A walk on the beach

[Andrew Pratt]

Here's some photo's I took yesterday while walking on a beach in Saskatchewan sampleing Piping Plover habitat (they're an endangered species of bird)

These are pretty typical of the terrain these birds will nest in.

http://www.mts.net/~glendap/sk/beach.jpg

http://www.mts.net/~glendap/sk/beach2.jpg

http://www.mts.net/~glendap/sk/dunes.jpg

I really liked this image of the rock being split due to the frost action (I am a geography geek after all :W )
http://www.mts.net/~glendap/sk/rock.jpg

I took this just to illustrate why conservation organizations are all pushing for farmers to leave some cover on the ground instead of tilling them to bare soil in the fall :roll: :roll:

http://www.mts.net/~glendap/sk/sanddrift.jpg

[Glen]

Great pictures Andrew! ( and they say Saskatchewan is flat, you've proved them wrong :lol: ).

That picture with the rocks looks like it could have been taken by the path finder on Mars ( just not a red ).

Very cool.

[Andrew Pratt]

Yeah anyone that says SK is flat is very short sighted as its typically rolling hills...and the Coteau area is very hilly...besides Winnipeg is as flat as it gets so we should be the last ones to complain.

[Pat]

Nice shots Andrew.
I agree with Glen, the shot with the split rock could be mars :)

The pic of the soil erosion is disturbing.

[Pat]

Ok had some time to play

Here is Andrews Rock...slightly adjusted ;)
http://pat.home.mchsi.com/images/marsrock.jpg

Here is a real photo of the Mars surface
http://pat.home.mchsi.com/images/marssurface.jpg

[Trevor Schell]

That means Bing and I are Martians. :lol:

http://members.shaw.ca/TTP/mars.jpg

BTW,,Nice pics Andrew,,Still looks pretty flat to me.
The South may be a bit hilly, but not the North, until you get way up there.

[Bing Fung]

and they say Saskatchewan is flat, you've proved them wrong :lol: ).




Uhm no.... Those pictures look pretty flat to me :rofl: :rofl:

Saskatchewan, the only place on earth where you an see your dog run away for 2 weeks :B

The Northern part of Sask when you get into the Canadian Shield is very hilly and the one road is like a roller coaster ride. Southern Saskatchwan also holds the distinction of being the highest point of land East of the Rockies to Labrador... Any one what to guess what place that would be?

Pat cool Mars comparison :T

Trev, you like that Marvin martian photo... :rofl:

[Glen]

http://members.shaw.ca/TTP/mars.jpg :rofl:

[Andrew Pratt]

Bing that would be the Cypress Hills area at an approx altitude of almost 1500 meters ...the point on the Labrador/Quebec boarder is Mount Caubvik (1652m):W

BTW if you generally think the south of SK is flat take a tour in the Missouri couteau one day...trust me its far from being flat.

Now as to the above photo's from a technical stand point how are they?

[Bing Fung]

Correct Andrew :T Cypress Hills it is...

About the picture, they are nice. However if I could just critique one aspect it would be the 1/3 rule. In your photos you have taken the classic shot 90% of the people mostly take. That is where the sky meets the ground at about 1/2 way through your shot. There is nothing wrong with this, however this also can make it nothing special either.

A good rule to use in lanscape photography is to break your scene in to 3rds. That is make the sky meet the ground at the lower 3rd of the frame to add impact to the sky. Or make the ground meet the sky at the upper 3rd to add impact to your ground. These are not hard and fast rules, however they generally will produce a more striking image, or one of interest to the viewer, as it will be a composition that is charateristically uncommon.


I hope you don't mind, but I took your images and cropped them to show you what I mean. Granted the wide screen adds dramatic impact to the frame, however I feel in a standard 4:3 frame, the image would still have the same impact.


http://www.htguide.com/forum/attachment.php4?attachmentid=30&stc=1

http://www.htguide.com/forum/attachment.php4?attachmentid=31&stc=1

Using this technique, it tends to draw your viewer into the scene in a linear fashion from bottom to top, or top to bottom, rather than smack center. Drawing your veiwer in is the best friend a lanscape photographer has, as it can add impact to an other wise bland image. Another technique for this is left to right by anchoring a forground subject in the frame to draw the viweres eyes from left to right, or right to left. S curves in a picture also tend to draw in the viewer. With out these tricks, a viewer will draw in to the centre of the photo and then just lose intrest as their eyes wander amilessly looking for something that is not there. :W

I don't always have the right answers, and a photo never could have one answer that is always correct, and rules are also ment to be broken, however if you start to apply the rule of 1/3's into your lanscape photos, you'll start to see marked improvements in your shooting. You'll look at the land differently as well, which is always a good thing. I always look at my lanscape frames in 1/3's. Sometimes I have used the ground or sky to an extent where there is just a sliver of sky, or sliver of ground.

I hope that was the kind of feedback you wanted and it is ok.... :confused:

[aud19]

Nice pics Andrew and good tips Bing :T

Sorry guys, being a BC boy, your biggest hills there would likely look like what we consider flat over here ;) :rofl:

Jason

[Andrew Pratt]

I agree Bing the rule of 1/3's is actually one I try to follow but for these shots I just couldn't get it to look good with the shoreline that high in the viewfinder.

[Pat]

I agree with the rule of 1/3rds
Possibly you were having difficulty with it because there wasn't a dominant point of interest...just a sweeping vista.

The only other thing that really jumps out at me is your horizon is crooked...I know that can be tough to keep straight when you are handholding. Use a tripod and it will make you slow down and think about your framing and compostion.