Today I returned to Wickford Cove, a location visited early this winter. The docks are certainly far busier today than they were back in February! It's interesting to see the diversity of the harbor. Lobster boats, such as the one seen in today's photo, abound, but they are outnumbered by small cabin cruisers and sailboats. The cove is also a very popular put-in point for kayakers, and several groups paddled by while I searched for an interesting shot. Lining the cove on the landward side are the backyards of homes that date to the Colonial Period. Stories abound in this one location, but what interested me today was the "Fresh Lobsters Sold Out" sign in front of this well-maintained lobster boat. First, I thought, it's a good sign that his business is doing well. Several other lobstermen were here selling their catch, and they also appeared to be doing well. Second, my mind drifted towards the traps lining the dock and the fact that his boat was here. If indeed he'd sold out, one has to wonder why he wasn't out either setting more traps or hauling in full ones! Unfortunately, he wasn't there to ask.
Post processing started with a briliant cold filter in Topaz Adjust. I wanted to capture the wonderful texture of the wooden docks, and that filter formed a great starting point for the subsequent adjustments. I pulled the adaptive exposure slider a bit, and adjusted contrast. From there I pushed the strength and boost sliders, and also pushed the sharpen slider a bit. (That one's easy to overdo, so I tend to be careful with it.) Adaptive saturation was nudged slightly. In PSE, I added a bit of a levels adjustment, but for the most part, this was edited in Topaz Adjust.
