Swanage Jetty at Sunset

It's been while since I posted an image here so here goes!

Was entered into a club competition this week and scored 20/20 and has generated some debate there, wonder if it can do the same here!

Taken approx 6 weeks ago.

Well, I've been 'our man in Swanage' for a while now, and you've knocked me from my perch with this one! A worthy winner no doubt ... this is the small jetty over on the beach isn't it? I didn't take any there, but rather stuck with the main pier.

I'm in two minds with your shot .... I love the jetty itself, clean and simple, and the composition (really the placing of the jetty in the frame) is perfect! Perhaps a lower viewpoint would have added more depth and detail in the foreground.

Its the sky and water I'm unsure on ... the tones are nice, but its looks rather ... unearthly ..... I know thats what you wanted and you've done a great job capturing and processing it, but my own tastes are for much more realism. Will be interesting to see others thoughts. Well done with this image and thanks for posting it

I think it is superb, well done! The effect is spot on for a long exposure and is nice because the tones are more pastel than most I've seen like this.

Regards
David

I'm with David, very nice indeed.

I like this very much... There is a lightness, brightness and freshness to this that is very unusual in a long exposure... Lovely detail and super composition on the jetty... A very open and optimistic photograph...

Best

great shot ,those pastel shades are fantastic

I like it a lot. A long? exposure to flatten the sea and blur the sky. The only thing for me is with a shot like this i like to see it central and not off to one side. If you were to one side of the jetty then off centre would be good but as you are dead centre I think the photo should be as well. I know some will say what about the rule of thirds but I'm just an old fogey. But you know that as you've met me. As I said though I like it a lot. CHEERS Vic

This a actually very powerful and slightly surreal. I wasn't quite sure what attracted me to the shot, but having looked at it for a long time I've decided it's helped along by the double vanishing point. This is quite subtle, but the sky has a vanishing point, or an origin point, over the water on the top third to the left. The jetty has a vanishing point on the top third to the right, and the two connect via the pole at the end of the jetty. This holds my eye between the two and I think this, coupled with the watercolour-intensity lightness of the image creates a soothing effect holding us within the picture.

I'm glad there are no people in this, as it stands it has a calm peacefulness as it waits for us the enter the scene.

The contrast of the solid pier and its furniture, crisp and detailed, with the ethereal sky and sea works well.

Echoing a comment above, though not given for the same reason, I wonder what effect a lower vantage point would have had. I like the idea of a sort of infinity pier/jetty, with the end of it meeting the horizon.

Thanks everyone for all the kind comments, glad to see they are all positive! The debate at the club was between 2 members who are both judges, one thought it beautiful, the other sterile!

Yup, that's the one!

The plan was to make it mono but as we got there at the perfect time the colour version turned out a lot better than I expected!

Thanks!

Thanks!

They did turn out better than I hoped but needed a good contrast and saturation boost to get them out.

Hi Vic, it was actually shot dead centre as that was the shot I wanted but the tide wasn't fully in on the right hand side showing some of the beach. The crop would have been too much to get rid of it so we came up with this. Even though a lot of the file has been cropped out, thanks to the K-3 resolution it prints well!

Thanks John, apart from the wife you're the only one that's spotted the 'double vanishing point'. There were 2 dog walkers walk past the camera but at 208 secs long it didn't matter!

Thanks, it's on the list for the next time we head in that direction!

I find Vic's comment about centralisation very interesting. I live not far from here and I've seen countless superb shots where this view has been taken dead central. For me, this angle is refreshingly different and all the better for it

Regards
Nigel