This is an image I shot last spring and threw into the “unlikely to work” category. The reason being the large open patch at the bottom of the frame. I loved the diagonal light across the two ridges and the way the leaves were backlit but I couldn’t get over the hole. I decided to give it a crack any way and see if my eyes were being too critical. I also considered cropping it to more of a 2x1 panorama to remove that spot.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I wish I had taken a little more time with this one, at the time it wasn’t exactly a “throw away” but I was drawn to the idea of the image and didn’t invest enough in it, I’m afraid. I did work a few angles but they all contained either the issue of the “black hole” or some out of focus areas poking in from the edges. On second though, my 100-400 may have been a better choice.
I find the scene appealing, with the contrast between the bright green spring leaves and the burnt(?) trees of the background. And then those two lighted ridges for additional contrast. The light is fabulous.
I get a hopeful feel, as if those beautiful green trees are going to move right up the hill eventually.
As far as the black hole, did you consider edits just to that area? I tried bringing up the exposure+whites, plus warming it up to see if it might blend in better, and I though it worked at least somewhat (all in ACR):
Absolutely love the light here - both the backlit trees as well as the ridge lines. A terrific nature story as well.
I can see how that “hole” might be a distraction for you - I think perhaps just stuck that way for you from your first view - why it stayed in your “unlikely to work” file…
But I didn’t get that same first impression. In fact, I like how that little open area breaks up the trees - if that was to be a solid mass of trees without the hole, the bigger scene would feel mor 50-50. However, I do like what Bonnie did by simply reducing the darkness, and thus the mitigating the eye draw. Not sure if any of that made sense…
One thing is certain, I’m glad you brought this one out to resurrect.
Yooo! This is great! Reminds me of scenes I’d see in the Smokies. I love the light in this photo and how you’ve captured it. The composition is really cool too. To me, the main energy and the reason the photo works is because of the light, especially on the mountain ridges. I might even try cropping out some of the trees at the bottom because they are fighting for dominance to the eye. Either way you choose to do it, keeping it as is or cropping, it’s a great photo.
I agree with Lon’s comments. You are obsessing too much on that black area. I does help break down the 50/50 composition, which is really the main issue. Whenever I shoot foliage at the bottom of the frame I look for natural boundaries within the foliage to place within the frame. That’s in order that the frame doesn’t look as though it’s cutting the scene haphazardly. The dark area helps that somewhat.
Very nicely done all around. I can see why the dark area near the bottom edge might bother you and you’d be tempted to try cloning it out, which looks good, but you could also just brighten that area and reduce the contrast so that it draws less attention without needing to damage pixels.
@Bonnie_Lampley@Kris_Smith@Lon_Overacker@David_Johnston@Eric_Bennett@Igor_Doncov thank you all for the feedback and confirming for me there was good reason to process this one. Sometimes it’s hard to tell if it is a distraction or you’re just stuck in your own head. I was listening to an interesting conversation about trying to perfect nature and almost sterilize it in a sense. It was timely for me. Nature is what it is and our attempts to perfect it can actually be detrimental.
David…great eye! This was taken on my way back down the mountain from an early morning sunrise. I actually turned around to come back up the mountain a bit after I passed this spot!
I took the suggestion of warming and reducing contrast in that spot. Thanks for the suggestion Bonnie and confirmation Eric.
I’ve posted a new version here and above. Would love any additional thoughts if you have them.
To me, this really does tell a story. What was, and in the not too distant future, what will be again. The light hitting those battle scarred ridge lines where the fire breaks are is what makes this scene work so well. I like what a couple of the others have done by simply adding some light to the dark area. Easy fix. Don’t obsess over it. I really didn’t notice it that much to tell you the truth.
I’m certainly glad you grabbed this one from the trash heap. I think it works well.
My initial inclination was to crop out the very bottom, ala @Kris_Smith and @Bonnie_Lampley, however I really like @Eric_Bennett’s suggestion to simply bring up the luminosity of the bare trees in the lower center. In any case, I think this is a beautiful image and love the contrast throughout.
The thumbnail of this one immediately caught my attention. Looking at both images above, I agree that the top one (darker shadow in the “hole”) doesn’t present as well as the lower one, with the shadows more open. The light is incredible, as is the composition. I love this!
