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On this stretch of coastline on Isla Mujeres, Mexico (an island just north of Cancun) the tradewinds blow constantly from across the Atlantic and Carribean from Africa, sending clouds and storms from Africa and keeping temperatures moderate. These rocks were under sand until hurricane Wilma scored a direct hit on this area with wind gusts well exceeding 200 mph! In this photo, a tropical storm warning had just been issued, but the storm turned and headed out to sea later that day.
Even though the hurricane swept away the sand, the beaches still have a rugged beauty to them. But it exposed extremely sharp lava rocks everywhere. And these were not fun to climb around on in the dark before sunrise while getting to this spot. Especially when I did not know this coastline at all!
1/4 second exposure @F11 with ND grads 0.9 + 0.6
| Title: | Tradewinds |
| Username: | 
PatrickSmith |
| Uploaded: | 3 Jul 2006 - 1:53 PM |
| Camera: | Canon EOS 5D |
| Lens: | Canon 17-40L @17 |
| Recording media: | RAW ISO 50 |
| Tags: | Beach, Debster, General, Isla, Landscape / travel, Mujeres, Ocean, Sunrise |
| Votes: | 241 |
Comments
FIRST!
Jouko
PS Do I need to say more?? Of course! GET WELL SOOOOOOOOOOOON, Debbie!
Beautiful landscape, amazing colours, composition and DOF. Love it.
Dani
lovely sunset and great feeling of movement from the water. Nice image
Very impressive sky, and waves that go well with it. Excellent work, as always!
Conrad
Fantastic landscape shot! I love it. And all the best for your Debbie!!!
GregorP
A bit fg interest, Patrick!
That sky looks good too!
Juuuuuuuust kidding..............
This IS your BEST so far! IMHO
Jouko
Fabulous Patrick, I agree with Jouko, this is a wonderful image.....Thanks for sharing it with us ( and best wishes Debster !!)..........Geoff
I like the wild look to the water in this,set against the cloud its one of your top shelf shots.
A winner all the way or I'll start nibbling at my hat.
Beautiful shot Patrick.
Dave.
ABSOLUTLEY STUNNING!!! One of the best shots I've seen. It was sooo worth the trouble of getting there, even if it was a bit risky. It looks like an old masters painting. Excellent stuff, so come Peter, what's your problem with this one???
CLIX
Magic moment.
Sometimes everything just comes together.
Well done.
John.
A beautiful image, and thank you for the in depth description - I'm nosey, I do like to read the ins and outs of all the photos!! Great shot.
Thanks for your comments and support!
You're fast Jouko! And this was taken in your honour too, as it was taken at F11!
Karen, I do that too!
Patrick
Always a pleasure to view your stuff Patrick and this one is no exception. Everthing is there for a great coastal shot.
Martin
Wonderful light and colour, great exposure. I like the rushing wave of the foreground.
Thanks....any change to get you to join our F Brothers club??? BUT I shoot only RAW and @F10! LOL....."Ding Dong Lloyd" shoots @F11! LOL...
Jouko
. . I predict a "click-Fest" . . .this has got to rate as one of the best seascapes on this site [since the last time you posted a great seascape] LOL 
. . .
. . . that sky . .the light . .and such timing of exposure on the water . . I am in full admiration of a truly perfect image! . . .
Mike.W
Stunning composition - really elemental. Bruce
Hi Patrick
The deep relationship you have with light and the landscape is yet again more than evident in this brilliant image!
I'm constantly blown away by the quality and detail in your uploads to EPZ. Apart from great subject matter, magical light and technical expertise at the shooting stage, perhaps you could give us a little insight into what you do post camera to get your images to look the way they do?
Mike
Love the movement and colour in the waves and the way the dawn light is illuminating the clouds.
Gareth
Think pretty well everythings been said, so I won't waffle on other than to say what a cracker!
Ade
This is just stunning. The movement of the sea, the wonderful skies, is just breath taking. I hope your feet and hands recover soon from those sharp rocks!!
Laura
Patrick lot been said and alot more will be said but just stunning
Brian........
PS had to look up what juxtaposition was
A simply superbly stunning shot Patrick. Magnificent sky, colours, tones, foreground detail, you name it this shot has it all. An awesome composition. Very well done and a very speedy recovery to Debbie. CLIK.
Joe
A great sky with so much detail as has the rest of this very stricking image.
Outstanding shot, great sky, great lighting and movement in the water.
Pippa
you've done it again patrick
the lighting, movement, colors, composition
it's all fantastic to me!
brandi
All been said above Patrick, lovely shot.
Any luck finding out which magazine it was?
Ed..
LOL - Jouko, from now on I'll only shoot at F10 or F11. Well maybe.... I do like F8 and F22 sometimes!
MikeW, I guess you are right. It's because of Debbie!
MikeBonsall - Well on this one, I did not have to do much to it. In C1, I brightened it up until the brightest areas were nearly blown out, saved it to a 16 bit tiff, adjusted the levels (especially the left slider towards the middle) in PS to darken and bring in more contrast. Sharpened it a little in spots (not the sky), resized and framed for EPZ, and sharpened the EPZ version a little. I seem to be doing less and less processing these days since I got the 5D. And I might be getting better at using the filters too, I'm not sure. But the sky made it easy here. It really was just up to the timing of the light (one shot before and after his one were not nearly as good) and waiting for a good wave.
Ade said:
Quote: so I won't waffle on other than to say what a cracker!
Waffles? Crackers? LOL - Getting a little hungry Ade?
Yes Laura, I got a few nasty cuts on my legs getting to this spot. And they really sting in the salt water too.
LOL Kris, you are just not seeing the bad ones!
No Ed, I looked around this weekend but could not figure it out. I'll keep my eyes open though.
Patrick
Wonderfull - light to drool over...
Like the exposure with the water and the cloud formations, classy shot!
Fantastic moody shot and love the light catching the clouds!
Charlotte
This is just stunningly beautiful, Patrick! One I would definitely have hanging on the wall!
Jim
Thanks for looking.
No problem Mike. What I meant to say before is that one shot before and after THIS one were not nearly as good. (forgot the 't')
Jim , actually the owner place where I stayed (not far from this beach) does want one on his wall. I guess I'll try to sell these now.
Patrick
The light in the sky combined with the milky water makes this something special yet again!!
Mike
That´s it! You´re out! Nice try though! LOL....Too small or too big aperture! No change! ; )
Jouko
Another amazing picture. Very dramatic. Love the foreground. Actually I love the whole image.. Cracking!
Beautiful lightin them there clouds Patrick,looks a bit rough out to sea.Lovely capture of the movement of the waves & just enough fg to be effective.Good composition & presentation,must get me some filtery things !!
janet
Hi Patrick,Awesome wild atmospheric and textural shot,full of movement,light,colour and dof.Cracking presentation and composition.Class shot.Take care.Ann
Get well soon Debbie.
Hope you are not hurt too badly from your wander on the beach in the dark.
the detail and lighting in this is awesome, well done
John
another " Classic Patrick Smith Image ".
beautiful color,lighting and detail work.
alex
good shutter speed resulting in excellent motion capture and a lovely sharp shot
Instantly recognisable as yours, a fantastic shot, wonderful exposure.
There's many an artist of seascape fame would be proud to have painted this scene, the detailed water is much better than any painting. The light wonderful and the sky is perfect.
Excellence in composition and photographic content. I think this is fabulous.
All the very best my friend, more power to your skillful eye.
Dougie
An absolute stunner Patrick.Those clouds give the appearance that they are zooming off to the horizon, in contrast to the sea rolling in.Great light on the water too.
Brian.
Cracking shot Patrick you legend!
Get well soon Debs, nice dedication Mr Smith,
lloyd
Patrick you cant be F11 - thats me dude, theres an application for F22 by (dp)Dave Peck. lol
love your work mate, perhaps if you wasn't so good then you could be in the F-Brothers
Hope she is feeling fine, but after viewing this gem I am sure her spirits picked up immediately, excellent work Patrick, I especially like the skies and the sun sneaking just past the clouds! Spot on! Click!!!
Greg
Stunning seascape with wonderful colour and detail, Superb.
Yogendra
Thanks for your comments!
LOL - Jouko. So my application has been rejected? I guess that this is a very exclusive club. Only F10 or F11? It is good that I have been rejected because (warning: Cliche ahead..)I'd never want to join a club that would have me as a member!
Yes Janet, the filtery things help a lot, LOL!
Well Ann, the cuts I got really stung when I went snorkeling later in the day....
Well Lloyd, how about if I take shots at F8 then? But Jouko is limiting the range now, in this exclusive club. I guess as long as I can get your F brothers meetings on pay per view, I'll be happy...
Greg, I don't think she has seen it yet, but I hope it helps her feel a little better.
Patrick
Your scene is very well presented Patrick...the agitation of the water is real looking and the beautiful reflection of the sky is varied and impressively contrasting with the white balance...without a doubt the best I have seen in this style for a long time. I tip my hat to you.
Doug.
Wow, Patrick this is a bit dynamic! My type of shot, love the water movement and light throughout
Mari
Dont know what to say...Guess it will have to be ( STUNNING )
Don
nothing much to add to what's been said already.. it *is* a cracker of a shot.
Patrick, this is absolutely stunning. If you are selling prints (as intimated above), I am interested. This is my favourite of your shots so far.
Nigel
It's all been said Patrick, this is a stunning image
Malcolm
As if you need another click (and keep your hands off f22)!
The way you have frozen the water in this makes the sea look very aggressive. Really suits.
Dave
Patrick excellent capture and the clouds and sea balance each other perfectly!
stay well
tonymarq
Thanks for looking in!
Thanks Nigel, email me and I'll make you a special EPZ deal!
LOL Dave... would F8 be okay? Fortunately my last one was only at F20!
Patrick
Just marvellous work Patrick,with a great story to boot! I hope it cheers Debbie up : )
Jeanie
Congratulation with your Readers Choise Award, Patrick.!
Which means over 30 votes you got.!!!
Must been a good looking picture. Nicely done.!
Jan
ps. think we need an other jury.?
sometimes a shot has such an impact it stays with you this is one of them,stunning work Patrick.
What a truly amazing photo.
Keep coming back to this just to sit and admire it.
Wonderful.
Thanks for looking. I'm way behind in commenting but I'll catch up soon.
Jeanie, I hope you are right!
Patrick
This is really special Patrick. A pleasure to view.
Paul
There are numerous beach and end of days pictures on ephotozine each week, however only a few stand out and really catch your eye, and provoke a sense of man I wish I could nail pics like this. This is one such picture. Real nice.
More ordinary work from you, Patrick - keep at it, practices makes perfect dontcha know ... lol {õŋ~}
Another fabulous capture - lovely colours, pleasing clarity and that dramatic sky all make for a shot with loads of impact. Well done!
Susie :o)
As always a few days late and a few dollars short - its all been said Patrick - stunning.
C
Patrick.....I can hardly find the words to thank you for this beautiful dedication - I've only been home from the hospital for a couple of days yet someone rang me and told me to log on to take a look at this.
This site and other members never cease to amaze me - the kindness and generosity is simply astounding. Thank you so very, very much!
It's a beautiful photo - I'm gonna focus on it and wish myself well again so I can soon play by the sea.....
Debbie
First to comment.
Stunning shot Patrick.
Doh should learn to type a little quicker.
Chris
Just had to come back for another look Patrick.....
This really is the dogs b*%l*$"?s Patrick.
Nice touch to dedicate the image also.
This really is something inspirational, and will push me on to keep trying to improve!
Thanks for posting.
Martin
Top draw photography, realy impressive I like it a lot.
I think it deserves an EC
Bill
Thanks for your comments!
Simon (poltavia), you could take shots like this. I've seen your work and it is just a matter of getting to the right spot at the right time.
LOL Susie, I'll try harder next time!
A few Pounds short C?
Debbie, While I was taking this shot I was thinking about how much you would love to be here seeing this and how unfair things can be sometimes. I'm just hoping that if enough people think enough positive thoughts, you will be feeling well and back in action once again. It is amazing how kind people can be, so I hope you are on the receiving end of lots of it. We're pulling for you!
Yes Chris, a few snuck in ahead of you!
Well Martin, just hold your nose, at least the dogs like it - LOL!
I wish you were right Bill....
Patrick
Outstanding landscape shot, great composition, colours and capture of water movement.
I have been back here for another look a few times Patrick, this is one wonderful shot, a fine dedication to a friend.
I loved the comment by rosie42... you are one of our stars, and therefore it's what we expect. This is so special my friend.
Dougie
Another beautifully rich and vibrant image Patrick - just marvelous!
Bill
Hi Patrick a stunning and beautiful image, I was in Mexico last October we left 4 days before Wilma hit land lucky or what
Regards Ken
Excellent scene,very well captured,colour and lighting are superb......
Tony.
Another stunner Patrick. The composition makes this for me, just so well framed and also a fantastic sky.
I do however have a technical criticism in that I feel you have used too much filtration and that has resulted in the sky being darker than the foreground by some margin. This spoils the tonal balance for me as I know logically that this would not have been the reality of the scene. Undoubtedly it adds drama to the sky but it also makes it obvious that a grad filter has been used. Just guessing but I reckon the graded blend starts at about a third of the way up and finishes a little over the horizon?
Take care, Ben
Thanks for your comments!
LOL Dougie, I got her back!
You were very lucky Ken!
Ben, normally you'd be right, but my back was up against a brightly coloured cliff and the reflected light made the foreground sand and water very bright. It also brought out more colour so I kept it bright in the photo. Then, as you go out to where the sun is, the ocean just below it is darker than the sky. I see what you mean though. The rock on the right side horizon was very dark, so I left it that way too. the grad actually started where the blue part of the sky begins. Thanks for noticing it!
Patrick
Spectacular shot! Your photos really a scenic masterpiece!
Absolutely stunning......
Get well soon Debbie.
hoooooo baby is this nice!!!
The sky almost appears to be in 3D
***puts on 3d glasses***
HOLY COW, IT IS!!!!!!!!!
It's like I am THERE!!!
the sky, the waves, that seagull..
hey, that seagull is dropping something...
**PLOP***
ughhh, right on my shoulder....
**takes off 3D glasses and heaves them across the room***
Wipes crap from shoulder...
well, thanks Pat! Nice photo but next time with out the 3D glasses...
Nice work Buddy!
Thomas
Wow, debbie must be better with all that energy you have conjured up here Patrick. Just got a 21" monitor and it looks like I could step into it and onto that beach.
MikeA.
Patrick, there is certainly a lot of positive energy in this shot. I hope you had a fun 4th. -=Walter
Wow! What a fantastic sky... and the waves caught beautifully. A gorgeous shot, very well caught!
Did I forget to mention that I think this is gorgeous.... oooops))
Ange
This is awesome Patrick, the feeling of movement and colour are excellent, it has an overall dramatic feel to it, great photography, Adrian
Thanks for looking!
LOL Thomas, maybe I should try 3d, just for you!
Yes Walter, I had a great 4th, awesome fireworks over San Francisco bay!
LOL Ange, I thought that was a description of yourself!
Patrick
Well Patrick, I must say that you are a great example in demonstrating the value of expression in peoples work and I hope many will look at your example and see that apart from the outstanding quality you produce that you reap what you sow in the crtique department. Congratulations an achievement and example I have yet to see equalled.
Doug.
I seem to be getting in late these days!
An excellent image, the colours are superb.
Simon
Thanks Simon and Sten!
Wow Doug, what a nice thing to say. I'm honoured. It is like getting a 'DC!'
Patrick
Wow! excellent capture with brilliant colours,well done.
Christine
You just keep giving us better and better to drool over!
Awesome colour and movement.
Scotty
Nice. You seem to make the water look so turbulent (okay, I know that's the nature of waves, but still!). Good work.
hi patrick , these are excellent pictures as allways, you take some fantastic shots, thanks for the comment on my last rose it is called ,rose gaujarg hiybrid tea, .have been on holiday just got back this week and found my internet conection not working ,just got it back on today, so i will catch up with your pictures soon. eve.
Simply stunning Patrick. I've never seen a picture quite like this one. It has such energy and beauty at the same time
Hawk
Thanks for looking, and for all the nice words!
Thanks for the info Eve!
Patrick
Really magnificent lighting and drama...did anyone mention that above?
Verne
Proud and honoured to be click #205. This is quite sublime and it's high time I had another wander through your portfolio 8-]
Wonderful.
once i started looking through your folio i couldnt stop. there really are some fantastic photos here and i've almost worn out my mouse button clicking on the ones i like.
this one is probably my favourite though.
great work.
gorgeous colours here, nice and sharp too, kind of your trade mark Pat, i'm always impressed how you manage to sharpen your shots.
Thanks for looking!
Terry, I select each area, feather it and sharpen it according to what it needs. I leave the sky alone mostly. But sometimes I'll do a very slight sharpening at around a 10-20 pixel radius, just to add a little contrast. I did not have to do that here.
Patrick
You probably won't notice abnother click amongst the hundreds but here it is anyway.
Iain
Really like this one, P......Large version is Stunning!
Just Amazed that it's not at the top with 'Rust and Surf'???
Hoping you've upgraded from that 486 by now...Or was it a 386??
hee hee!
Big Smile,
Suzan
Your trademark waves and great dynamism due to the diagonals formed by them and the clouds really make this!
This is one of the best seascape's i've ever seen, absolutely outstanding quality.
Keep them coming.
john
A truly stunning shot Patrick .... awesome! Click*
Karen
Ps ... having to do a lot of clicks and runs. I am sorry I cannot comment on all the work I missed while I was gone but will catch up when i can ... have been missing your wonderful work! Take care Patrick ....
I think this is the way it's suppose to be done. Amazing photography.
Rg Tony
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