After two weeks of intensive work to pull 20 years of digital images into a Capture One Catalog (like a Lightroom Library), processing, and eliminating the chafe, I have finally finished my project. This was an image taken in 2012. I was really surprised at how many Painted Hill images I had. This one helps to set the scale, I think. And I hope it’s different from what you’ve seen in the past from here.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any comments appreciated.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 5D III, EF 500mm f/4, 1/200 sec @ f/4, ISO 100, Tripod, probably a polarizer. Taken at 5:30pm in April as the sun was setting over distant hills.
I know exactly what you mean about going through old images and clearing the chafe out and maybe even coming across some images you’ve forgotten about or had processed long before programs got as good as they are now. I’m going through the same thing and actually quite enjoying some of the images I’ve come across but my processing was abysmal.
OK, to the image. I feel like the top of the image has a disconnect with me. On the left side you have orange/red ground with a dark path in the very ULC and a large crack that leads the eye out of the frame. The URC has large cracks doing the same thing but at a different angle. The foreground has no cracks in it but has beautiful ridge lines going across and through the image leading to the upper part of the image. It’s where the foreground yellow meet upper right and left corners that I feel things start to go astray a little bit. What really pulls my eye is the dark spot in the ULC. Not sure much can be done to change that except dodging it quite a bit. Just for kicks, I pulled your image into LR to see if a crop would help. This is what I came up with. It’s drastic and I certainly don’t know if this is better but it is different. Hope you don’t mind. Dodging and burning throughout the image and dodging in the ULC. It does feel top heavy to me still so maybe a little bit off the top could help. Not sure.
Glad to hear that you made it to the finish line after 20 years worth of work to sort through. What a job. But, I bet you found a bunch of interesting images that you’d forgot about. At least I hope so.
Hi @David_Haynes, thanks for the excellent comments and suggestions. I truly appreciate them. After reading your comments and looking closer at the image, I came up with an alternate crop that I think addresses much of your comments. I like your crop too, but it does feel a like a completely different abstract scene to me. I posted my revision above in the original post. Would love to hear your thoughts.
And yes, I have found many old images that have new life to them now. I also deleted about 60 percent of the total images. A real spring cleaning so to speak.
Good luck with your image review and reprocessing. It’s a blast but also quite rewarding when done.
Funny, I’m going through old stuff too. Purging, reorganizing. Found a few things I might share, too. Glad you found this one and I couldn’t help tinkering.
I meant to comment on this earlier … I like the original composition, but do wish the dark corner was lighter. Maybe a tiny bit off the top… Possibly my appreciation of the composition is because I know what is beyond the frame and appreciate seeing the gentler view of the oft-ignored FG area. I think @Kris_Smith has brought out some magic.
