Echo Beach

[shaunw]

Northumberland in the NE of the England is known as ''the quite country'' i was out this evening to capture the much photographed Bamburgh Castle...i was late for the Castle, too busy capturing this scene.

All input appreciated...Shaun


Echo Beach by Shaunwalby Photography, on Flickr

[degrub]

Wonderful orange tones. i cannot decide which is more distracting - the surf or the dark hills. i think the surf since it is lighter. My focus wants to be on the sun and the reflection in the water rather than pulled to the white surf. Still a grand shot the way it is.

[sdwilsonsct]

I like this big orange lozenge between land and sea. Nice ovals, triangles, contrasts and colours.
Scott

[shaunw]

Wonderful orange tones. i cannot decide which is more distracting - the surf or the dark hills. i think the surf since it is lighter. My focus wants to be on the sun and the reflection in the water rather than pulled to the white surf. Still a grand shot the way it is.

Thanks for your thoughts degrub

Shaun

[shaunw]

I like this big orange lozenge between land and sea. Nice ovals, triangles, contrasts and colours.
Scott

Thanks Scott

[Isaac]

It's good light. Is smooth sand and a far away sunset enough of a subject to hold interest?

[wolfnowl]

I like it.  There's a sense of open timelessness... I can see myself walking that beach, hand in hand with Marcia...

Of course that would add footprints and change the image.   

Mike.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

It's good light. Is smooth sand and a far away sunset enough of a subject to hold interest?

It is for me. I can spend lots of time looking at it.
 Very satisfying.

[Riaan van Wyk]

Lovely photo Shaun. I like the colours and the "emptiness"

[Rob C]

It's good light. Is smooth sand and a far away sunset enough of a subject to hold interest?

Factor in Gisel Bundchen, lots of time - at least whilst the light lasts - and you have Paradise.

;-(

Rob C

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Factor in Gisel Bundchen, lots of time - at least whilst the light lasts - and you have Paradise.

;-(

Rob C

But rob, it's always better to leave something to the imagination. As the image is now, if you stare long enough you should be able to imagine Gisele in the scene. And when you tire of her, put in your next model.  And so on.   

Eric

[JackS]

Nice beach shot, not over done.

I especially like the orange reflection in the center, nice and smooth.

Jack

[Isaac]

It is for me. I can spend lots of time looking at it. Very satisfying.

Are there no ways in which you think the scene could be re-worked to give a stronger image?

[Rob C]

But rob, it's always better to leave something to the imagination. As the image is now, if you stare long enough you should be able to imagine Gisele in the scene. And when you tire of her, put in your next model.  And so on.    

Eric

Eric, isn't it enough that I left the second e in Gisele to the imagination? That just shows to go you what the imagination can do to/for you!

Actually, with Gisele, it was a known fact that though she did a lot of risqué pics, she never did a totally topless, so something was ever left to the imagination, which as every woman knows, if far more seductive and mind-blowing than not. That's why off switches are fitted to bedroom lights.

Trouble with too much imagining, one could come to the point where even the beach might be imiginary; CaNik wouldn't like that!

Rob C

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

... Is smooth sand and a far away sunset enough of a subject to hold interest?

Oh, yes!

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Are there no ways in which you think the scene could be re-worked to give a stronger image?

No.

We all tend to suffer from time to time from perfectionitis, but sometimes it is best to leave things as they are, beautiful, even if not perfect.

The uniqueness of photography is that in any given moment you can do only one thing, take one standpoint, chose one lens, exposure, etc. Never two. Never. Physically impossible (though maybe not in a parallel universe). I know, I know, you can "work the scene" in the next moment or next hour or next day or next decade. But that moment you felt something that prompted you to select a particular standpoint, lens, exposure is never going to be repeated. You got it, however imperfect, but it is yours, and you made something out of it.

[Isaac]

I wonder what yardstick we hold these photos against?

A magnolia washed wall with/without a print of the Echo beach photo?

A magnolia washed wall with a print of the Echo beach photo or with a print of some other photo?


Edit:

... in any given moment you can do only one thing ...

Why should that stop us asking what worked well and what didn't work well and thinking out how we might approach a similar situation differently?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

I wonder what yardstick we hold these photos against?

A magnolia washed wall with/without a print of the Echo beach photo?

A magnolia washed wall with a print of the Echo beach photo or with a print of some other photo?

You lost me at magnolia 

Why should that stop us asking what worked well and what didn't work well and thinking out how we might approach a similar situation differently?

By all means keep asking, but I thought I answered that: because the image is already quite good as it is. By the way, you keep asking, but I have not heard what you think could have been done differently. Feel free to chip in.

This reminds me of two types of people when it come to decision-making: satisfiers and maximizers. Satisfiers stop searching when they get to a solution that leaves them satisfied, maximizers continue searching until the get the maximum out of the process (e.g., interview all possible candidates for a job or try all possible Photoshop or shooting techniques). Satisfiers are satisfied with the result, maximizers with the process. Satisfiers found what they want and moved on, while maximizers are still searching for the ideal (and by the time they find it, it might be already too late - e.g., sun disappeared). Obviously, I am advocating the satisfiers approach in this case.

[JackS]

One thing I might try if it were mine.

I might sample the water-sand in the center (sunset orange color) and add a little of that color to the water on the right.

Just a little, just to keep the eye from wandering in that direction.

Not sure how it will look until you try.

Jack

[Kirk Gittings]

I agree SB, very meditative and serene as it is-superb. Add anything else and it becomes a different statement. As it is-it is complete.