I knew it was going to be beautiful even before I went. A driving tour along the Normandy coast? I was truly looking forward to it. As a bonus, the day we were scheduled to go was a beautiful one. This is the lighthouse in Saint-Valery-en-Caux:
ISO 200 12mm f/16 1/400sec
That’s an unedited, as shot, version of the lighthouse. I feel like everything I saw that day was photography ready. The day included a stop in Etretat, which I have already written about, and several other stops that I suspect will make their way onto the blog in the future.
When I came upon this scene, after “wow” and “how lucky am I?” my next thought was, what would I want from a photograph of this lighthouse? My answer was to keep the image simple in terms of the story. So the decision I made was to shoot in such a way that the fisherman was out of the scene but that his gear stayed. The story here: yes, there are people around but also a great expanse of the natural world.
The first edit was a simple one, that is cropping. In this first edit I have used the tone curves to boost the blues and bring down the white tones a bit:
ISO 200 12mm f/16 1/400sec
This first edit I think speaks well to the vibrancy of the day. The photo itself though, is such a delightful treat, that I knew I wanted to try at least two more takes on it. I wanted to do a more vintage edit and a black and white. First my vintage:
ISO 200 12mm f/16 1/400sec
I’ve kept the warm tones and desaturated the blues for this one. One of the things I like about this particular edit is the way the rust on the lighthouse now looks.
The black and white edit was a bit more problematic:
ISO 200 12mm f/16 1/400sec
I ended up with a cream tone instead of true black and white. As much as I think a brilliant, saturated color photo often translates to a nice black and white image, in this case, it ended up not appealing to me. I think what the cream tone allows for is the warmth of the original scene to still be there.
This is a photo that I suspect I will be coming back to. I would like to have another shot at the black and white. I’m also thinking of trying to crop the photo in a different way. Of these, do you have a favorite? is there a way that you would approach editing it in a creative way? Feel free to leave a comment below.
Cheers!
Added to Tuesday Photo Challenge: Treat and Lens Artists Photo Challenge: Wonder.
Picfair version is here.
Photography Journal Blog 
A beautiful capture of the lighthouse Amy – the unedited version is my favourite 💜
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Thank you, it is a beautiful spot!
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The photo that had the biggest impact on me was the first one. Sometimes there is no need to make any changes. ..perfect shot 🙂
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Thank you for your thoughts on this, I agree, sometimes editing really isn’t needed. I struggle to just let an image go without any editing though 🙂
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truly fun to pour over and ponder a photo with a few edits. So thanks for that – it is like sampling a nice tasty appetizer with a friend and talking about different flavors.
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and for me – the vintage is my fav here – but I did not pick up that rust until you mentioned it – but it was the sky in that one that leaped out at me – and the patina on the pier and siding.
My favorite shot, though, is the unedited first one.
the extra bit of length on the pier was like a pulley tugging me into this historic place
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Yes, I had been thinking maybe the crop was a bit too much. It crops to the rule of thirds, but maybe, in this case, that rule can be ignored. I have another pending comment that mentions trying a square crop and that sounds interesting as well.
Thanks as always for your visit 🙂
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that is beautiful
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Thank you 🙂
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I actually don’t mind the original photo at all, even with the lighthouse smack bang in the middle. It does get my attention, but since the sky is so blue I also notice the sky. It is a very interesting how the edited version turned out cream toned.
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Thank you Mabel. I am definitely re-thinking that crop for another version. Have a lovely weekend.
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The crop works well. The vivid colours work best for me here.
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Thank you.
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One of my stops on my travel dream list. 🙂 Beautiful.
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As it should be 🙂 It is a beautiful area, I came home with so many photos!
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Nice shot.
I have a love for strong, bold colours, so the first edit is my favourite.
That said, it is always about how the shot will be used. In the right context the vintage is great.
Without really playing with the tones, I can’t see a good way to make the pure black and white work.
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I agree, if I was making this into a print to hang, the appropriate edit would be based on the area where it was going to hang. I’m probably going to give the black and white another go, partially because I just really want to experiment, but I think you are right, the tones will have to change quite a bit.
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I’d be interested to see the end result.
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I’m thinking that I am going to let this sit for a bit, re-work it, and blog about my next set of results. I’ve had a lot of thoughtful commentary on this one, so I am going to let all that settle in my mind first.
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You did a really nice job with this. Cheers!
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Thank you very much and thanks for stopping by.
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I prefer the colours in the second version. It would be interesting to try a square shot and lose a little more of the left hand side (using the original, line the left hand side up where the wall comes into the frame at the bottom – I like the way the wall leads the eye).
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Now that is something I had not considered but will give it a try. Thank you very much for taking the time to leave me a comment.
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What a beautiful photo! I like all the versions, but I lean toward the original because the longer line of the pier edge seems to lead you into the photo and adds depth. Very nice!
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Thank you and thanks for your honest feedback on the crop.
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I love this shot. The first two versions are my favorites. I like the creaminess of the vintage shot as well as the vibrancy of the first one. I like the idea of cropping the shot more on the left. I think it would lead your eye towards the horizon and then back to the lighthouse.
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Thank you very much for your thoughts on this, particularly regarding the crop as that is what I am stewing over the most right at the moment 🙂
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Great original photo to work with. Interesting how taking out some of the color changed the atmosphere of the whole place. I always enjoy your tinkerings or edits with the photos and allowing us to see all the versions.
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Thank you and I am glad you find it interesting to walk through the steps with me. It is a very helpful exercise for me to write it out.
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I love the sense of solitude!
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This was an interesting spot that way. There were plenty of people around, yet it still felt very still.
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love that lighthouse. i think the “vintage” is my favorite of how you worked it
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Thank you for your kind comment and for visiting 🙂
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A beautiful place and interesting editing! I also like the thoughts from Susurrus about a square try.
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Thank you, at this point, it is re-working the crop that I am thinking about most, and a square edit is very intriguing to me.
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I like the original so much already! Cropping and everything else take away from it, I feel, except the tone curves, those are always useful. It must have been an excellent day!
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Thank you very much for your feedback, and it was a great day 🙂
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Pingback: Tuesday Photo Challenge – Round Up 117 – Dutch goes the Photo!
I like the vintage shot a lot.
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Thank you, I think that is one photo that will remain a favorite of mine.
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Actually I like your profile photo enormously. It’s loaded with character
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Oh, that one 🙂 Just about every photo of me before I was 10 (not that there are a lot) I would always be making some sort of face. I guess that’s just the kind of kiddo I was.
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Really enjoy your shots. Hoping to get to Normandy next year we’re doing a football (soccer) vacation in GB and it’d be great to try and get there. Keep up the great pics! 👍🏻
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It’s a beautiful area that is for sure!
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I would like to visit a light house one day.
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Like the third one. I think it tells the story of another time, as it should. Donna
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Thank you very much.
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This is absolutely beautiful and heart touching. Thanks for sharing.
If you have a chance I would really appreciate it if you could check out my blog!
It’d mean a lot!
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Thank you very much.
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When you revisit this photo, you might reconsider the crop. That walkway is a nice leading line that draws your eye forward, through the photograph. Personally, I would tweak the color a bit and call it a day. My favorite edit is the “vintage” one, which creates a nice mood. Again though, I would not crop the pathway.
The cool thing about getting a nice crisp, well composed photo in RAW is that you can create multiple versions until you feel satisfied. P.S. Thanks for stopping by my Blog earlier. I am enjoying exploring your pages.
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. I will reconsider the crop. It is interesting how a seemly simple edit can make a big difference in a photo.
I fully agree that a lovely RAW version of a photo is something that you can go back to again and again.
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The unedited version is defo the best. Great shot though 🙌🏽💯
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Thanks very much.
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