This is a nice quiet beach scene just before the "weather event" that wiped out the east coast recently.
The sky was more indigo than I can ever remember a sky ever being. The sea is normally jade and turquoise in colour. I struggled a bit with the PP. Wanting to keep the clouds dramatic without over doing it.
In ACR - Exposure a tad to the left. Highlights -61 and shadows +25.
In PSC6 - Separate Curves and Hue/Sat layers on sky, ocean and FG sand. Cropped to level.
Very nice shot! So much drama in the sky and I think the wet sand makes a quite interesting FG, even though it's a little bit abstract. For me, what detracts from the image (if you want to call it that way) is the processing. As presented, the image is a little bit "flat" so to speak. I think you need a lot more contrast here. When I open the picture on PS, the histogram right end is way in the middle. When I first started shooting landscapes, I was once given this advice: Always have something on both ends of the histogram. I personally think that this is a great candidate for a B&W conversion. If you don't want it to look overly dramatic, you can always opt a high key approach to the image.
I hope you don't mind my playing a little bit with this image as I thought it is quite interesting. This might not be in-line with your vision of the image, but hopefully it offers you an alternative way of processing this picture. There is so many directions to go here and there is no right or wrong way to do it. If I were to do this, I would accentuate that FG a lot more, but that's probably just my shooting style.
Of course sharing here doesn't make any sense if I don't outline what I did:
First, I add clarity to the sands because I really want to bring out the contrast in that FG (without which I feel the image would have no anchor). And then I use the levels adjustment layer to bring the right end of the histogram all the way to the right. This starts to bring the blue in the left part of the frame (in the sky) a little bit, so I added a masked HSL layer to fix it. Then there is some dodging and burning on several parts of the image (e.g. the water on the far right of the frame was a tad too dark for my taste). And then I thought, hey why not a B&W conversion. So I added a B&W adjustment layer and adjusted the red and blue levels to add some contrast to the image. I wanted more contrast on the sand and I added a masked Nik SEP layer with the structure slider bumped up. I added an Orton effect layer (basically you create a gaussian blur layer and then set it to low opacity) to give the image a slight "glow" (I don't normally like to use Orton effect, but for whatever reasons it works here). And then I added a curve layer to lift up the midtone a little bit to make it a high key image. Finally, I cropped the image from the top a little bit.
Glennie: I'm on my work monitor, and it feels too dark. Could be my monitor though -- will re-examine on home PC once I get there. I like Adhika's RP because I think I can sense more contrast, maybe that was needed for your color version?
Adhika, I really love the B&W conversion. I did play with that idea, but couldn't get what you have got here. I love what you have done with the FG detail. Thank you for going into such detail on how you have achieved the conversion. I have a similar one to work on. So I'll see what I can do.
Glennie, no problem. I am glad that it helps as a starting point for you. There are things that I could work better like toning down some of the bright wet sands in the FG but I think it should be good enough to illustrate my point. For B&W conversion, I find out that a judicious application of the structure slider in Nik SEP can be your greatest friend. Looking forward to see more! :D
I suppose I'm going to be the contrarian. Hi, Glennie. What makes the photograph for me is the complementary rust and sage and the deep blues in the lower clouds and rain. For me, this isn't about tonal qualities. It's dark. Foreboding. Even more contrarian. I'm not a fan of what I call soft water: diaphanous waterfalls et al. This works, but for me a faster SS would capture more details in the clouds and the waves.
I like this photograph a lot, and my familiarity with you makes me glad you experienced it. Raw, emotional power. That small translucent wave in the center is the focus point for me, and it's magical. The beach is simply splendid.
Glennie, you caught a great image! My first thought was that the contrast is a bit low, especially in the FG. I think that is worth playing with, and some great ideas for that from Adhika.
The B/W is dramatic and emphasizes the compositional lines of the wet sand -- I love it!
Go play, and report back!! This kind of idea sharing is what this forum is all about!
When I got an email message that Diane had responded here, I came back. And am so glad. One of my favorite photographers is Jay Maisel, who often writes and comments about gesture. This photograph has it. The small curling translucent save, the shallow pools on the beach. If an image can transport me to a locale, it's alive for me. This one does it.
Looking back, I am struck by how dark and low contrast the original is -- more than I first thought. The histogram is too far to the left. Even in soft pre-dawn light, our eyes compensate and we also need for a photograph to do that. Here it is brought up by pulling up the center of a curve and a local adj to lighten the clouds UR and another to bring out the gray tones in the light in the UL.
This image is worthy of starting over with more initial exposure and perhaps then some different takes on local adjustments. Would love to see a RP!
Love it! I would probably go in-between the OP and Diane's version. Maybe try lightening up just the water and beach and keep those ominous clouds dark. Lots of ways to play this one, but the colors are awesome.
The Lull before the Storm.
