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A 30sec exposure on the coast at Dunstanburgh Castle towards sunset. I used the Lee Filters Big Stopper. Stood on some high pebbles to avoid getting wet and let the incoming tide lap around me.
| Camera: | Pentax K20D |
| Lens: | Pentax 12-24mm |
| Recording media: | RAW (digital) |
| Title: | Dunstanburgh Castle |
| Username: | 
Pete |
| Uploaded: | 7 Sep 2010 - 10:47 PM |
| Tags: | Architecture, Big stopper, Castle, Dunstanburgh, Landscape / travel, Northumberland, Pebbles |
| VS Mode Rating |
102 (75% won) These stats show the percentage of wins and the rating score that your photo has achieved. You can go to the VS Mode by clicking on this icon. Signup to e2Signup to e2 to see which photo this has won or lost against in the vs mode |
| Votes: | 119 |
Comments
love the light and quality of the sea !
Beautiful scene !
Nicola !
Thanks all.
Quote: Fairly middle of the road shot of a photographic mecca pete , sorry but got to be honest ,
No need to be sorry it's your opinion
Quote: seems a lot of people would rather lick your boots though ?
That's an unnecessary addition. I don't see any boots being licked, just different views to yours, there's no need to take it to a personal level.
I like the effect achieved here - gonna have to get myself one of these and have a go - well done !
Chris
Lol @ Tony 
There is everything to like about this composition
Good light,colours,use of a Big Stopper and pov.
Just because it is a place photographed many times before does not mean it cannot be done again....every one has their own version.
Both boots licked! 
~Alley~
Pete , apologies for taking it to a personal level !
My reasoning for my comment - It seems a disjointed shot , would love to see some of that golden sun coming across the pebbles and at least a hint of colour in the water , and although there is a nice lead in both the cliff on the left and the tower are fighting for my attention as i draw into the shot.
I know how tricky this is too having taken shots from here after clambering out over those dangerous slippy slugs , I have also climbed a certain tower in the distance for a shot once or twice too 
Nice to see you posting on here tho pete and at least you know im being honest when i leave a comment
Quote: at least you know im being honest when i leave a comment
Absolutely...good to see
What would have been perfect is to see this comment and reasoning why you didn't like the photo in the beginning which is commendable and far more useful and community spirit driven than a dig at those who do like it. Hopefully others will see this example and maybe adapt the approach and go against the flow when they see an image they think could be improved.
The key is for the commenter to post something like the critique directly above and the members around not to retaliate and have a go. That way the quality of commenting should be enhanced.
I absolutely love the effect of the water around the pebbles, certainly not middle of the road in my opinion, and I am not sucking up either as I rarely comment or vote on Pete's pics
Looks pretty precarious on those rocks! If middle of the road means it lacks brightness - I agree. A shift in levels/curves/exposure works wonders for the finish of this shot IMO. Once corrected the full benefit of the long exposure comes through, the noise in the sky is mostly removed and the sunlight looks naturally bright giving more of the effect described above. Steve.
Just arrived from the forum topic relatting to this. The reasoned critique has a lot of merits. One of the reasons this vista often looks better in black and White is the lack of colour definition in the FG boulders. When you get the light on the castle, it gives rise to saturated elements, which the eye is drawn to. It is more pleaseing on the eye (generally) if the fg has more saturation ( obviously not talking about the sky) the recessing to less saturated elements - it gives depth to an image.
The composition, technique here are all superb btw keeping the tripod stable there isn't always easy.
I very much like the foreground rocks. So much in fact I would have been half tempted to crop out the castle altogether. You also did well to keep yourself and the tripod balanced. Nowt like planting yourself big stopper first in the drink or on the rocks as I almost did at Saltwick Bay.
I must admit this is one of those images I don’t not like, but I am also surprised how many people do like the image and how little constructive criticism there is.
I personally love the composition, the blurred water and foreground are excellent, however for me the sky is a bit dark compared to the foreground. Lots of people have also mentioned how good the light is, I would have to disagree and say the light is quite poor. Sure there is light on the scene but because of the clear sky it’s not great quality light and I would ideally like to use the light coming from the other direction.
I think if this was shot at sunrise, the low warm light would then not only illuminate the foreground rocks with warm light but it would also cast some lovely light on the cliffs and other areas that are currently in shadow and hopefully with a better sky the image would look fantastic.
found this only because of the forum thread..I can't vote this down ....but it wouldn't attract me from just the thumbnail and even when opened it doesn't have that `grab me'....not sure what is being photographed...is it the foreground or the castle or the sunset
You did extremely well to balance on the terribly slippery rocks. So top marks for that .Water movement round the boulders is excellent . The light on the castle is quite good and in fact at this time of year there would be very little light at sunrise on the castle and cliffs if any until the sun was well up in the sky. It is the sky which if anything lets the picture down . It looks a little too dark and not in balnce with that on the boulders . Still definitely one of the better shots from here and shows that although photographed many times people have so many completely different opinions about what they like and there can never be the definitive image from iconic places like Dunstanburgh ....Phil
I like the split image - I find the rocks drew me in, then led me to the almost surreal view of the golden castle...whether or not this image is correct in the lighting and positioning, I enjoy looking at it, which surely is an important factor in anything.
Pauline
Hi Pete,
Lots to like in this shot mate. 2 things that would improve it for me and of course this is all personal.
1) I don't get a great feeling of composition and journey from the FG rocks, they seem a little jumbled (which of course they are :o) ) but I think you could have created more harmony from them... if that makes sense. This could be by getting close and getting detail on the rocks or just finding 'the rocks' to make the journey through the shot for you.
2) The sky, it was of course the lanscapers nightmare, plain blue or plain cloud, not much you can do. I think the vignette helps but a little more cropped might remove some more of the attention from it IMHO.
... as for the light, I like the direction it works for me (and it worked on my shot that gave POTW about a year ago too ;o) )
Cheers,
Ade
The stones take on a life..they look like strange seals/turtles backs all going inland..its a strange gathering effect that really appeals to me .
I had five on my award list[a rare event]this week..but this is like one of the first photos I saw when I started on epz...one that I can still see in my head now...funny how some just stay...my feeling is this is going to join the elite...
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