This is a mixed landscape/seascape/character shot.

This was taken at around 2pm in blistering sunlight. The skies looked washed out because I didnt have a polarizing filter (Will talk about this some other time) but I was able to recover it during processing (Film usually has a higher dynamic range than digital). Now people would insist that the best time to shoot a landscape is during the golden or magical hours (Dusk, Dawn, when the skies look like sex). Now I walked over 45 minutes to this spot so I wasnt turning back any time soon... I was going to shoot anything I could shoot.

First thing running through my head was the layered pattern the mountains formed. The rolling greens with different tones give the picture more depth. The color and shade lead you in and create enough contrast in the backgroung to keep it interesting. The slight fog subtracts from the picture overall, but it sort of provides more shade and tones to make it a little more interesting.

The foreground is made of rocks and the washed out sea. The washed out sea would generally be a lousy addition to any picture cause it lacks contrast. In this shot, I looked at the sea and it looked almost non-existent... It was the rocks that balanced the foliage in the background. Many of you may ask... was I really thinking of all of this when I was there shooting?

Answer.
Yes.
Composition means a lot to me. Im sure a lot of you know about the rule of thirds.

I thought the picture was lacking something. It needed a spalsh of color to brighten the mood. When I saw a mother and a child walking from the shoreline into the general direction of my picture... I was praying that she'd open up her umbrella and walk with it. I prayed, God answered. She opened up her umbrella. Thing is, she was walking in the wrong direction, UNTIL, her daughter spotted something in another direction and they started walking into my frame. I tried to take a shot and I realized one blunder... I was getting too much rock and not enough greens. So I prayed that they'd walk back into the frame for one last shot. The little girl dropped her slippers and went back to get them... they lined up perfectly on the lower right grid and instantly I have a winner of a shot.

(Canon A-1 50mm f/1.4 (at F/22 1/125) loaded with Kodak Portra 400NC 135-36)