Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
October 2026 - Kirsti Nanto-Salonen-On the Last Shore
Original
About the Image(s)
Here is ”On the Last Shore”. There was a rumor that in association of a film festival, the organizers had placed a piano on a cliff by the sea for anybody to play. We went to check, and there it stood. A young man was playing, a young woman was squatting on the cliff listening, and an empty easy chair completed the surreal scene. The lonely silhouettes against the sky and the sparkling sea made me think of a song with the same title.
Fuji X-T4, 39.7 mm, f/10, 1/1000 s, ISO 160. I cropped a bit off the left edge, and turned the image into B&W in Capture One. I finished it in NIK Silver Efex trying to match my apocalyptic mood. Why do you think?
9 comments posted
A nice capture and processing the "surreal" scene. In my view a very artistic rendering. Posted: 10/03/2026 18:03:47
Thank you, Steve! This was, I think, one of those once-in-a-lifetime moments, and I really wanted to convey the feeling. Posted: 10/04/2026 18:26:10
Good afternoon Kirsti,
This is a very simple, straightforward scene that gives me plenty of room to create a story through what I see. The really dramatic sky does, to me, really give the feel of an apocolyptic scene. I really like the simplicity of the scene and would gladly hang this on a wall.
Having said that, it was not until I viewed the original that I could see that there was a water. The B&W version makes the water very similar in feel and texture (to me) to the shore line, especially that area behind the listener in the image.
I wanted to see what would happen if I darkened the shore leaving the water brighter so I did some processing of your original in PS, and SilverEfex. Then I put a frame around it. I would be interested in your thoughts.
I very nice image Posted: 10/11/2026 18:28:40
This is a very simple, straightforward scene that gives me plenty of room to create a story through what I see. The really dramatic sky does, to me, really give the feel of an apocolyptic scene. I really like the simplicity of the scene and would gladly hang this on a wall.
Having said that, it was not until I viewed the original that I could see that there was a water. The B&W version makes the water very similar in feel and texture (to me) to the shore line, especially that area behind the listener in the image.
I wanted to see what would happen if I darkened the shore leaving the water brighter so I did some processing of your original in PS, and SilverEfex. Then I put a frame around it. I would be interested in your thoughts.
I very nice image Posted: 10/11/2026 18:28:40
Thank you so very much, Ed! Darkening the shore is a brilliant idea. It is amazing how big improvement it made! The frame looks very nice, too, but our camera club forbids their use in club competitions, and I have generally left them off in case I might want to use the image there. Posted: 10/11/2026 19:04:52
Hi Kirsti. You are most welcome. I am glad you like my changes, minus the frame. It took some effort but I was able to select the shoreline and darkened it in PS. I made further adjustments using Camera Raw Filter in PS, used SilverEfex to do the conversion and back to PS for the frame. Didn't know about your club's rule. Posted: 10/11/2026 20:11:50
Hi Kirsti,
I like your piano photo better than mine :)
This is a wonderful composition (no pun intended); I think the breeze pushing up the woman's hair makes a dramatic impact. And the empty sofa balances out the picture perfectly. And, I like Ed's suggestion and edits.
I play a little bit and sometimes feel reluctant to play if a lot of people are around when an open piano is offered; however, I would have jumped at the chance to play under those conditions.
Beautiful photo,
Rob
Posted: 10/12/2026 20:57:09
I like your piano photo better than mine :)
This is a wonderful composition (no pun intended); I think the breeze pushing up the woman's hair makes a dramatic impact. And the empty sofa balances out the picture perfectly. And, I like Ed's suggestion and edits.
I play a little bit and sometimes feel reluctant to play if a lot of people are around when an open piano is offered; however, I would have jumped at the chance to play under those conditions.
Beautiful photo,
Rob
Posted: 10/12/2026 20:57:09
Thank you very much, Rob! This was one situation that made me wish I could make music, too! Posted: 10/12/2026 22:48:24
Kirsti - I love this image. Your composition is great, with the three elements of piano/player, audience and empty chair; they are positioned against the clouds very nicely, and your square crop is perfect. While the light on the rocks is harsh, it fits the mood of this image so well, and I think it balances against the whites in the sky rather nicely. I have no suggestions - great image. Posted: 10/17/2026 19:15:24
Thank you so much, Shari, for the lovely comment! I have the feeling myself that for once everything fell in place! Posted: 10/18/2026 20:15:29