Over the top!?

I received such good advice that I will try again.

This is taken from Kahalu'u beach. I planned this photograph to include the incredible algae in the foreground.

The first thing is the green algae color and saturation is as real as it gets, as over-the-top as it may be. The other oddities come from manually blending 5 exposures. I will appreciate your thoughts, even though all criticism is not praise. BTW, I am thinking of cropping off some of the bottom.

Hi Nathaniel,

Since Asher has been taking his time reacting to this thread (LOL), I'll chime in.

What makes giving a proper reaction difficult is the fact that while you have given a lot of technical info about the picture, you have omitted the artistic intent you have in mind with this picture (this being the "Photography as Art" forum). So to answer the question whether it is "over the top" or not, I'd personally like to learn some more about your intent first. Otherwise I'll have guess that you are referring to the HDR process looking a bit unrealistic, maybe I'll guess right ;-). If so, I personally don't think it is over the top. I'd straighten the horizon though. And I would leave the FG as it is, i.e. would not crop.

All in all, it is a rather pleasing picture, thanks for showing.

Cheers,

Cem

A little less over the top

CEM,

This is one of the primo snorkeling and surfing beaches near Kona on the Island of Hawaii. The foreground is flowing lava that cooled in place. All along this part of the shoreline the lava is covered with some sort of algae or seaweed whose color is the most intense, in your face, pornographic, green that one can imagine. During the day the light is poor and I was looking for a more striking composions. This is a west-facing beach, so really the only time of day that the lava is illuminated with a skim light is near sunset. I was thinking that with a calm sea and some sort of clouds that I could an get effect along the lines that I achieved in this photo.

When I titled it over the top!? I was thinking that the viewer would assume that I manipulated the saturation of the algae. I wondered about the reaction to the in your face perspective, the oversaturated green and the pastel sky.

Not an excuse, but the dynamic range of the scene is beyond what can be captured in a single exposure. I suppose that technically, one would call it a blending of exposures rather than HDR; I merely stacked the images as layers, then selected and deleted the over exposed highlights and then flattened the result. I think it could be tuned up a little. Here is what I have in mind following the suggestions and discussion. ???
better.

Hello

this is beautiful and sureal which I personally love
what would happen if you took a bit more green off and added a bit more to sky for balance
would love to see the sky as greater color than the green
just a suggestion*

Charlotte

Charlotte,

Thank you for your comment. I hope that in the future I will be able to explore the compositional possibilites of this beach in Hawaii in more depth. But, alas, I live on the east coast of the US. I was intent on making a composition that featured the foreground and I can't try your suggestion.