The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
We’ve been getting bit of the way-north smoke and while it is a pain, it does make for some great sunrises and sunsets.
Specific Feedback
Other than a crop on both sides to eliminate some non-essential debris and give the darkest areas a bit of a contrast bump, I did nothing to this image. So, I guess my question is, should I have toned down the natural look, or has leaving it as is, worked in this case?
Oh my - that’s some drama. Not much happening in the sky, but the lake sure is busy. Is it a man-made reservoir? If you want an apocalyptic look, leaving it smokey orange works. Otherwise you could change it to be more natural. The ripples are a bit disappointing given the fact that it looks like it was calm enough to produce a reflection, but that’s just me. Also might have done a couple of exposures since the tonal range is so wide and the sun is blank. A cool, if slightly creepy, scene.
Thanks for the feedback, Kristen.
Unfortunately, mine was not the only boat on the lake, thus the ripples. This is a man-made reservoir which provides most of the water for the county but is also spring fed and loaded with bit, fat bass. The orange was the natural color and it was that intense and making it more “normal” was boring, flat and uneventful.
As to “not much going on in the sky,” my feeling is that if the sky was as intense as the dead trees, I feel there would be too much conflicting competition for the eye to try to decipher. A flat, but somewhat layered sky keeps the focus in one arena and provides a perfect context for the title.
