"Next Stop, Japan", a photo from British Columbia, Western

Photographer's Note

"Next Stop, Japan" is a common saying often heard on Vancouver Island's West Coast as people gaze out to the vast Pacific Ocean.

I took my time climbing over the rocks, having my large camera bag on my back and my tripod and camera in my hand- last thing I needed was a fall. I finally found my spot, with the swirling waters beneath me. I extended the tripod legs and found a firm footing for them, connected the cable release, and attached my Lee Graduated ND Filter to help tone down the bright sky.
I was ready to go, just sit back and take the shots...

I hope you like the shot,
- Dan

TopGeo, salvator, Dyerco, Wandering_Dan, ChrisJ, speedblade, frostymon has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

marianita (3455) 2008-01-15 3:40

Dan,
this picture looks alive! excellent earthly tones and layout. beautiful
marianna

BennyV (34772) 2008-01-15 3:46

Hello Dan,

The sky is indeed beautifully toned down and the front has just enough colour to keep it interesting, intriguing even. A perfect balance and well worth the climb down!

Benny

TopGeo (38220) 2008-01-15 3:59

Hi Dan, excellent picture seaside! I saw your gallery has interesting receptions action of music and in palko(skene) and in the street they are subjects beautiful taken and me they like, as here in the picture of landscape. Him we say again! thanks
Georgios

cam (9043) 2008-01-15 3:59

Hi DAn
I feel in harmony with your picture, the kin of thing I am doing these days, only the sea is missing, I make do with a river, no tides,,,sigh.

The cloud cover here is dramatic, sucking us inside the picture and hpnotizing us.A good depth overall emphasizes all I just said.

No data.ISO and Speed?
I wonder what a longer exposition will have had for effect.

How was your stay in Canada?
Here, we just lost 4 feet of snow in a matter of days.....resigh...

Have a good trip back to your second home.
Charles

Alex969 (18) 2008-01-15 4:08

Hi, Dan
Beautiful photo. The ocean breathes force.

In December 2006 I was on Vancouver Island.
During that moment there was the strongest storm for last 20 years. Some days were faults with the electric power.
But I remember only beauty of storming ocean.

Morac (27725) 2008-01-15 4:36

Hello Dan,

The sky is indeed beautifully
Good Composition
Regards
Marc

romanaa (8430) 2008-01-15 4:48

Hello Dan,
I like it very much. A lot of drama in your image.
The depth is perfect.
Well done
Best wishes
Romana

bruce_wayne (1507) 2008-01-15 4:56

Ciao Dan
this is really a great shot...your lens are very good and here I saw your very good work. That sky is incredible...very well done

Alessandro

Balwant (588) 2008-01-15 5:06

Just perfect with plenty of details and colour in the foreground The ND grade filter has certainly cut out some of the lights from the bright sky and water to give this details. Good lens also. Well done

Niebaotan (300) 2008-01-15 5:19

A dramatic and colorful capture of this beautiful sea. The composition is excellent and the details and colors are lovely. A perfect shot!

TFS!

fotohadi (2967) 2008-01-15 5:41

Hi Dan.The composition is excellent.Süperb colours and details.Very well done.Hadi

rico (514) 2008-01-15 7:04

What a beautiful shot! Is this a one shot image or a RAW composition of two, with different lights? Everything is so clear and the colors are so great! You use to edit it on Photoshop or other editor for achieving this result?
Thanks for sharing.
Regards,
Rico.

Cormac (26565) 2008-01-15 7:27

Great shot Dan! The filter really worked well here, with the clouds in the sky brought down to a level where they are clearly visible and they make a good complement to the rocks in the foreground. I think you have a good amount of blur on the waves too, so you get some sense of action or motion, without totally fogging things out. Nice work!

gildasjan (43826) 2008-01-15 7:29

Bonjour Dan
Cela ressemble à la côte sauvage que nous avons en Bretagne.Très beau rendu des couleurs de la mer entre gris blanc et vert.Bravo pour cette belle réalisation.
Bonne journée.
Amicalement
Gildas

vikous (2217) 2008-01-15 9:23

Hi Dan,
very good work with your equipment! The width of full frame is something that i'm lacking, it shows much more details in the whole scene than APS size sensors. Anyway, i like this shot and again, well done!
viktor

gneufeld (15890) 2008-01-15 11:07

Hi Dan,
A very fine shot. I am really attracted to this type of image and your use of the grad I think had an awesome impact on the outcome. Excellence and TFS. Gerald

salvator (19110) 2008-01-15 13:27

Hi Dan,
This is the 5D put to good use. The composition, the low pov , the framing as well as the colors are absolutely fantastic.
Best regards. Salvator.

Butterflyka (518) 2008-01-15 13:41

Hi Dan
Fantastic shot with great point of view.Wonderful capture of a threatening storm.Good colors and light management.Great sharpness and the depth.
Compliments
Karina

CaptainJack (0) 2008-01-15 16:00

Hello Dan,

I guess going forward, I will think of you way over across the big pond in SGP whenever I am on the BC coast. :) The grad filter did its job in bringing down the light in the top of the scene, which works well to convey that sense of drawing the eye to the horizon line, which is in tune with your note. Funny, I have often thought the same thing, given that I travel so much to Asia from here myself. The darkening in the upper corners aids in the narrowing of focus to the horizon as well, though that big clump of rock in the central part is kind of distracting to me, as it "blocks the view" outward.

TGULUMSER (13252) 2008-01-16 1:08

Hello Dan,
It is a wild but very nice composition. The rocks , the sea and the sky are amazing with fantastic colors,
Best regards
Tulay

Dyerco (10185) 2008-01-16 7:36

Hi Dan
The filter really helps create a dramatic sky. Great colour in the water. Nicely done.
Phil

ndb1958 (9289) 2008-01-17 8:11

Hi Dan, a great capture of this land- or better seascape. Even the sky looks impressing. Beautiful tones and lightning. Thanks for the good wishes and all the best in 2008 even too you, Nino.

Ann75 (0) 2008-01-17 18:54

Hi Dan,

Wow, what a shot! I love the colors, the rough water and the way the clouds seem to be moving. Excellent capture of all the movements in this scene with amazing details. Excellent work, Dan!

Greetings,
Ann

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2008-01-17 19:06

Hi, Dan -

Great composition and use of filter. Very sharp - almost over-sharp, I might say, but I suppose the rocks really are that sharp; certainly they are on this part of the coast (San Francisco - where we also point out that Japan is over the horizon). Very dramatic scene.

Dan

ChrisJ (172408) 2008-01-26 0:48

Hi Dan

Looks like a good oil painting. Wonderful light contrasts, & a dark, brooding atmosphere. Good sharpness too. Tfs!

rgarrigus (0) 2008-01-30 10:40

Hi Dan,

Missed this one and I do like it. This is a great seascape. Everything from the foreground rocks to the composition of the flowing sea to the movement of the sky to the color of the water is excellent here. I had an identical outing this weekend in a very similar looking location. The almost has a tobacco grad look to it.

Cheers!

Bob G.

frostymon (191) 2008-04-08 18:31

I think this is one of my favorite shots of yours. Though i am sort of on the fence about exposure time....i think i'd have opted for either a longer exposure or a shorter exposure....because the water is slightly blurred and kind of sits between being not blurry enough and crystal clear.

I do however love the colors on the rocks. it isn't such a stark contrast with the rest of the colors, so creates a nice even palette.

jimkilgallon (0) 2008-04-25 7:25

Hi Daniel

I've read about seeing storm clouds crashing out to Japan from Vancouver Island. Hopefully I will see one on my trip to the pacific rim coast. I love the reddish tinge in the clouds and the rock formations are fantastic, the shadow detail in them are not filled in and the highlights from the waves seem to be holding detail. I think this image would also be nice in B/W.
Regards
Jim

greg64g (11193) 2008-05-21 1:04

hi Dan

what a beautiful picture, sky is so dramatic and the clarity on foreground is excellent. Superb work
cheers
greg

josuecollado (25) 2008-10-24 22:48

Excellent POV and texture on the foreground rocks. Good saturation on the color of the sky and the water.
Regards,
Josue

jrj (34843) 2008-11-06 3:42

Strong compo dan with inclusion of some good details - the foreground the sea and of course the fabulous sky in the back. Maybe it's just the ND filter and maybe a little underexposure but you are quite close to a result looking a little like a HDR - nothing wrong with that other than it may result in a little 'artificial' touch to the final result..