The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
My first visit to the Alabama Hills and the Sierra Mts was a pre sunrise and a dark cold February morning -as a result, I wasn’t sure what I would see, when the sun rose over the mountains on the eastern horizon.
Specific Feedback
I found the early morning light presented some post processing challenges, especially with the foreground structures.
This is an excellent panorama with lots to look at, James! I like the layered look with different colors and textures. The details in the foreground hills/rocks are particularly nice. I think you did a great job of processing to get the most out of the light and it’s good that it’s sharp, front to back. Well done!
A very fine scene from the Alabama Hills at sunrise. Although Mt. Whitney is tucked back in the cloud cover the Lone Pine Peak which is the most prominent from this spot is very clear…
A very familiar scene over the years for me too…
Amazing! The snow on the mountains has made for some great images this year. I love the rock formations in the foreground and the contrasting yet complimentary textures in this image.
Whoa, what a grand scene. I grew up in NM, but moved when I was a teenager. I still miss the desert. Love everything about this image. The clarity is wonderful. Now I’m missing the desert again . Nicely seen.
I love the way the layers in this image lead my eye into the background, James. Whatever you did to process the foreground worked very well for my taste.
Many thanks to all for your comments . I am hoping to make another trip to Lone Pine and spend a bit more time in the area. Thanks agin for the comments.
I love this, I have been to this area but it was many years ago when I didn’t have any photography skills at all, I was just starting out with my new Pentax K1000 film camera. Wow, that was 40+ years ago!
I, too like the layered look but to me the FG has a fairly strong yellow cast on the right side, it looks gradient from left to right, meaning it progressively goes from a normal sand color on the left to a yellow color (or cast) on the right. The FG seems a little oversaturated to me but that’s pretty subjective.
It’s difficult to explain my thoughts in text alone so I done an example edit to convey my thoughts visually.
I added a gradient color balance mask across the FG, then reduced the yellow channel a fair amount.
Then, I added an exposure/gamma mask on the distant mountains and added a touch of warmth with increased gamma (of course there are many other ways to do that). The idea is to draw the colors of the FG and BG closer together to add a little continuity between FG and BG since there is no middle ground transition like you have on the far left side.
Then I added some burning around the FG rocks and grass shrubs to add some definition and separation, to me, it also helps add depth to a degree.
I’m not suggesting that you change anything because it is a very nice image as is. I’m just offering an alternate perspective on color, color balance, definition and continuity.
I hope this helps, or at least offers a different way to look at post processing images like this.
Merv, I appreciate your comments and especially the time you spent on the corrections. You have presented a knowledge base that I am weak in and certainly need to develop. Thanks again for the time and effort you put forth.
Sometimes I feel like I’m better at editing than I am at shooting
We all have our strengths and weaknesses.
Strange thing though, sometimes it’s difficult to see things in our own images but not in other people’s images, that’s the way it is for me anyway.
Thanks, James, it’s a great composition of a great subject!
. Nicely seen.
