Hermanus break iii - Early morning view

Posted by dobbino (Cape Town, South Africa) on 3 June 2009 in People & Portrait and Portfolio.

Without any doubt, this is my favourite shot from our break away. Finally, finally, I have been able to capture a scene with a long (30 second) exposure, where part of the image is crystal clear, and the other naturally blended by continuous movement to give an almost surreal effect. I know it might not be everybody's cup of tea, but I just love it!
This was taken from the balcony of the self-catering apartment where we were staying, at about 7:30 on the Thursday morning, soon after the clouds had started to roll in. The bright light on the left is from the new harbour, and the steps in the lower left front are part of a walk that one can do along the seafront.

All comments, and especially constructive criticism is truly appreciated. Thank you for taking the time.

All images © Rob Minter, and licensed in terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 South Africa License

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Comments (20)

Nicholas from Shah Alam, Malaysia

Excellent! Just my personal preference, I would prefer to have the stairway at the bottom to be cropped out. Feels a bit out of the place :)

3 Jun 2009 6:27am

@Nicholas: Thanks Nicholas - as you say, a matter of personal preference. For me, when the stairs are cropped out, the photo looks incomplete. With it in, the sea is nicely framed. But I appreciate you taking the trouble to comment.

Rui from Leiria, Portugal

That's excellent Rob. Great colors and mood you captured here.
I agree with Nicholas. I would have cropped the stairs. They are a little bit distractive.

3 Jun 2009 8:33am

@Rui: Hi Rui - and thanks for the comment. I must say I thought long and hard about the stairs, and in the end decided to leave them in. I made further observations in my reply to Nicholas.

ManuelaR from Hainburg (Frankfurt/Main), Germany

This is so amazingly beautiful! Yes, you should try without stairs :)

3 Jun 2009 8:58am

zOOm from Paris, France

We all have had a walk by the sea side ! :-) Love your dramatic sky !

3 Jun 2009 9:40am

Eric Fry from Houston, TX, United States

What a gorgeous scene, and an excellent photograph of it. 5 stars, definitely, Rob!

3 Jun 2009 9:53am

grouser from Ludlow, United Kingdom

Beautifully moody time lapse shot

3 Jun 2009 10:17am

Roman from Thunder Bay, Canada

This is a gorgeous sea landscape and you executed it perfectly!! Love the milky water and crisp look of the rocks. This is definitely my cup of tea !!

cheers
Roman

3 Jun 2009 10:55am

Michael Rawluk from Williams Lake, BC, Canada

With or without the stairs, excellent shot. The lights shining at us really give it a nice finishing touch.

3 Jun 2009 3:50pm

Marie LC from Voiron, France

Nice and intersting treatment and colours

3 Jun 2009 4:07pm

sawsengee from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

wonderful capture....the 30 seconds shutter speed gives a lovely effect on the waves & the slightly "under exposed" lighting only emphasises the white wispy texture of the crashing waves....well done

3 Jun 2009 4:11pm

Graham Russon from Cape Town, South Africa

Bravo, what a phenomenal shot, the long exposure is brilliant in this one. Great work rob,

3 Jun 2009 7:04pm

LauraS from Chico, United States

Oh, my!!! Lovely photo. I am in awe of this inspiring scene.

3 Jun 2009 9:30pm

MaryB from Staffordshire, United Kingdom

5 Stars this is one superb shot! I love everything about it.

3 Jun 2009 11:21pm

willow from Chelsea, United States

This is phenomenal! What a beautiful place and the exposure does indeed give it a surreal or dreamy feeling.

3 Jun 2009 11:56pm

dj.tigersprout from New York City, United States

simply SPLENDID rob!! a gorgeous shot and view -- 5 stars!!!

4 Jun 2009 10:59am

Mandy Provan from Johannesburg, South Africa

I love it Rob - a wonderful feeling to it, if you hadn't told us it was Hermanus I'd have thought it was from Europe somewhere!!! I love the misty surreal type feeling created byt he moving waves in the long exposure!! Fabulous!

4 Jun 2009 2:25pm

Daniel Rossouw from Durbanville, South Africa

Quite stunning! Love the contrasts between the darkness of the deeper sea and the whites of the crashing waves on the rocks as well as the lighter cliffs versus the darker land. My favourite remains the atmospheric tree lined road photo. As an aside my brother and I were taking photos during the Two Oceans Ultra Marathon and he was using a slightly slower speed to capture the feel of speed on the arms and legs while having the rest of the body in sharp focus. Could not get it quite right.

4 Jun 2009 3:43pm