The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is a different afternoon from the same vantage point as the last photograph. The clouds were more typical and there is a rain curtain this time. The color image was definitely not as viable in my opinion. Still trying to process as HDR yet not go overboard.
Specific Feedback
Any suggestions will be considered. I’m still very much in the learning stages.
Technical Details
Handheld, Canon R5, RF 24-105 @ 24mm, f/7.1 @ various, ISO 100. HDR in Affinity, ACR, and Photoshop CC.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:
Oh my Fred, the sky in this image is ferocious. I hope you were bundled up well I love the bnw treatment as it lends drama to the scene and de-emphasizes the foreground. You live in a beautiful part of the world. I noticed you are using Affinity. How do you like it? Does it stack up to Ps?
@madd_laura It was ferocious but distant that day. We don’t live in Tennessee but in Colorado which has a different sort of beauty. The newest Affinity seems to have the best HDR so far. I haven’t used Affinity for anything other than testing it for focus stacking and HDR. I never used the HDR processing in Photoshop after comparing it to Aurora 2019 and PhotomatixPro a few years ago.
Beautiful shot, Fred! That sky is utterly amazing, and I love the high contrast in the image. I do wish though that there was a bit more detail in that bright cloud just the right of center and not just a big area of pure white.
@Tom_Nevesely Thank you for the encouragement. I went back to see if there was detail in the area you mentioned. I found a bit more so here is the next version. Let me know your thoughts.
@Tom_Nevesely Thank you. I am indebted to you. I went back to the beginning and redid the entire file and found tons more detail in the sky. This looks a bit more flat but I think the sky works better overall. Let me know what you think.
The b&w treatment of this image is wonderful in that there is the entire range of black to white tones here. I will go against the consensus here in saying that the sky is actually the weakest element in this image. Yes it has a lot of drama but it lacks a cohesive composition and feels busy. There is the central funnel/vortex that is the main element but there are too many others that draw you in different directions.
Also, the upper half has more contrast than the lower half which gives it an unnatural look. Some of those black in the sky seem too black.
Great shot and the sky is even better. Did you use a vignette? I just wonder, how would it look if the bottom corners (left and right) would be a bit brighter.
There certainly is LOT going on here and my eyes don’t seem to know where to go. So I thnk less is more in editing this image. I would try and answer the question: what is my subject? the sky? the ground and the light from above? Then I think you can minimize one of these two elements to create a more cohesive image. The difference in contrast between the sky and terrain creates greater separation.
It’s a great capture but feels like two separate images…FWIW.
Hello Fred
I cropped the picture a bit at the bottom to emphesize the dramatic sky and tried to increase a bit the tonal contrasts in the mountains and foreground. Just as an idea…
This is definitely an image with a lot of potential. As you can see from the many comments you get too
I’ll try to express my opinion: I agree with @Igor_Doncov that parts of the sky seem too dark. Did you use the High Contrast BW preset in Affinity, when you processed the HDR? And maybe there is more in the sky than necessary for a great image. I tried a crop and tried to decrease the contrast in the sky. But that can be a completely different direction than what you intend to do.
The tone mapping emphasizes the details in the FG, by increasing the micro-contrast. I think that it is a bit overdone (and distracting). You could do a separate edit with the tone mapping switched off and blend the 2 results (masked), to see what amount of tone mapping you like in the FG.
If you would like to change the contrast in the sky, the result will probably better than my quick and dirty approach if you start with a lower contrast HDR color image and do the BW conversion yourself. In Affinity or whatever application you like.
I agree with you, that the HDR function of Affinity is good. If you want to have more control, you could try SNS HDR. There are several presets and many controls to tweak the settings. The program isn’t expensive, I think about $30.
@Han_Schutten I purchased SNS HDR and gave it a try. Of course I’ll have to spend more time with it but it seems to have a wonderful range of tone corrections. Attached is my first try with it. I also did a 2:1 crop of the photograph. The rainfall held up better with this version.
I love the bnw treatment as it lends drama to the scene and de-emphasizes the foreground. You live in a beautiful part of the world. I noticed you are using Affinity. How do you like it? Does it stack up to Ps?
