Sun-Kissed Beach

[janis]

This is a shot I took a few minutes before the Velvet Sunset. I am wondering whether you think the staircase rail in the foreground is too dominant overall. Any other C&C welcome as well.

[Kit]

I have experimented with various crops of this and leaving a certain amount of the handrail in does give more of an appearance of standing somewhat above the beach than cropping it out altogether. But for my eye, removing all but enough to show that it is a handrail would move attention from the structure to the beach and the lovely sweep of it to the right top. I'd like to see a crop of it done just slightly above where the handrail starts to slope down to the beach. I like the gentle colours in this that suggest quiet and tranquility.

[robnaylor]

First thoughts are, great textures (water, wet sand, dry sand, scrubland and trees) and warm tones throughout.
Like Kit, I tried some different crops and sadly cannot find one which would keep the handrail in the image without it trying to dominate with its bold shape and strong colour.
Attractive composition with the sweep of the beach taking my eye around the bay with some good interest points along the way, footsteps in the sand, long shadows, rocks and the water pool reflecting the trees beyond.
Most of all, it's the rich warm light that does it for me here.
Sun-kissed ... you bet!

[janis]

Thank you, Kit and Rob for your positive comments.
Rather than risk letting that gorgeous colour and light go to waste, I had to give it another try. Is this the crop you were thinking of, Kit? I altered the format to 3x4 to keep more or less the same content as the original. I also darkened the bright part of the handrail.

If it still doesn't work for you, don't hesitate to say so. I may have another chance to get it right tomorrow.

[Stevewebb]

The new one is much better Janis. It has a lovely leading line all the way through the shot with the sweep of the beach.

[janis]

Thanks, Steve.

I maybe did not have all of my wits about me when I took this shot. I had meant to walk around the point north of here to another beach but ran into a woman who told me that a mother bear and her two cubs had spent the entire day in a tree in front of one of the lakeside cottages along the trail. I started down the path anyway, but it is narrow and runs alongside a steep cliff and I had Stella with me, and even though I was deliberately making a lot of noise, I lost my nerve the closer I got to where the bears had been observed and turned back. This was taken just after we emerged from the south end of the trail, where I could still feel mama bear's hot breath on my neck.

I will have to remember to pack my bear bell for tonight's sortie. If you don't hear from me again, you'll know how I sacrificed for my art.

[Kit]

I was looking yesterday at a crop that would take even more off at the bottom than your second example, but I think toning down the bright area of the handrail has made a huge difference. There is more of a story there too, when the handrail is visible.

[robnaylor]

I like the second version Janis, as Steve says, the handrail does echo the lines of the sweeping beach, and being a tad darker it is now not so dominate. Being a bit picky, I might have cropped just above the nail, it's like a little beady eye looking back at me.

[janis]

The nail bothered me, too, Rob; I think I might try cloning it out, as I don't have any more room at the top and I am loathe to lose any more at the sides. Then again, I might just put it aside for a few days until I can look at with fresh eyes. Thanks for your input, guys!

[chrisc]

I didn't find the railing particularly cumbersome, but thought it was all a bit too "sun-kissed."

Rather than reinvent a crop to fit this, I tried to make the overall image more appealing (in my humble opinion-be it ever so humble) by cooling the orange down a tad, deeping the blue sky and deepening the saturation of the railing.

Mebbe, mebbe...

[janis]

Chris, I do like your bluer sky and the way you have treated the railing, but I confess something is lost for me with your attenuation of the warm colours of the beach and the vegetation, something of the feeling I had being there. Perhaps my aesthetic is weird? It may also be that I am due for another calibration of my monitor, as the beach in your version looks rather magenta-y to me. I do appreciate your taking the time to edit, though. I always learn from it.

[chrisc]

it is definitely magenta...it was late and I wasn't being attentive enough to detail...