I collect generally every shot I take. Unless they're really worthless. Since I've had my D70 (end of November 2004) I've saved about 20 gigs worth of RAW files, most of which have never been used yet or will probably never be used... :) I'm going to have to burn them all to DVD soon.

That lens flare in this shot is so damn distracting that I've grown to like it. Goes nicely agains the blues. The only trace of post-processing that's really evident in this is between the plastic bag and his leg..

Also, is that a spot on your lens/censor you can see in the "water" over just to the right of his right hand?

Oh and I only pointed out that "spot" in the photo because I know if that was on my equipment, it would drive me nuts. I wasn't trying to be anal.

Great silluetes, the "blueish" shadows and the sea give a great tone to the picture. I think the fare is too distracting, but it's a great shot.

miklos: thanks. As for deleting files: I need a bigger hard drive. At the moment all my chromasia images take up about 36GB, various other photographic projects and bits of work take up another 20GB, and as I've only got an 80GB hard drive so think I'll need to upgrade soon.

As for the flare: I agree, it's distracting but I do think it adds something to the shot.

And I don't know what the 'spot' is. At f/4.0 it's not sensor dust. Anyway, the version that's up now has had it removed.

the tones, the silhouettes , the choppy waves - fantastic!

my process::
1. take pics
2. most of them are crap
3. upload all raws from time to time to my work's 300 gazillion byte big disk.
4. move most of them to the "crap" folder - those that will never see the loight of day, but i might still use, and besides, i got space, so why delete?
4. move some that are usable to a "cool" folder. usually not many :P
5. work with the images in the cool folder and maybe post them for all the world to ridicule on my site.

thats a nice lens you got there, but i have to say i dont like the flare on this one. its kinda making me mad, and i dont want to be mad because I REALLY like this shot!!!

f.

I think the lens flare is interesting. It gives the photo a extra measure of depth that it wouldn't posess otherwise, and the green from the flare highlights and saturates the color of the sea. It also draws the eye rightward in the photo, to the subject. The color of the sea would generally be the most eye-catching part of the photo; the lens flare draws you rightward, gives the whole photo a sense of dynamism and movement.

I like how the man's hair is virtually the only red in the photo.

Dave, I think this is a great shot, even enhanced by the lens flare. Great combo of darks & lights, focus & blurs...

your unexplainable hunch as to why this photo needed to be shared?
i can't explain it either.

but the color and composition is very eye pleasing.

almost reminds me that winter in los angeles is wonderful.

Great picture. Love the flare, as if I were there.

I like this image a lot -- the top stair -- the colors and reflection is nice -- but the flare, I think, adds to this image -- you've got green and blue going -- it's very pretty ... but most of all - I like the action of the waves -- and the seemingly hurriedness of the person going down the stairs -- like there's a rush to everything - I like it... nice work... glad you saved this one...

You know, I want to appreciate the flair - I really do. But all I can do is keep tilting my laptop display to try to make it go away! I think this image has so much else in there - the crisp texture on the top step highlighted by the reflection of the water, the choppy seas, the blue tinge which I'm assuming is post-processed, and most of all the red hair. I'm afraid I'm having trouble simply enjoying this image with the flair getting in the way. Surely there's a PS filter to clear that up ;)

as always, an entertaining shot. i love this place!

and i would like to ask all of you that read this comment:

since most of you are either bloggers or visit blogs frequently, i would love to know your opinion on the layout and design of this newborn website of mine: click here

would love to know if there are any issues as far as browsers go! i've only been able to test it with firefox 1.0 and IE6.

and one more thing, please don't be very tough on the pictures. ;-) still a very beginner.

and, thanks to david for allowing me to write of a non-chromasia matter here.

As far a flair goes, we've all seen much worse.

A great shot, nice composition, some very good details, the full background of a very restless sea is wonderful, that the bag isn't a sillouette adds a lot of depth to the shot, the colors are basic and "sea worthy."

The flair doesn't bother me at all. If it was anywhere else, I think it would ruin the shot. But as it is, it focuses the eye just where you want to concentrate the shot, the person. It might even make the shot better because it does that well.

my process goes about the same as friskys :P

I really like the shot tho, and the tide was in. Everytime I pop down its out.....mutter

nice aperature selection, i also like where you chose your focus to be

amazing colours, amazing shot!
congrats ;-)

what photoshop do you use? i have cs and it does my raw conversion for me. i recently bought a student version of extensis portfolio and and trying to manage my digital files. what do you use for that? thanks jude

Usually not a fan of the lens flare. However, contrary to the majority of folks here, I'm digging it. It helps put me into this cold, windy picture. I also love the rimlight on the furlined hood and the sharpness of the top stair.

Beautiful shot!

the sea gives a sense of reast and peace in this shot. I like it

Don't think so much. This image is great.

I don't know what it is about this that makes this one of my favorites, I think it's *that* blue -- it's fantastic. Is that a bedpost in the right side of the shot? :)

the colours look great! the man being half shadow half visible adds to it, too! great atmosphere!

Sorry to depart from most of the commenters today- I have to say thhis doen't do it for me. It's not the flare- Sharla's right- it's in the right place, but I don't get a feeling that he's in focus (perhaps because of the flare?) Compare his hair with the ground beween us and him. It's a damn difficult subject, and you've given us a feeling of the waves admirably, but it doesn't happen around the bloke for me.

The color is exquisiteness. The scene in a film.

Awesome site. I really enyoy it.

I met a photographer and his female friend in Morocco. She wrote articles, he provided accompanying images. They were an interesting "couple" from Finland. She was fluent in French and was following a trial across Morocco that a woman did, via a book that said author wrote in the 1920's. They weren't together and by the time I realised, it was too late to hit on her, but my point is:

We had a guide for a day, who the girl (cannot recall her name) dominated, pounding the wizened guy for article material.

At one stage we stopped and the photographer had an old (do all the light testing manually) wide angle lense and placed the guide in an archway against the sun. The shot was great, he had only a slight bit of the sun over the shoulder so that the Moroccan's details weren't lost. It was then that I actively experimented with shooting into the sun, with varying levels of succcess.

On this occasion I'm not sure if this image was particulary successful. I studied film (cursory) and they say that when you film that you establish the scenario (i.e. studio with two people, a broad shot) and then when they converse you gradually become more and more intimate with each subject so that when they speak the camera is on the speaker (predominantly) and scans across to the listening party also to gauge reaction etc. I feel that this image doesn't draw me in, I feel a little divorced from it and the flare compounds it for me.

Just my opinion. I will say this though. The image is marmite, for me, I'm not indifferent I dislike it quiet strongly, as illustrated avbove, many others love it.

I dont find the flare distracting that much. After all it's color goes very well with the background color. I also like the dramatically increased contrast.

WOW, the green cast and high contrast make this look AMAZING!!! I visit your site often, as I greatly admire your work, but something about this, made ma have to post.

Technically I wouldn't say it is the best piece you have done, but IMO it sure does one of the best jobs of capturing emotion!!

Mannnnn I love your job...
Maestro de Maestros...

OK, well I'm happy with that as I'd much rather produce a contentious image than a blandly pleasant one - so thanks everyone. And for what it's worth, I think I've experienced both reactions to this shot. I didn't post it initially because the flare annoyed me, but over the last couple of weeks I kept returning to it and now think that the flare is one of the best bits of the shot.

I love this shot Dave!

I usually download everything and process what I like when I can into a 'finished' set of folders. I have 49 gigs in my unfinished folders which I should really get around to sorting out, I'm sure I could happily delete more than half of them.

Interesting how, for me at least, the flair is interesting here. Great contrast.

It's the lens flare that makes this image. Without it it would be a boring silhouette, but the flair adds something dreamy to the image...