -- It ain't just a rookery

[Dennis Bishop]

Snowbird friends of ours have spent part of the winter in Venice for the last seven years and never been to the rookery. On the first day of our visit with them, it was a 3-0 vote, with one abstention, to go to one of the jetties (the South one???), instead. I'm glad we did.

This image is most unusual for me in two ways. It's not an HDR (although it was initially intended to be one). And, it actually has people in it. It would've been nearly impossible to capture shots with no people, even at this point, which was after the peak of the sunset. I could've layered a lot of shots and masked all the people out, but this was one time I thought they were an important element. Especially from this vantage point, they give a sense of scale to the length of the jetty. Not only that, but the couple holding hands appealed to me, and I waited for them to get into the frame before shooting.

Nikon D3S, !SO 1000, f/22, 1/40 sec, zoom at 70mm

processing highlights

• For several reasons -- to have the couple walking in from the left, to have the brighter part of the sky on the left, and to have the smoother rock profile on the left -- the image was flipped horizontally. The sailboat (from a series of shots taken moments later) was composited in, scaled, and flipped.
• Topaz Simplify -- Watercolor II, partially masked
• Curves -- opened the shadows in the people and rest of the foreground
• Fractalius -- NONE, absolutely none -- the first time in I don't know how long that's happened. It wasn't working with the sunset, so I used the edges option in Topaz Simplify and Photoshop's Poster Edges to add the black edge details to the sky.
• Alien Skin Snap Art -- Stylize Line Art b&w layer at Multiply blend mode (entire image)

[Mitch Carucci]

Masterful application of processing to the original image. Very appealing in so many ways.

[Judy Howle]

Lovely colors and nice processing especially of the sky and people. I might like to see a little more detail in the rocks.

[Nancy Bell]

Like you, I am generally not a people fan in my images. But also, like you, I think that couple holding hands is great. That then allowed you to add even more people successfully. The perspective of the jetty going out to that incredible orange sky is the focal point for me and the silhouetted people and boat add interest and balance.

[gary ellwein]

I like the way you lined this one up with the diagonal line of the jetty precisely intersecting the horizon. The hand holding couple make a great anchor. They are balanced by the sailboat. Love the warm rich color of the sky.

[Cheryl Slechta]

Beautifully composed, Dennis. I'm not a "people taking" photographer either but it really works for this image. The colors are yummy and the boat is a perfect addition

[Steve Adkins]

Many wonderful elements placed/timed together in harmony. Love it!

[Paul Lagasi]

Very pleasing image, the colors are very nice, I may have removed the streak in the top left corner....love it

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . I may have removed the streak in the top left corner . . .

That was my reaction when I originally saw the scene. It looked like a vapor trail, and that's something I normally don't include in an image. There wasn't time to wait around until it went poof, but I don't remember why I didn't get rid of it in processing.

[Mark Fuge]

Nice image and application Dennis.

We'll have to check out the backroads there soon. The rookery has not been the best on our prior trips in the last few years. Bummer that the best shots are of the trailer park, now that all the vegitation is gone.

[Arthur Morris]

Hey Dennis, This is a beautifully designed image. I love the sky and the effects. In fact, I love the whole package.

[Anita Bower]

I agree with the comments above. The couple is an essential element of this image. Lovely colors and processing, as always.