I agree. I think it's the sand. Something about there being that amount of bare sand between the buildings and the shadow bothers me. But i'm not sure that's it either. I really like veiw of the sky in this photo though.

What bothers me is the little shadow on the left. I would have cropped the picture to leave it out. Just at the margin of the yellow building (3rd from the left). Otherwise I think it's a great shot. I think you should consistently post your before and after pictures. :-)

You could have also cropped just above the shadows' heads for a panoramic view. I would like to see those 2 suggestions to decide which one is the best.

Maybe I'm alone, but I love this shot. The sand and sky are so bright they contrast nicely with the darkly lit grass.

REQUEST: It would be nice if you could add a section to your shot details that indicates any post-processing/color-correction you apply. For instance, was the sky really that color blue?

It feels like the shadows get in the way on this one. It sort of trivializes the landscape. I really like the pattern of the sand, and the rich color of beach and sky. But the shadow detracts for me.

The overall image is a tad too dark. It would've been better to see some more detail in the hillside . For a photoblog, I like the shadows. They show reality, and show that "Yes, I'm an ordinary person, just like you, taking pictures" .. if you were to frame this and put it on the wall, then obviously the shadows would take away from the overall composition.

The contrast between the sky and sand is great, though I think the sky is a bit oversaturated. Texture on sand is good. I agree with the comment sabout cropping the two shadows off to make a panaroma.

Yes, I think it's a bit too dark (but maybe that's my monitor?) and more detail in the section between the sand and the buildings would help.

I'd have liked to have seen one with a longer shadow, just to be perverse, and more central.

Not crazy about the farthest left shadow of head and shoulder, but the thing that really bothers me is the dark cloud top left. My eye keeps being drawn to it. Also, it makes that whole corner of sky look rather strange. I like the other colors in this one, though, of sky and sand.

Congrats on the 300th Photo!

Like the contrast of the sun on the buildings against the dark sky with the heavy clouds.

Think it's just the second shadow that I find slightly distracting.

i look at the photo and wonder 'what is the subject of this photo or is there any story here?'

i think you have three visual elements (shadows, sand, buildings) competing almost equally for our eyes and that might be why you are not quite happy with the photo. Also, the three elements do not suggest enough of a story to draw me in--- the shadows are just looking at the sand and buildings and not much more.

then again, i could be very wrong. :)

i think its a great shot. seems like a storm is coming and the city is ready. but then again my way of looking at things is different. love ur pics. keep up the good work.

this is great, but i can see that it would benefit greatly from a bit of fiddling in photoshop to remove the shadows.

i can understand the reasoning for keeping them in, but i think that the picture would have far more impact without them. i covered up the shadows with my finger while looking at it and it just had much more *oomph*.

don't be afraid of the healing brush!

hiya dave. ..

I just sent you my thoughts/suggestions and a modified version via e-mail =)

Hello,

My remarks:

1. as already mentioned: the zone between the sand and the building is too dark;
2. there is a loss of detail in the most left building and in the most right building; this makes the contrast very high and the picture very hard;
3. the sky seems unnatural to me, especially the color;
4. why don't you try it in black and white?

I like you pictures very much: they are original and well composed.

Sorry for my bad english but it is not my native or second language.

Personally the problem is with the composition. Comments about the colours aside (which I also agree with) I feel it's the composition that lets this image down. It would seem the interest is with the horizon and sky, the sand has very little interest and the shadows distract from the horizon and sky. Personally I think there is confusion over what this picture s about. Is it about the landscape or the shadows. I think it would have been better to concentrate on one or the other, otherwise you end up with what IMHO looks like a "snappers" mistake, i.e. your shadow accidentally caught in what might overwise be quite a nice landscape. IMHO (...and what do I know?)

Does it need the big white building, and the white cloud with it to be more to the right (or left) ie at the golden mean or am I too old fogeyish on this? I just feel that would balance the picture out more. Great sky!

No comment, very very nice. I like your photos.

All of you forget one very important thing..you are taking this photo for granted..you see a lot of stupid sand, a dark hill and some civilisation at the top of it.

I, for instance, see it as a desert, with the heavy rain clouds above, and the middle part of the pic is a vision of mankind, to conqueror it all..it's floating above the ground, unfastened for it, that's why it has black bottom. And the human shadow is the shadow of the creator..a man vith a vision.

Learn not to see with your eyes only, as photography can be deceptive.

Cropping left shadow would make this one perfect, Dave.

Wonderful commentary, Mario. I've been avoiding any comments on this shot, because I wasn't sure why I liked it. But I do. And your interesting spin makes me see it in another light altogether.

I think its the colors more than anything, and how the warmth of the sand contrasts with the cold, dark sky. As for the second shadow, for me its a somewhat calming element. Without it, the main shadow feels too lonely, as if David were the last person on earth.

I like it, and I like the extreme contrast. I also like the way the light accentuates the patterns in the sand. I would have cropped the left shadow out and maybe included more of the sky, but then again, I really like storms!

I like the picture because it shows a lot of atmosphere - for me it is not to dark, the buildings are good and the sand is just perfect. For a short moment I was a little bit distracted by the second person (the left one) and I would prefer to have just one on the picture.

There have been some very nice comments since I checked last. I agree with note about the dark cloud in the upper left corner. It doesn't blend with the rest of the composition. It throws off the far away feel of the sky and the distance, making it feel very close, sort of boxed in.

I like the sand though. It's one of the photo's high points for me. The pattern is lovely, very rich, very comfortable. It blends well with the deep color of blue in the sky.

I suspect the comments on the color, and the photo being too dark, are a matter of taste. The shadows and the two really dark clouds are distractions though, at least, too me.

:)

Is the 20D becoming more familiar? I haven't heard you mention anything about it specifically for a week or so.

I agree with those who say that it lacks a main subject.
Instead of deleting the shadows, probably you should have wait until the sun were lower in the sky to make your shadow larger and make that the main subject.
Maybe the best solution to the one you actually shoot is to make the panorama that some of the comments suggest.
Best regards.

i don't like the shadows, but it's a cool photo. really gets across a feeling, to me. very beautiful.

Let this be the marker of the celebration of your 300th entry dave, and a marker for an additional 25 comments congratulating you.

I haven't been very web friendly for the past couple months due to work and school, but I wanted to let you know that since the last i've been here, I've seen an enormous amount of progression. Your photography just keeps getting better. Thanks for continuing to share your art.

I think all the suggestions for this shot are right, even though they're mutually exclusive, because I think the problem with this shot is that I wasn't entirely clear as to what I was after – my shadow isn't prominent enough to be a major feature and the extra shadow is distracting. So yes, a panoramic shot would have worked better, as would removing the second shadow, and so on. But I'm always reluctant to make such major compositional changes to a shot – after the fact. I know, given the amount of PS work that goes into a lot of my shots, that that might seem strange, but I'm always happier when I can put up an uncropped shot. Or, alternatively, if I'd decided to shoot a panoramic shot and then put it up, that would be fine, but I didn't. Anyway, I'm rambling, but I guess you know what I mean :-)

à tomber par terre tellement c'est joli !

It's beautiful. Only thing I can think of is get rid of the shadow head on the left.

beautiful photo, I wish the shadow was a bit bigger, and there was only the one.. but that doesn't stop me from loving it.

Hey Dave,
Lurve the color and dramatic feel. However I agree with the rest to crop the head on the left. Cheers!

Hi,
Never posted before but here goes. I like many of your pics. Very very nice. I think your intuition about this one being a bit off may be "right." If it were mine, I think I'd cropped the entire left section to the beginning of the first duller white building. That way the focal point remains the middle white building, with the gently crossing diagonals in front, and you don't get competing whites. You also get rid of the second shadow, which I thought was a bit distracting. The tough part with the cropping is that the texture of the sand is so beautiful, but happens a bit low in the frame so you end up with a little too much sand. I don't mind the self-portrait aspect, but then again I generally prefer them to panoramas so.... Anyway, just my little opinion. Thanks for sharing your beautiful pics!