I spent the weekend providing some one-to-one training for Mat, and while we did spend some time working through a variety of post-production techniques we concentrated on shooting: at Fleetwood on Saturday morning, St. Annes in the afternoon, and back to Fleetwood on Sunday morning.
One of the things that Mat wanted to concentrate on was seeing creatively, so we spent quite a lot of time thinking about each scene: shooting angle, depth of field, composition, and so on.
One of the subjects we focused on was a groyne on Fleetwood beach (like this one). As we were composing the shot I noticed a few distracting items in the frame: a small plastic bag, some overly bright pebbles, and this piece of wire - which I pulled out of the sand and threw to one side. After we'd shot the groyne though I realised that the wire was an interesting item in its own right, so moved it to a smooth piece of sand and took a variety of different shots.
I'm glad I did as it's probably going to turn out to be one of my favourite shots of the weekend :)
captured camera lens focal length aperture shutter speed shooting mode exposure bias metering mode ISO flash image quality RAW converter image editor plugins (etc) cropped?
I love the concept and the execution. It is difficult to invest objects with sentiments, the way you do here. The distress and decrepitude of that connector is palpable. I like the way the very subtle post-treatment you do enhances the image greatly.
comment byCarlos Garcia at 11:40 AM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
Very excited to see this and the rest of the series. Love this minimalist image.
comment byIan Mylam at 12:08 PM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
I agree: a beautiful, minimalist image, and Cristian is spot on with his comment about the sentiment communicated by this photograph. The subtle p-p is perfect.
comment bydjib at 12:42 PM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
I love it. Post processing is very subtle but yet brings out many textures. The subject is intriguing and the composition is minimalist giving a great sense of both isolation and freedom. Great capture!
comment bypaflechien at 02:32 PM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
great job david, but i don't understand how the wire can be out of focus (blurred) on the original and focused on the new image !? It's not en HDR image !
Help me my poor knowledge about this
comment by retlaw7 at 03:13 PM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
@paf, I think using the Topaz detail plugin had something to do with it. David, I'm a little new here, who's Mat?
comment byLinda at 06:39 PM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
Beautiful simplicity, great subject and wonderful toning!
comment bydjn1 at 07:47 PM (GMT) on 28 March, 2011
Thanks everyone.
paflechien: Topaz Detail can be used to sharpen images, but in a slightly different way to how it can be done in Photoshop. In this instance I increased the microcontrast, which gives the appearance of a much sharper image.
retlaw7: Mat is someone who's been following my blog for quite a while and has subscribed to our tutorials. He decided he wanted to work on his shooting skills so came up to Blackpool for a couple of days of one-to-one training.
Una minimalista muy buena, con una edicion extraordinaria.
comment byMatteo at 08:01 AM (GMT) on 29 March, 2011
The real question is not who but "where the hell is Matt" (old internet meme)!
Well done David, love the subtle postproduction. Topaz Detail works great with sand!
comment byLuisa at 08:16 PM (GMT) on 29 March, 2011
Pure minimalism in the best style of Chromasia, I like it.
comment byJessica Sweeney at 03:33 AM (GMT) on 30 March, 2011
Spare, but beautiful. I really like this one.
comment byBosco at 07:08 AM (GMT) on 30 March, 2011
Very nice processing. David, just curious if you used the +2/3 for any particular reason vs maybe F10 +/- 0?
comment bydjn1 at 08:18 AM (GMT) on 30 March, 2011
Bosco: f/10 in manual would have given a comparable exposure, but as I was shooting in aperture priority I needed to use exposure compensation to brighten it.
comment byBosco at 10:46 AM (GMT) on 30 March, 2011
thanks for the clarification, your photo work is inspirational
comment byJason at 01:07 PM (GMT) on 30 March, 2011
I really miss these old school Chromasia shots. They are what inspired me to get more serious about photography. You need to move back to Blackpool...!
comment byChris at 11:17 PM (GMT) on 5 April, 2011
I always favor the beach shots. So simple and yet so interesting. The stuff you find on the beach, :)
I spent the weekend providing some one-to-one training for Mat, and while we did spend some time working through a variety of post-production techniques we concentrated on shooting: at Fleetwood on Saturday morning, St. Annes in the afternoon, and back to Fleetwood on Sunday morning.
One of the things that Mat wanted to concentrate on was seeing creatively, so we spent quite a lot of time thinking about each scene: shooting angle, depth of field, composition, and so on.
One of the subjects we focused on was a groyne on Fleetwood beach (like this one). As we were composing the shot I noticed a few distracting items in the frame: a small plastic bag, some overly bright pebbles, and this piece of wire - which I pulled out of the sand and threw to one side. After we'd shot the groyne though I realised that the wire was an interesting item in its own right, so moved it to a smooth piece of sand and took a variety of different shots.
I'm glad I did as it's probably going to turn out to be one of my favourite shots of the weekend :)
camera
lens
focal length
aperture
shutter speed
shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
ISO
flash
image quality
RAW converter
image editor
plugins (etc)
cropped?
Canon 5D Mark II
EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
40mm
f/11
1/100
aperture priority
+2/3
evaluative
100
no
RAW
Camera Raw
Photoshop CS5
Topaz Detail
minor recomposition
I love the concept and the execution. It is difficult to invest objects with sentiments, the way you do here. The distress and decrepitude of that connector is palpable. I like the way the very subtle post-treatment you do enhances the image greatly.
Very excited to see this and the rest of the series. Love this minimalist image.
I agree: a beautiful, minimalist image, and Cristian is spot on with his comment about the sentiment communicated by this photograph. The subtle p-p is perfect.
I love it. Post processing is very subtle but yet brings out many textures. The subject is intriguing and the composition is minimalist giving a great sense of both isolation and freedom. Great capture!
great job david, but i don't understand how the wire can be out of focus (blurred) on the original and focused on the new image !? It's not en HDR image !
Help me my poor knowledge about this
@paf, I think using the Topaz detail plugin had something to do with it. David, I'm a little new here, who's Mat?
Beautiful simplicity, great subject and wonderful toning!
Thanks everyone.
paflechien: Topaz Detail can be used to sharpen images, but in a slightly different way to how it can be done in Photoshop. In this instance I increased the microcontrast, which gives the appearance of a much sharper image.
retlaw7: Mat is someone who's been following my blog for quite a while and has subscribed to our tutorials. He decided he wanted to work on his shooting skills so came up to Blackpool for a couple of days of one-to-one training.
Una minimalista muy buena, con una edicion extraordinaria.
The real question is not who but "where the hell is Matt" (old internet meme)!
Well done David, love the subtle postproduction. Topaz Detail works great with sand!
Pure minimalism in the best style of Chromasia, I like it.
Spare, but beautiful. I really like this one.
Very nice processing. David, just curious if you used the +2/3 for any particular reason vs maybe F10 +/- 0?
Bosco: f/10 in manual would have given a comparable exposure, but as I was shooting in aperture priority I needed to use exposure compensation to brighten it.
thanks for the clarification, your photo work is inspirational
I really miss these old school Chromasia shots. They are what inspired me to get more serious about photography. You need to move back to Blackpool...!
I always favor the beach shots. So simple and yet so interesting. The stuff you find on the beach, :)
Great abstract shot.