Shadow?

[ShaneS]

This shot was taken just after the sun dropped past the horizon and there are vertical bands that I think detract from the image. Below is my edit and the default setting from ACR. Are the bands shadows from the dark clouds that I cropped out or something camera related? I was essentially at right angles to the sun which had set to the right of the image.

Any of your thoughts would be appreciated as would any Photoshop editing tips.

ACR - no crop or editing:



Edit:

[wlou]

Hello Shane, it's sure is a reflection of something. Did you have a sun shade on your lens? May be the seniors members would like to help with their comments?

[DanK]

hard to know, but they look like they might be shadows from the clouds.

[davidedric]

I don't know either, but the odd thing is that the clouds we can see run across the image, but the bands run up and down. I also notice that the bottom right corner is very dark.

[Manfred M]

I wonder if what we are seeing is related to the direction of the sunlight and wave action as the water approaches the shoreline.

The sun had just set, so the primary source of light is long and low to the right, essentially at the same level as the waves coming into shore. The crests of the wave would be blocking this light and would tend to be brighter, while the troughs and areas just ahead of the crests would be out of the light and show up as shadows. The bands are parallel and too tight together to really be from clouds, but spacing would make sense as being from wave action.

Anyhow, that's my guess.

[ShaneS]

Thank you for all your thoughts...I slept on this and after reading your comments I wonder if it is the reflection of the legs of the tripod - is that possible given that it wasn't between the sun and the water?

[davidedric]

I reckon I can see five bands, most easily in the top picture, so I don't think the tripod idea works. I like Manfred's idea: when I look closely, especially at the right hand two, I think I can see a pinkish hue which would suggest the setting sun. For that to work, though, I think there would have to be a swell running at an angle to the wind blown ripples I can also see. Thanks to the OP, it has been fun to speculate

[Two Eyes]

It is strange, but the fact that the sun has set could mean that the stronger sources of light are being reflected by a higher cloud layer, that we can not see in the photo. That light is then peeping through the darker clouds in the places indicated by the red arrows.

Do you have any other shots taken at a similar time that may give you more clues.
Good luck editing this shot.
STEWART

[jcuknz]

To me it is obviously reflections of the dark clouds and the clear patches match the lighter areas that one would see if there was a mirror there instead of water. The darkness stretches back into the rough water so what we are seeing is the reflections of the cloud pattern 'above' what the camera recorded and there is a suggestion on the veery edge of the photo.
It was comparatively easy to fix using a low [40%] density and opacity lightening tool with 25% hardness as here ....

edit. I do notice some 'over ' lightness patches which I didn't see on my computer before it left me and should have been corrected with the companion darken tool .... left or right click with mouse with my programme. Second go reducing density and opacity to 25%