ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

The original is a RAW image. I'm going to go back to that and see if I can bring out more of that boat. Thanks.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

There seemed to be a lot of interest in that boat. So, this is what I was able to do using LR and the brush tool. I'm including a link to dropbox where I put the original NEF file if anyone is interested in playing with it. (be warned there are a ton of dust spots. Not a good idea to change lenses on the beach!)
https://www.dropbox.com/s/fpl8eg1djst0qg1/_1EB3059.NEF?dl=0

(Download)

Bob Yankle Loc: Burlington, NC

I took another shot at Erich's boat. It's not as distinctive as his, but seems to blend in well with the background, and is in keeping with optical properties of distance. NIK Output Sharpener used in Brush mode did a lot of the work.

(Download)

rafikiphoto Loc: Spain

Just a quick try. Capture One Pro 10. 3 layers: Boat, Sky (graduated), Sea (fill). Levelled horizon and removed obvious spots. sharpened a bit.

Oh, I also thought that it was better not to crop. I think the full shot has more depth.

(Download)

rafikiphoto Loc: Spain

Just for fun and to check how much boat detail really is contained in the RAW file....

(Download)

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

So the problem I had was getting the boat to lighten up, but not making it obvious that it had been manipulated. I think you did a nice job here, Bob. The boat is lighter; but not dramatically so. Thanks
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Thank you and I will give the full picture some consideration. You did get a lot of detail in that boat. There are black areas; and I think in the darker versions these confused me because it appeared that the whole boat was black. That is not the case. I'm glad I posted the NEF file. It is amazing how much detail is in those files if you go looking for it. This has been an eye opener for me. Thank you all.
Erich

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

That's amazing. Very cool.
Erich

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

The subtle colors and the water details are hugely appealing to me in Brian's version. But more than that is the impact of the composition.

I'm reminded a little of Minnie's Puffy Clouds and a Boat wherein the original composition emphasizes the smallness of the boat on a vast expanse of water.

I also very much like the space around the two main elements because now I'm able to take in the full scene with one look. The crop forces me to look from the sun to the boat and back, a different experience. Talk about your reasons for cropping, if you don't mind, Erich. Thank you!

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

Thanks for taking a look, Linda. About that crop! My original thought was that there was a lot of space in the sky above the clouds and to the left of the sun and right of the boat. It seemed to me that this space was not essential to the message. There have been a lot of changes made to the original post. Everyone seemed to think that the boat needed to be lighter. Then we started with the original NEF file. (The one with the embarrassing dust spots). All of a sudden, with the boat now being more prominent and the water taking on a new life of its own, as you mentioned, I can see the point of showing the whole scene. The boat is not lost in the darkness anymore and the vastness of that ocean becomes part of the story. So it is interesting how the individual elements of a photo or composition can change your perspective. In the darker version that I posted, I really like a close crop. Lighten everything up a bit and bring out the detail in the boat, which is the way to go, and the bigger picture becomes more appealing. I'm glad I posted this image because I've learned a lot about how much detail really is in those files, plus there was some good discussion on composition in particular the crop. I wish to thank everyone who participated. This has been very educational for me.
erich