California Coast
by
nrulkovComment by Artyste: Hello, and greetings from the Critique Club.
Initial Thoughts
#1: Oh great.. I get to critique a blue ribbon winner.. eeek
#2: A good photo and a fun moment, but a little too distant and hard to make out at first glance.
Composition/Content
I'm about as far from an expert on landscape composition as they come, but I do notice a few things about this photo that stand it out. The line of the waves does a great job of leading you into the photo, and up to the para-glider. In fact, all the lines in this photo help to bring your focus onto the para-glider and offer a nice sweeping dynamic. My first reaction is that the paraglider itself seems to be an after-thought and almost a distraction, but He/She certainly adds an extra element when you sit and view it for awhile. The likeness of the sail with the clouds and waves is a nice touch.
Background
The horizon and sweeping clouds make for a good dynamic, and the infinite DOF really works.
Camera Work/Technical
Exposure is really nice for a sunny day, and I expect you under-exposed in order to do post work. Focus seems a *little* soft to me in many areas, but I suspect the dodging might be the culprit there. I'm personally not too keen on the vignetting I can notice around the border of the image, which in my eyes really causes your dodge work to stand out a touch more than it maybe should have.
Digital Processing
For me, the dodging was just a little bit too strong. It's caused more of a soft-focus on areas where I would have liked to see it a bit sharper. The cliffs especially seem to fade into each other because of this. I like the effect it had on the waves and the sail though. Your clone work was nice, I can't tell at all where any of the cloned-out objects were. One problem I noticed with dodging too, is that when it does soften an image, it's practically impossible.. (with my knowledge of post-processing), to get that sharpness back. While I have touched on the fact that softness is something that bugs me a bit here, I have to say that you did a good job in not having it *too* soft, and then in not over-sharpening it after the fact.
Fits the Challenge
I'd say it's a pretty strong candidate for Stock Photography. It's got a good mass appeal.. (scenery and sporting), and could belong in any of a thousand publications. Apparently, others agree with me. heh.
My Opinion on the Photograph
I'm not overly impressed with the post-produced "look" of this photo, but for the challenge and in general, it's a great photo that people are going to like. Good job, congratulations on your blue ribbon, and happy shooting.
Message edited by author 2005-03-31 12:19:09. 
Photographer found comment helpful.