Last night I dreamt......., a photo from Cornwall, England

Photographer's Note

I have been looking for some inspiration for some new TE pictures and have explored my archives. In particular I have been experimenting with some b/w conversions although only some pictures successfully convert. The low resolution upload to TE seems to remove some of the quality required for good b/w images. Anyway I have started gently by uploading the b/w version of this image into a WS. I thought that the moody light might be suitable for b/w so I would be interested in your opinions. However, I also liked the colours and that is why I decided to upload the colour version as the main image.

The title of this picture of course refers to the famous line from Daphne Du Maurier's gothic tale 'Rebecca' - 'Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again'. Manderley was the country manor on the coast of South Cornwall and east of where this photo was taken. For those literary buffs the sentence is an iambic hexameter, a type of meter in verse.

snunney, macjake, tyro, timecapturer, Royaldevon, SnapRJW, bukitgolfb301, Graal, ChrisJ, marabu61, delpeoples, saxo042, Cricri has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

macjake (39207) 2013-01-11 3:37

Hi Ann
by the way, as i was reading the note I thought to myself....you know what, i think this is an Iambic Hexameter!
haha...joking of course...I don't even know what the heck that is!!
what i DO know, is that the old age black and white conversions are always difficult, and very subjective too.
Personally, i much prefer this colored version. But I'm sure some members will prefer the B&W one...

I enjoy seeing the greens, coppers, oranges in the rocks, and the different shades of water color. In the monochrome version thats missing. I find with landscapes its best in color, and street photography good for black and whites - but thats a very vague rule of course, and one that i'm sure can be easily proven wrong! :)

Keep working on it, and don't be afraid to post them here.
Cheers
Craig

snunney (67172) 2013-01-11 3:37

Hello Ann,
I like the point of view looking through this narrow outlet to the sea with its dark turquoise waters that make a splendid contrast with the russet tones of the rocks. A well balanced image with an excellent mood to it. Personally I prefer the colour version; the black and white seems to lack contrast and is less dramatic, perhaps for the reasons mentioned in your note. One of Hitchcock's best in my opinion.

dta (51280) 2013-01-11 3:47

Hello Ann ,
A beautiful coastal view , with a nice light , combinated with a fine cloudy sky . The composition is excellent , from this well chsen POV .
Regards

Nicou (97509) 2013-01-11 4:58

Hello

Fantastique vue et image superbe compo quel rendu sur la roche avec cette avancée de la mer ce blanc de l'écume superbe image et compo.
bravo et amitié

Nicou

tyro (13009) 2013-01-11 5:05

Hello Ann,

And the last line of the novel, "...And the ashes blew towards us with the salt wind from the sea" is, of course, antidactyllic tetrameter.

But what a glorious photograph,the tall rocks on either side concentrating the eye on the sea channel beneath us with wonderful colours in the rocks and sea and with the lone seabird perfectly placed in the frame against a somewhat threatening sky.

Lovely colours and light, perfect exposure and exquisite details and sharpness.

Beautiful!

Kind Regards,

John.

P.S. I like your black and white conversion too but I think you may well be right regarding the low resolution upload limits here affecting monochrome image quality. How did you do the black and white conversion - did you simply desaturate it or did you play around with the colour sliders in Photoshop when you did this one?

timecapturer (30190) 2013-01-11 5:30

Hi Ann
I am a great one for experimenting in B&W and it is strange how some shots convert better than others. Not sure why - I have not tried any of the specific software packages available, I just use photoshop. This particular image is a lovely romantic colour shot and although it works quite well in B&W, I think I prefer the original. It is the cloud detail that makes it so atmospheric and that seems to be slightly diminished in the B&W version. Did a little workshop of my own. Hope you do not mind.

Have a great weekend - Brian.

[workshop] [compare] +

yquem46 (32227) 2013-01-11 5:41

Hi Ann
A simple compo well balanced in its light and shade areas
Perfectly exposed and natural colors
Simple and beautiful
Have a nice WE
Patrick

Sergiom (39078) 2013-01-11 6:03

Bonjour Ann,

J'aime beaucoup le point de vue et le cadrage. La lumière semble entrer avec la lentille entre les rochers recouverts de mousse verte. Le tout est d'une grande netteté.

Amicalement

Serge

rudiceuppens (555) 2013-01-11 6:33

Hello Ann,

A great picture of Mullion Cove (POV, composition and colours are all excellent). We walked the complete south west coast path in 8 summer holidays. The Lizard peninsula was one of our favorite parts (Together with the extreme west: Saint-Ives - Mousehole and South Devon: Plymouth - Darthmouth),

Greetings, Rudi

dkmurphys (36709) 2013-01-11 7:30

Hi Ann,
Very beautiful place. I like your capture in high quality and great colors. Well done!

Daniel

Royaldevon (17713) 2013-01-11 9:58

Hello Ann,

Oh, you are returning me to the depths of school days!
I'm afraid iams and tetrams will have to remain in my pastiam!
This is a lovely shot. The rocks are so well textured and appear like the feet of huge, prehistoric animals paddling at the edge of the see. In my opinion, you were right to have the rocks crossing the lower corner; it anchors the f/g and brings the scene closer to the viewers.
The b&w shot, for me, loses some of the antmosphere. Maybe it is the loss of the subtle colours that affect it so much.

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

mjw364 (3612) 2013-01-11 10:55

Hello Ann - great composition, clear and sharp. A slight mood fromm the sky and the seagull is positioned well. I like both colour and black n white. I think the world though has turned its back on black n white given the digital age we live in. I hope you don't mind but I undertook a workshop in b n w to, well encourage you down the road of b n w a little! It contrasts with Brian's to give you a choice. Mine is a little darker so as to add mood which is always the way in b n w landscapes I think.

TFS

Mike

[workshop] [compare]

npecanhuk (53829) 2013-01-11 15:48

Hello Ann!
Beautiful place by the sea!
Attractive nature picture!
Sharpness, exposure, colors, chosen pov and composition really pleased me!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

SnapRJW (18642) 2013-01-11 22:55

Hello Ann - I like the colour version. The composition is good with the water forming a nicely curved 's' through the craggy rocks, leading the eye to the softly clouded sky on the horizon. The colours are wonderfully subtle and one of the most important aspects of the shot. The B&W versions although interesting as an exercise just don't have the impact. I love B&W landscape work but I have noticed that one cannot just convert any shot with success. From what I have read, B&W specialists learn to 'see' a shot in B&W from the outset. Now there's a challenge! Not one I could easily rise to I don't think. Warm regards and have a lovely weekend. Rosemary

bukitgolfb301 (30023) 2013-01-11 23:52

Hi dear Ann

Ya great archive image shot has appeared from your stocks. Great framework and perfect composition image! Timinmg of wave coming and splash are very well taken via wonderful color touch. Thanks for your sharing and have a good Sat!
Takero from Tokyo

Graal (88784) 2013-01-11 23:52

Hello Ann,
nice place near by wild nature. Amazing rocks and bay. Photo is very well done. I like it a lot.
Have a nice WE.
Aleksander

emka (57992) 2013-01-11 23:59

Hi Ann,
Indeed, the low resolution upload allowed on TE is one of many limitations. I do not know why we could post a bit better photos. Wonderful composition. I like here colours, these green moss and re lichen, so here I do not see any need for black and white. Water is also nice like here. I sometimes convert photos to b&w using "Effects" in my pp program. I use online picmonkey. it is fun there because there are filters and the view can be very different, enhancing parts of different colours.
I have no idea about iambic hexameters and this Gothic tale I do not know either.

have a nice weekend

Malgo

[workshop] [compare]

ChrisJ (86766) 2013-01-12 3:44

Hi Ann

Looks similar to North Gorge on North Stradbroke Island off the coast from Brisbane. I seriously consider b&w conversion when the colours are washed out, very pale and boosting contrast would have more impact in b&w. Good warm cold colour contrasts here between the blue cyan sea & reddish yellow rocks. Well composed with good sharpness. Tfs!

marabu61 (3865) 2013-01-12 5:34

Hello Ann
Whatever an iambic hexameter is...?
I agree with you that the color version works best for this shot, the rocks have just so many different shades and colors that are lost in the b&w versions.
Of the b&w I like the blue filter best. The altered picture nr.3 has to much contrast for me.
While I prefer the sky in Brians version, I prefer the darker rocks in your version, combined together they would make the best of the b&w's
just my two cents
have a good weekend
Daniel

delpeoples (44888) 2013-01-12 5:46

Dear Ann

What a wonderful title and equally fascinating note. I love photos that are linked to books and poetry. The seascape is just up my alley. The coastline and sea are so wild and untamed, and the place looks completely uninhabited. Beautiful colours and contrasts, with excellent definition and the use of the rocks to naturally frame the photo. The horizon looks slightly (and I could be going blind) skewiff, but only by about a degree, if it is.

Congratulations on this post, just what TE is all about
Lisa

saxo042 (31790) 2013-01-12 11:39

Hi Ann,
When I first saw the thumbprint, I thought I knew exactly where this was; I have uploaded a quite similar view some years ago from Tintagel. But I soon realised that this was somewhere else (and a much better picture too). But I do like the S-curve of the water streaming between the rocks here. Still, this is a nice reminder of a holiday in Cornwall in 1988. A very pleasant picture!
Kind regards
Gunnar

willperrett (2949) 2013-01-12 14:14

Hello Ann
Great shot in colour, as the colours are muted and natural. But it works extremely well in monochrome too, in fact I think I prefer it (but you know my partiality to b/w already I expect). Others have offered you alternatives. I won't do that; suffice to say that if you become a monochrome convert (and I am a bit of a proselytizer about this), you may decide you wish to invest in Nik Silver FX Pro. I bought it for myself as a Christmas present, and am favourably impressed. Unless of course you want to go the whole hog and start shooting b/w film! Darkroom equipment is as cheap as chips these days!
Regards
Will

cornejo (17972) 2013-01-17 4:37

Hi Ann, great shot of this portion of coast rock formation, I like the composition and pov chosen. It is a nice and interesting picture with good sharpness, depth, good light and color. Very well captured with great quality. Very good and nice job perfectly done, congratulations my friend. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work.

Good afternoon and happy rest of week.
Greetings from southern Spain.
Angel.

Robert1969 (6152) 2013-01-21 1:12

Hello Ann,

Beautiful rough surrounding and a wild sea,
I like that. The point of view, composition
and light management are great and a nice
extra is the sky: that fits very well.

Friendly regards,
Robert Alderliefste

Cricri (86295) 2013-01-25 22:49

Hi Ann
J'aime ce côté sauvage de la mer, la couleurs des rochers, la douce lumière du moment qu'on y apprécie les moindres détails, bon POV aussi
Belle journée
cricri

lpi (4424) 2013-01-29 6:09

Hello Ann,
joli point de vue sur cette belle côte sauvage.
Les couleurs et la luminosité sont excellentes!
Je préfère ce cliché que celui en noir & blanc!
Amicalement,
LPi

jemaflor (68781) 2013-02-12 11:56

Hi Ann,
Nice pov between sea and cliffs, Good effect with this perpective and this lonely bird flying.