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Hi,

got up early on Saturday morning, wanted to get the sunrise and photos of some black swans at the local wetlands. The swans did not co-operate, but the sun did.



D70s, kit lens, 0.4 sec, f16

Does it work, should I have gotten closer to the tower?

Comments welcome,

radar

Thats a nice shot radar, worth while getting up at that time but i like it the colours are nice.
Well done.

Very nice Andre.

Where is this place located by the way?

Andre you have some really lovely colours in this shot, is this straight from the camera or have you PP it a bit ? If so what adjustments did you make, while on holiday I took a lot of sunrise shots but I have been disappointed by the colours on most my shots.

A very nice shot and my only critique would be to have the tower not centred

Thanks for the comment Pippin and BBJ, it was a bit early, but it paid off.

pippin88 wrote:Where is this place located by the way?

Right in front of the Redhead surf club. Hopefully when we have the Redhead/Awabakal shoot in a few of weekends, the sunrise will be coopearate then as well.

cheers

radar

Andre

Nice capture.

Hopefully my early rising on 19th November will be rewarded with something this good.

Hi Alpha,

Alpha_7 wrote:Andre you have some really lovely colours in this shot, is this straight from the camera or have you PP it a bit ?

Pretty well right out of the camera, just a slight increase on the brightness, and a bit of cropping, that's it. I didn't have much to do with the colours, that's the way they were on Saturday

Cheers,

radar

radar wrote:Hi Alpha,

Alpha_7 wrote:Andre you have some really lovely colours in this shot, is this straight from the camera or have you PP it a bit ?

Pretty well right out of the camera, just a slight increase on the brightness, and a bit of cropping, that's it. I didn't have much to do with the colours, that's the way they were on Saturday

Cheers,

radar

Thanks Andre, means I should be able to get those colours straight out of the camera too with practice. I'd rather let the camera do it then to manufacture or enhance it in PPing.

Very nice Andre. Like Chris said, my only comment would be to not centre the tower. Other than that it's lovely.

To centre, or not to centre: that is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous symmetry,
Or to take arms against a sea of predictability,
And by opposing end them?

Radar Andre,

I have no problenm with either the framing or the placemenbt of the tower within the picture. It is a matter of personal choice on the part of the author which hopefully fosters some individuality, surprise and coherence to the motif.

If I have a pet-hate in 'photography' it is the rule of thirds and the slavish pursuit of it. Photography such as this spectacular shot is a very reactive, impulsive sort of thing. Chances are that once you have developed a certain level of awareness of the correlation between what you are looking at and what will be presented in isolation in an image your first reaction may be just as right as the first impression you get of meeting a new person.

Positioning the guard tower to the side creates a tableau whereas centering the tower tends to make the tower somewhat an icon. The choice of what best serves your intended statement is down to you ..... as always. It just helps if you are aware of the differences and thereby enabled to make a decision as to what best serves your intended statement.

Lovely shot,

Thanks everyone,

all comments really appreciated. SS, I have found the tableau analogy very useful. The photo was taken a bit reactively. When I got up and looked at the sunrise, it was already happening, that was at 4:30am , so "rushed" to the surf club to take the photo.

Next time I'll think before pressing the shutter, good things come to those who wait and think

I have re-cropped the photo, but having put the tower in the centre initially, I end up losing some of the nice colours, but it does give a different feel to the shot.




Cheers,

Andre

#1 does it for me, the tower in the middle accentuates (spelling? ) the amazing colours you have managed to reproduce. Well done

Chris

I prefer the second personally as suggested by Chris. It gives you the feel of looking out from the tower to the terror in the deep.

Radar

That is one beautiful capture, it gives you the sense of intimateness even though it's a pretty wide angle shot
I think the composition is right the way it is if you had gotten closer you would of lost the waves on the right which suggests this scene is on a beach. As an option next time getting up higher so you can see more of the waves in the background and the tower shilloutted in the foreground would be a great

Radar

Nicely done! I love this spot for sunrises and the clours certainly didn't let you down. I had set my alarm to get up and was planning on heading down to Redhead on Saturday but did't make it. I wish I had. Oh and I my first comment on seeing you pic was that the tower shouldn't be centred but after seeing the second crop I think the first one works better.

Ben

Andre,

Since you have now postred a second version of the tower sunrise shot it can serve to demonstrate the difference in emphasis achievable by subject placement above and beyond something as trite and banal as a rule of thirds. In the central placement we thinkl of WHAT THE THING IS and displaced to the left to look out over the sea we see WHAT THE THING DOES. I believe that beyond all else a photograph is a narrative device and considering the syntax of the message as the framing and composition changes is an invaluable lesson to learn. Well, I think so anyway.

Cheers,

what SS said........ and much better crop......... the rule of thirds should be forgotten, and use what is visually correct.......

Great Capture Radar!! You have to love the light, silhouette and the detail still there in such low light.

Good work and congrats for a great capture

Beautiful image radar. I like both compositions but the second gives purpose back to the shark tower as it overlooks the ocean. Perhaps a little more ocean in view but great shot all the same.
cheers
marco

Great stuff Radar. I'm a sucker for sunrises, rich colours, silhouettes and shots with simple shapes, so you've done it all for me in this one!

Composition? I like it centred, but with about a quarter cropped off each side, ie really focussing the viewer on the tower. But, as has been mentioned previously, each to his own, and I guess the photographer has the final say, after all it's their shot.

Frank

Awesome photo . Beautiful colour .

This shot would be even better with a silo of a person in that tower.

Good stuff as is though.

Mic.

Sorry mic but the photo would of been even hotter if it had this:

Arrrrh Kip,

The Hoff in all his glory, I think his shorts match the sky caught in this nice image.

I'd much rather see Karmen Electra with her wares on display thanks.

OOOOHhhhhhhhhhh HHaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Mic.

beautiful colour, i think number 2 should show a little bit more of the sand

Beautiful image Radar, tis the best time of the day huh...

It's amazing how the different crops of the two portray a different feel, the tower is the subject in the first, whereas the viewer looks out from teh tower in the second...

Nicely done.