Well, the 602 doesn't seem like a camera for low light, landscape photography. The output of the camera was on the soft side and resampling to 640 pixels in wide worsened that even more. It needed a lot of Unsharp Mask to get enough detail in the horizon (the challenge was landscape, not windmill, else I wouldn't have bothered about the soft background). I am not happy with this result, it looks better at 800x600 eqv.
Location is a polder in the Netherlands, near Heerhugowaard. It is near the "De Vier Winden" windmill at Veenhuizen. I wanted to do this in the morning, with the beautiful orange light of the sun comming up, in the Schermer polder to mimic one of Jaap Hart's photo's (check the highest rated photo on photosig, it is his and it is a windmill in a snow landscape). My agenda didn't allow it, so I had to do with the less warm light at sundown and the Heerhugowaard polder. I will try Hart's idea sometime.
The title refers to the fact that the landscape behind the windmill is below sealevel. It is our everlasting battle against the _water_ to keep the _land_ dry by using the power of the _wind_, this time lit by the warm light of the sun (fire).
It was freezing, couldn't operate the camera anymore after three minutes. And I ran the Chevy into a concrete barrier on the way back. The tow bar pushed the barrier over, there's nothing like American steel they say. :)
Digital processing: Straighten the horizon. The picture was slightly underexposed and I wanted to warm it up, so I did a white eyedropper levelling on the softest bluetint in the sky of the original. The result is more orange, I like that. I would go even further when the windmill was the main subject (I say it isn't because of the challenge.....) :)
Unsharp mask 200% 0,4 1. Too much, but it was necessary for the landscape, not the windmill. The small size was the main reason.
Save for the web.
The stuff in the lower right corner isn't cropped out because it is an edge to the water/ice in front and most people I asked liked it better this way. But I'd like to hear comments from around the world. :)
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I have learned a bit between now and then, so I put up a much better version in my portfolio. For that one there is a print available and sharperning in lab mode helped to solve the sharpening problems.
The close crop to the windmill was because from this angle the ugly modern house next to it would get a wall in the frame. Didn't look nice. On photosig is another one like this, darker toning, other angle that contains more room on the right. But the focus of that one was more on the windmill itself instead of landscape.
Critique Club Comment by Grayce M. Dillon aka Gracious
I love the composition. Everything is placed just right. The color of the sky is a definite plus.
One of my favorite aspects is the wonderful lighting on the windmill.
I like that you didn't crop out the vegetation in the right corner. First it adds dimension, and also echoes the color of the mill.
The diagonal lines work quite well and add appeal, especially the fence leading to the mill.
Several textures in here at work together too. eg: ice, vegetation, windmill, water.
Good use of opposites...eg warm sky, cold landscape.
OVer all a very pleasing image. Good work!
Beautiful. What more can I say, really. The angle and framing/cropping is perfect. Focus and clarity are great. the lighting is wonderful too. Great colors and such a pretty view. Nothing to complain about here. Great job. Good luck in the challenge.
This sunrise is near-as-dammit a carbon copy of the sunrise in my picture for this challenge. Lovely warm reflections on the windmill. Say, if you want to see a windmill photo that'll blow your socks off, take a look at my landscape album at www.picturetrail.com/freezethemoment. Well done and good luck.
Nice windmill. everyone has such cool stuff to photograph. Ok, I do too. I just see it all the time. I would not crowd the right side with the windmill blade, move it in a little. There is a nice red color in the scene so I would try to show more of the red grass or shrubbery in the foreground. As it is you are just tempting us with it. Technically it looks very sharp and clean. Nice job. 8
This is an exquisite image! The tones on the windmill are deadon and the lines are excellent as well. Best of all in this low light invitation, the image is well focused. Good luck!
shame the windmill arms weren't in X shape .. would have been more ponts then .. nothing you could do about that though .. unless they were moving .. 5
I don't like the fence cutting thru the picture. the hue of the sky is very nice. If it were just a bit yellower, but not brighter, I think it would really warm the picture up even if there is snow all over. Really nice shot - Inspzil
A lovely shot, great colour graduation on the sky. I guess it's a bit flat round there? Holland?
The stream/river/cana/whateverl at the front is very plain - doesn't do much for me, and I think you've cropped a little too close to the windmill, but other wise this is great.
NIce image. Voted it high. Would like to see more room top and bottom. You have created a pressure point and the image woudl benefit greatly with more breathing room...
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