Southern California Evening Photo

Photographer’s Note

Southern California Evening

South Crescent Bay Beach
Laguna Beach, California

So after all the cold posts I did in a row .. I thought it was time for at least a bit of a break ..

South Crescent Bay Beach is my favorite "hidden cove" in this area .. Wonderful place to sit .. on this evening my wife and I shared the beach with some gulls, sandpipers, a couple fisherman, a handful of kids swimming, two kayakers, and a pod of dolphins just off shore ... (and me with no telephoto) ...

I really played a great deal with the amount of darkness to crop out of this .. I thought this was "right" at full screen size .. but now at 800 pixels I am not so sure ..

claire526, avene, gunbud, Elanor, leo61, danos, riclopes, robertosalguero, isabela_sor, chpp, wishlist, plimrn, delic, Angelillo, lilimih33, adores, fulvio52, t2l0c, Didi, jusninasirun, evanrizo, Hellas, Paolo, emjleclercq, xuaxo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Mamont (51) 2008-02-07 11:52

Hi John,
A very nice work done with editing and particularly color saturation. I feel like having this picture on my wall.
Mikhail

isabela_sor (41909) 2008-02-07 11:52 [Comment]

Show Comment

chpp (3936) 2008-02-07 12:00

Hi John
I like this image, it reminds me some you posted a while ago. I think the balance of light is great here. Very nice details and lovely redish tones. Very nice sharpness and POV with good depth
cheers
chris

abanibi (747) 2008-02-07 12:03

Hello John! I don't know if we can talk about "right" things in photography, but certainly this isn't "wrong" at all! The photo is simply impressive. The colours are the most important thing in it, but the softness of the water and the reflection on the wet sand make it just perfect. The warm glow transmits calm and peace.
Excellent work!
TFS and best regards,
Inés

dkeus31 (25970) 2008-02-07 12:10

hello John
a nice image, the colors gives a moody atmosphere, almost unreal.
the reflexion in the foreground water is superb.
regards
didier

gracious (20017) 2008-02-07 12:10

Hello John,
This is truly a beautiful evening shot of Laguna beach!
great pov with good sharpness, vivid colour and details
great use of silhouette of the rocks
many thanks for sharing
greeting from NZ
Tony

Morac (19922) 2008-02-07 12:16

Hi John,
A very nice work done with editing.
Great pov with good sharpness, vivid colour and details.
Regards

Marc

wishlist (4133) 2008-02-07 13:31

Hi John,
stunning sunset with the sky on fire playing the role of main character in your opera. The gradient in the sky is simply amazing and really makes the photo with the black side well balancing the compo.
Thanks for sharing it and regards

Igor

xavshot (61889) 2008-02-07 13:43

Bonsoir John
j'aime beaucoup l'ambiance douce et les couleurs dans cette photo.Joli travail.
Bravo.
Xavier

plimrn (19558) 2008-02-07 13:56

Hi John,
The sunset colors are fantastic, the reflection doubles the impact. I do think the amount of black adds a lot of drama to the compo, especially that line of rocks dividing sea and sky.
HLJ, Pat

delic (6735) 2008-02-07 14:06

Hello John,
It's absolutely impressive, no worries. Fascinating color and softness by the long exposure. Great work! Regards,
Hakan

Angelillo (9065) 2008-02-07 14:19

Hi John,

Very impressive colors in the sky. It seems fire, and it's very powerful! Thanks.

Greetings,
Angel.

lilimih33 (9870) 2008-02-07 15:26

Hello John!
Fantastic colours and great reflaxion!
Really really wonderful composition!
Excellent done!
Best regards!
Lili

adores (15279) 2008-02-07 17:10

Hi John!
So you have decided to change a little :) Great sunset colours here. The silhouette of the rocks is perfect. The water is very well captured, thanks to the good exposure. Good work!!

lindamc18 (297) 2008-02-07 20:15

wow amazing colors.great pov and nice sharpness.

ag1993 (634) 2008-02-08 0:45

Hello,
Perfect photo. Amazing atmosphere,great calm colours and wonderfull sky. Is this paradise ?
Regards
Andrea Gatt
PS: Sorry because of the no rating because I used all the points for today but tomorrow I will give you 2 points.

MarcT (20983) 2008-02-08 6:29

Hi John,
That's a gorgeous sunset, for sure. Those colors are really impressive and beautiful. The sky is also playing his part in your picture.
Have a nice WE
Marc

RGatward (19737) 2008-02-08 8:12

Where is never rains? ... or snows either I suppose. Amazing colours, any PP here, nicely worked seascape.

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-02-08 10:43

Wonderful hues, John!
This truly is an amazing location, isn't it?
Long time since I've been out here... this brings back another bunch of great memories.
Thanks for sharing!
Have a nice weekend, see ya soon.

Hugs,
Fulvio.

BoisBarb (9051) 2008-02-08 10:46

Formidable coucher de soleil, la pose longue donne encore bcp de force à cette photo, bravo
BoisBarb

t2l0c (38) 2008-02-08 13:15

This picture captured my eyes! The coloring is outstanding! The water is calm and it looks very peacful, I would love to go there sometime.

jonathan_hart (22564) 2008-02-08 16:11

nicely composed, good framing, nice silhouette, good POV, nice colours
regards
jo

Didi (35690) 2008-02-08 18:28

Hi John
At 800 pixels it's still good.
Very nice evening colours and I like the large foreground who gives an interesting depht.
Well done
Greetings from the old Orléans.

jusninasirun (10074) 2008-02-09 8:47

Hello John,

You have wonderful collection of pictures in your gallery. Your critiques are so purposeful and I enjoyed reading it.

This is a superbly composed shot with awesome hues of colors. The curve perspective is stunning against all that drama in the sky and you managed all this with good saturation. Well done and thanks again for sharing this.

Have a wonderful weekend and best regards,

Jusni

Cricri (42797) 2008-02-09 11:09

Hi John,
Fantastique ciel, superbe couleur et de bons graphisme qui dessine l'horizon et l'anvant droit, belle réalisation, compliment
Good evening for you
cricri

Elanor (270) 2008-02-09 13:16

Impressive! Beautiful colours and the water looks so soft! Great photo!

gunbud (27533) 2008-02-09 18:05

Hi John,
Magnificent purple sky seen reflecting in the retreating surf of this lovely Californian beach. The slow exposure gives this landscape a dreamy feel.
Regards, Tom

avene (10870) 2008-02-09 22:47

hello John,
the slow exposure works really well, it makes the water look as a soft silk cloth, beautiful dreamy effect. the unearthly colours, the intricate cloud patterns, the dark silhouette of the rocks - all that fits together perfectly to create a wonderful photo. and I think you got the amount of darkness just right - any more and it would be overwhelming, any less and the shot would lose the contrasts it has now.
excellent shot, my compliments.
have a nice Sunday,
Kristine

claire526 (1261) 2008-02-10 1:05

Hi John,
Wonderful beachscape. Lovely colors and composition. It's like a painting. Great shot. TFS
Regards,
Claire

claudio74 (6213) 2008-02-10 12:19

Hello John
Very unatural colour and a very typical place. A really moody atmosphere.
Well done
Regards
Claude

Csilla (1780) 2008-02-10 19:11

Hi John!
Beautiful sunset photo. Very nice the reddish sky, the black rock silhouettes and their reflections on the water. I am sure this is a wonderful place.
Thanks John!
Regards, Csilla

robertosalguero (2759) 2008-02-10 23:36

Hello John,

Is always a pleasure to be alone in a place like this one during a sunset. The colours are amazing and it almost look like you used a red filter for enhancing the shades of red. Good perspective and interesting short note regarding this place. Thanks John.

Roberto

riclopes (32857) 2008-02-11 0:23

Olá John, fascinating light and colors. This one really stands out in your gallery. The mood is amazing and powerful. Congratulations.
Have a nice day,
ricardo

danos (31652) 2008-02-11 5:44

Hello John,
i'd be there to enjoy this tremendous sunset.The subdued light, with the sun still painting these colors in the horizon makes this a great shot.The silhouettes of the hills, on the foreground ,make the capture more interesting.Informative your note too.Bravo

Regards,Danos

leo61 (42808) 2008-02-11 9:42

Hi John!
These a little bit unreal colors create a nice atmosphere.Good composition and a nice texture of the sea.
Regards,leo

omixlistilimni (3287) 2008-02-11 15:05

Hello John

This is wonderful sunset!!
Bravo!!!

Marina

denisn72 (6867) 2008-02-11 17:00

Hello John
Great contrast in this picture. I really like the atmosphere that pink sunset creates. Nice silhouettes of the land and stunning reflection of the colours on the beach. Well done!
Best regards
Denis!

bucanas (2209) 2008-02-12 16:31

Hi John,Beautiful place,nice light.
Best regards,
Ralf

evanrizo (456) 2008-02-12 23:37

Ooooh a fantastic view with this light and color.
You are very lucky John to be there and to have the opportunity to enjoy it direct there.
Best wishes.
Evangelos

Leilani (1371) 2008-02-13 8:14

Hi John - It's been awhile since I've looked at your gallery... and today you brought tears to my eyes. :) I am homesick today - so it is lovely to see an old haunt. I like how you've called it hidden as well ;-) You can get crowds up to 2,000 there!! Beautiful colours. I think the darkness is just right. Kind Rgds, Leilani

danyy (67958) 2008-02-13 23:48

Bonjour John,
couleurs de feu trdè agréables, magiques et un peu irréelles.
Bien relayées par des reflets dans un cadrage bien élaboré, de belles silhouettes, nettes.
Bien à toi.
Daniel.

Hellas (5093) 2008-02-13 23:59

Magical atmosphere, John.
Your favorite cove is really beautiful!
You both would have had a great break!
The colour of sunset is really stunning! I like very much this meticulous work, my friend.
Greetings from Greece,
Athanasios.

jemaflor (38827) 2008-02-14 4:11

Hi John,
Great light with a so lovely colours, beautiful reflections, well taken.

fserajian (4451) 2008-02-14 14:16 [Comment]

Show Comment

kmarscher (2881) 2008-02-15 4:24

Just magical! I like the expanse you gave to the sky and its reflection, yet you hugged the coastline to give it contrast and punch. Therefore, I think the darkness is just right. I too have been to Laguna but never saw it at sunset.

Paolo (40641) 2008-02-16 14:36

Hi John, i've lost a lot of your beautiful image!
this one have fantastic colours, excellent quality, timing and wodnerful reflections on the sea.
great shot.
thanks, ciao

emjleclercq (14127) 2008-02-16 14:43

A very dramatic but beautifull color, which make a strong contrast with the overall quietness of the scene, with the calm sea licking the beach. Excellent.

All the best,

Emmanuel

anesugur (16538) 2008-02-17 14:19

Hi John,
A perfect photo.
I like the composition with the fantastic atmosphere and colors.
Very good job.
Best regards. Uğur

xuaxo (5635) 2008-02-25 13:03

Hi John
Fortunately this is not a wildfire, but an amazing evening.
Regards,
F

MP-Moller (580) 2008-03-02 4:24

Hi John,
excellent work with the light, I like the dark sillouetes and the almost inviseble border between the sand and the water.

A great place to spend the evening.
M

ollie59 (776) 2008-03-11 2:18

Good work John,knowing when to stop cropping is awkward especially once its reduced to the 800 pixels !!!! also saturation on these type shots ,its so easy to push it up .
Butyou have done a lovely job here and it looks very natural .
For me the reflection off the wet beach is a winner and that band of magenta behind
well done John
take care
ollie

DLM (6447) 2008-05-30 12:27

Looks like a beautiful place ,very tranquil scene,
TFS
Dave.

banyanman (7716) 2008-08-05 3:45

A very impressive after-sunset shot, John. The long exposure works well to give the silky effect on the water, but you've still managed excellent sharpness on the outline of the silhouetted cliffs. I think the amount of 'darkness' is just fine, even at this smaller size - the balckness of the silhouette gives it more impact. Cheers . . . David

porto62 (1757) 2008-11-16 11:59

Hi John great job,a gteat hot colours one really like the mix darkness and purple light with the reflection on the watered beach sand.A great moment. Will be my paperwall TFS Alain.