Porthmeor Beach, a photo from Cornwall, England

Photographer's Note

Locally known as "the surfer's beach" this is the largest beach in St Ives, in Cornwall. At low tide (as here) the sand is patterened by rivulets of freshwater seeping down the beach. The waves provide good conditions for surfing, and there is a surf school based on the beach. The rocks at one end provide plenty of rockpools and interesting views. This photograph was taken at the end of the afternoon on a sunny but windy October Day. Colour correction has been used in Photoshop to give the over-saturated colour feel to the picture.

hispic, dawekato, MLINES oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

dsidwell (9783) 2003-10-21 9:05

The horizon is right in the middle, which cuts the image in half, but how can we resist those interesting clouds and the interesting patterns on the beach? Lovely work!

Keitht (1342) 2003-10-21 9:12

Wonderfully saturated colours, possibly over saturated as the colour in the sea has been lost. It is still a great shot and cropping from either top or bottom to shift the horizon would take too much from the image.

ninadev (5377) 2003-10-21 9:53

What pleases me the most in that picture is the color of the sand as well as patterns and food steps. The rest is nice too but I would also crop (at the top)to put the horizon off center. A square format would be nice too.

light (865) 2003-10-21 10:02

Beautiful deppnes, perspective, and colors.
Nice footsteps, and clouds.
Fantastic framing, very good job!

Nina (5099) 2003-10-21 12:41

Nice one Gwynne. Sand and the sky look good, but the oversaturation doesn't do much for the sea. There is nothing for the eye to focus on, but I like it nonetheless.

torben (3100) 2003-10-21 16:07

I think it's great that the oversaturation made the sea lose colour and turn black, it looks awesome.
The pattern of freshwater on the sand and the shape of the clouds in the sky resembles and balances each other very nice. This makes the centered horizon well motivated.
The notion that both patterns are water, just in different realms, adds a little extra poetry.
Rules were broken here, and to good effect.

dominique (11414) 2003-10-21 17:37

It is well done, a strange photograph but that made not too natural, I like nevertheless

ssddgreg (219) 2003-10-23 10:47

WOW! I love this photo :) ... is it possibile to buy it -- as a large scale digital photo? It would lovely suit into my office ;) Great job, Gwynne! [email protected]

henrye (3500) 2003-10-23 11:21

I like the oversaturation! Great sky and wonderful, interesting shapes in the foreground. Very well done!

riodda (617) 2003-11-10 6:19

Very nice ladnscape, i love the perfect simmetrical framing and the over-saturated colour file is what, on my point of view, is always needed in this kind of shots.
Really great job.

zto (268) 2003-11-10 6:23

This is abeautifull photo. Verry well captured. The colours are deep and vivid and the shadow casted byt the clouds on the sand makes th eimage verry intresting. Well seen and well captured.

Surfer31 (0) 2003-11-28 18:35

Nice shot... I just think the sand is too yellow. I hope you don't mind, but I did a workshop on your picture. Just a small color correction. Everything else is great... I love specially the clouds and the contrast they do with the dark blue.

[workshop] [compare]

CoolDan (2516) 2003-12-31 17:28

Trčs jolie composition. Ce ruissellement de l'eau et les traces de pas sur le sable donnent un effet spectaculaire ŕ la photo. Les couleurs sont superbes.

Coyote (457) 2004-01-18 15:12

Love that CMOS sensor- and your whole subjective view of how to do this shot. I like everything you did, it is so vivid it almost seems overdone- but it isn't. On the edge of being one of the best on TE. Do some more, please.

Curioso (9271) 2004-02-14 6:28

Wonderful landscape. Technically, you did a great job. Still, a front element in the foreground could have made this picture a must.

sailingjim (201) 2004-03-09 0:56 [Comment]

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Laurence (0) 2004-03-16 10:44

Magnifique image. Trčs beau cadrage. Netteté parfaite. L'effet du filtre est étonnant. Bravo !

mccu7pj2 (0) 2004-06-03 7:59

This is fantastic, the dark blue sky and the detail of the patterns in the sand are great. I want to go there on my next trip to Cornwall!

Perhaps it would have been slightly easier on the eye had it been taken square on to the waterline, or if it had been angled further away? At the moment the way the sea only slightly recedes at the right-hand side bothers me a little. But no matter - it's a brilliant image!

natc (315) 2004-09-02 9:32

it's strange how dark the sea results... very nice colors. i like the precision of the sand.

sn00zie (2384) 2004-09-02 9:51

beautiful colors in the sky.. this is a nice picture.. i like the footprints in the sand

es841 (2113) 2004-09-13 7:41

Trčs belle réussite. Couleurs fantastiques, Piqué excellent!
Congratulation!

TheG1 (1509) 2004-09-13 9:47

Nice sky and composition.
The foot prints on the sand take your eyes into the ocean.

vapours (8264) 2004-09-25 23:40

Lovely pic. Love the small bar of ocean as it seperates the sky from the sand.

dawekato (2269) 2004-10-02 15:51

I agree with David that the horizon is too central. I love the colours and shapes, though. I tried a couple of workshops to see if it can be fixed. Hope you like them, Gwynne.

[workshop] [compare]

cessy (13647) 2004-11-15 5:43

what a beautiful place,m greay lighting and composition. I love the blue sky, very nice work

Maru (0) 2005-01-15 15:43

this is a case, IMO, that the centred horizon works very well. Interesting stuff in the sky and the sand beach to be shown with that deep blue horizon creates a very nice composition. good use of light and colors well balanced.

jdwyer264 (1084) 2006-11-27 15:09

Nice shot Gwynne.
I love the light of St. Ives and this is a great example of the light. The colours are so clean and well contrasted, super work.
The foot prints are a simple and affective addition. The clouds also great. Please see what you think of my St. Ives shots.
Have a great day.
TFS

MLINES (12516) 2007-12-18 17:55

Hi Gwynne. A good beach scene with a beautiful sky in blue with wispy clouds. The footprints add a lot of interest. It may be worth cropping the photo so two thirds is sand or two thirds sky, just to see the effect. TFS. Murray.