PHOTO CLINIC
02
Nice use of the shoreline
to frame the central
cluster of rocksPHOTO CRITIQUE
01
Well-exposed to capture
the spectacular colours
of the sky and its reflection03
The composition is a bit
too symmetrical, and
the foreground rocks are darkAlan says “This shot was taken at Porth
Colmon – it’s my favourite spot on the
North Wales coast, and I try to spend as
much time as possible down on the rocks at
sunset. This shot was taken in the evening
after a hot sunny day with no cloud, but as
the sun started to set, some clouds began to
form on the horizon. I waited until the sun
had gone down, and crossed my fingers that
the clouds would light up – they did, and
I was very happy that my wait had paid off.
It’s always hard to expose the rocks properly,
as they’re so dark. I shot in raw, and used a
Lee 0.6 ND filter, which in tandem with the
narrow aperture of f/16 gave me the long
exposure I was after to smooth the sea. I also
used a 0.9 ND grad to hold back the sky while
bringing out as much detail in the rocks as
possible. Apart from some sensor dust marks
I’m happy with the shot, although I’d still like
to have captured more detail in the rocks –
I’ll try again next time!We say “This is a great long-exposure
seascape, Alan. The sea and sky are well-
exposed, and the colours of the sky and the
reflection in the blurred water are spectacular.
The rocks are a little under-exposed, as you
say, but even shooting raw it’s hard to expose
such a high-contrast scene, and if you’d
exposed for that shadow detail you’d have
clipped the colours in the sky; when we talk
about clipping we’re often referring to pure
white highlights, but if you’ve got strong,
bright colours it’s possible to clip these too,
so they become patches of flat orange or
red, with no gradation in tone. I like how
you’ve used the curve of the shoreline to
frame the central rocks, although for me the
composition is a little too simplistic with the
horizon in the middle. I’ve applied a fairly
radical crop, going from landscape format to
portrait, and turning a conventional seascape
into something that, without the context of
the shoreline, is more abstract. It also puts
the horizon on the top third line. With your
large 21Mp raw image from your full-frame
EOS 5D Mk II, we’re still left with a good-
sized usable image. I’ve also lightened the
water to bring it closer in tone to the sky
and muted the sky colours a touch, so the
central rocks become the main focus against a
wash of colour; the blurred water adds to the
abstract feel. Hope you like it!”Canon EOS 5D Mk II
Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
Aperture f/16
Shutter speed 20 secsPorth
Colmon
BY ALAN LODGE
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