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I headed for North Shore in Blackpool at high tide when strong winds were forecast. I wanted to try freezing crashing waves with my new digital cameral. I liked this view towards North Pier, but wondered if it would be better with a tighter crop. I can see that the image needs rotating to straighten the horizon, and when I get Photoshop I'll try this.
| Brand: | NIKON CORPORATION |
| Camera: | Nikon D3100  Check out Nikon Nation! |
| Lens: | 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 G VR |
| Recording media: | JPEG (digital) |
| Date Taken: | 10 Dec 2011 - 11:07 AM |
| Focal Length: | 55mm |
| Lens Max Aperture: | f/5.7 |
| Aperture: | f/5.6 |
| Shutter Speed: | 1/500sec |
| Exposure Comp: | 0.0 |
| ISO: | 400 |
| Exposure Mode: | Shutter speed priority AE |
| Metering Mode: | Multi-segment |
| Flash: | No Flash |
| Title: | This Way for a Free Shower |
| Username: | 
WeeGeordieLass |
| Uploaded: | 14 Dec 2011 - 8:18 PM |
| Tags: | General, Landscape / travel |
| VS Mode Rating |
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| Votes: | Voting Disabled |
 | Critique Wanted |
| Modifications Welcome (Upload a Modification) |
Comments
Really captures the conditions on the day - nice one. It is probably a bit under -exposed and therefore slightly flat. This can be sorted when you have the software - although from a quality perspective it is probably best to get it right in the camera. When looking at the image I can't help but think that it is all the action is on the left hand side. Again software could help to emphasize this (see mod) but it will leave a very small file size. Hope this helps. Steve.
Thanks Steve, I really love your mod......yes I agree there's a lot of empty space on the right hand side of my image. Your crop looks much better, and I like the way you have lifted the scene. Yes, thanks this helps a load.
Cheers
Elaine 
A difficult shot, - the light is usually against you in conditions like this. The image is flat as the detail is clumped into the mid tones, with no black and no white, and when this is sorted is looks better. The action is indeed mostly on the right, so zooming in a little may have been better for a shot that focused on wave action, though I do like the sweeping wall at the bottom.
Steve-T loaded a nice mod, and I have loaded an alternate crop that retains more of the sea in a landscape format.
Hope this is helpful
Regards
Willie
Hi Elaine,
Please see my mod.
This is somewhat underexposed so I've adjusted that over the whole image using levels.
Then I selected the whole of the top and right hand side (all of the sea and sky) and applied threshold curves to add some contrast.
The other bit, behind he sea wall, the rocks etc. I used the shadopws/highlights tool there to draw out some hidden detail.
Finally, I sharpened it. That's not to say that your original isn't suficiently sharp, it's just that I have a ptroblem getting mods. to look as I mean them to when they're uploaded.
Hope this helps.
Bren.
Oh, I straightened it up too.
Hi Willie & Bren,
Thanks very much for your great mods. I'm amazed at how software can enhance an image. I liked the sweeping wall at the bottom too Willie - I think it leads the eye up to the crashing waves. Thanks for detailing the various tools you used Bren, as this will help me when I'm learning Photoshop.
Grateful for you help.
Elaine
Quote: Grateful for you help.
You will be if you're planning to learn Photoshop!
Seriously, everyone here is willing to help in any way that they can.
I don't know whch version of Photoshop you're planning to get but the full blown, very expensive CS is a massive learning curve.
I've used CS2 and now CS5 for several years and I'm still no expert by any means.
I'm assuming that you've never used editing software before, so apologies if I'm wrong but why don't you try out some of the freebies that are available? Many of them have some or most of the more basic tools that you'll find in Elements, CS's little brother.
All of the adjustments that I made in the mod. weer carried out using CS5 and only took a couple of minutes but I reckon I could get pretty much the same result using Pixlr. for example.
And that's just one of several programmes that you could try for nothing.
Give some of them a try. You've nothing to lose and the experience is invaluable.
That sounds like good advice Bren thanks. I'll download Pixlr at the weekend and give it a go. I'll challenge myself to see if I can achieve a mod on my original image which will be as good as yours, Willie's and Steve's.........probably take me a few weeks - lol.
Ta very much
Elaine
Pixlr's my favoure freebie although there are quite a few others out there.
One of it's advantages is that it's web-based and there's no need to download it. You can access it anywwhere that you have acces to the internet and can remember the URL. Which couldn't be much more simple!
Sounds good - hope I'll have time at the weekend to have a good play around on the net. Maybe next week I'll be able to upload one of my attempts.
Thanx Bren
Quote: Maybe next week I'll be able to upload one of my attempts.
Hope so.
See Ya!
Bren.
Yes, a good image but rather under exposed. Can be salvaged in software as some of the mods clearly show, but ideally you should get the exposure right in the first place. A tiny bit of under exposure can be a good idea to protect highlights, then brighten the rest later.
Always check your LCD after the shot. It will tell you quite well if you are over or under.
Software - go for Elements - I have CS3 but have been using Photoshop a long time. Elements will do everything a keen photographer needs at a fair price. The full version is more of a status symbol for the average person.
Paul
Thanks for your constructive comments Paul. Yes I think I'll opt for Elements as you advise - I just can't justify the price tag of CS.
Cheers
Elaine
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