Chokecherry Sunrise, January 2010

[Ed V]

Thought I'd post a second image just in case your preferences lie in color images.

Image made at sunrise on Chokecherry Beach, Sandy Hook, NJ.

Canon 50D and 24-70mm f/2.8L lens with Singh-Ray Vari-ND Filter to lengthen the exposure; mounted on a tripod.

Let me know what you think?

[diddee]

Love the sunrise Ed. But I can't tell on my monitor - are the rocks in the front a little soft?

By soft (for those who may be new to this term) it means not quite in sharp focus.

[Ed V]

Love the sunrise Ed. But I can't tell on my monitor - are the rocks in the front a little soft?

By soft (for those who may be new to this term) it means not quite in sharp focus.

Good eye, Judy. Personally, I like this image a lot but you are correct about the rocks in the foreground being a little soft. I actually sharpened them just a bit more before I made a 12"x18" print of this image. But there is a limit to how much sharpening can be done so they are a little sharper but not sharp.

Why are they a little soft? The hyperfocal distance at f/22 (this was shot at 6.0 sec @ f/22) is around 3 feet. This means anything closer than 3 feet to your lens will be out of focus. Notice how the focus/sharpness does improve as you move from the rock in the foreground to the rock behind it and to the driftwood even farther from the camera. If I wanted the rocks to be sharper, I would have needed to move back a little farther. But as is, the focal point here is the sky and not the rocks which is why I am not terribly bothered by the lack of sharpness there.

Any other thoughts? I love to discuss photographs... mine, yours, anyones!

[Brian Keifer]

Love this one, Ed.

The only thing I might have done differently would have been to back up to get the rocks in focus and then cropped for the composition.  The sky is most definitely the focal point, but I'd still prefer the foreground interest to be in focus as well.  I also like the two sets of footprints diverging on the sand.

The colors in the sky and the smoothed water are excellent!

[Ed V]

Love this one, Ed.

The only thing I might have done differently would have been to back up to get the rocks in focus and then cropped for the composition.  The sky is most definitely the focal point, but I'd still prefer the foreground interest to be in focus as well.  I also like the two sets of footprints diverging on the sand.

The colors in the sky and the smoothed water are excellent!

Thanks Brian. Appreciate the feedback. I did sharpen those rocks a little more before making a print but you are right - in order to truly get them in perfect focus, I would have to back up a little more from the rocks. Something to keep in mind next time around.