What technical feedback would you like if any? Any
What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Pentax K10D, DA 4/16-45mm @ f11, 1/160s, ISO200
This is an image I took several years ago in Arches NP, when I visited Utah with my family. I post it here, because this a type of landscape I am not at all familiar with, and in general that isn’t the best starting point for good images. Although maybe not so exciting, places that you know well in general generate better photographs than places that are more or less overwhelming.
So I am interested in the opinions of the members whose backyard this is :-).
All comments welcome.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
I like the idea here. The color and contrast look nice, and I like the overall warmth.
To me, the main subject is the old log, the flowering bush, and the large flat stone. I suggest a crop from the left that eliminates most of the large tree on the left. I also think the fallen log needs more space at the lower edge.
On second thought, you might also consider increasing mid-tone contrast a bit for more punch.
–P
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Judging by your composition I assume that you were drawn the foreground log and the plant on the right side. I think I would like to see one of two options. The first would be to go wider and include all of the juniper tree in the upper right hand corner. The second option would be to reposition so that you focus the composition more on the foreground log and the plant contrasted against the rock wall without any of the background.
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Han, I do not live in the southwest, but have photographed there many times. For a place most people consider barren, the desert can be sensory overload for photographers, with the colors, the rocks formations, even the vegetation. Given the abundance of subject matter, I find the desert to be a great place to do small intimate scenes, or even abstracts, that concentrate on a limited number of interesting elements. That may be somewhat counter-intuitive given that many images we see of the southwest are grand scenics showcasing wide open spaces.
Your image above would benefit from simplification, there are a lot of elements competing for attention with each other here. It looks like an overcast day, this soft light would be perfect to concentrate on details like the log and bush. I agree with @Brian_Schrayer second option, move to your left and shoot the log and bush with the red rock cliff as background, and exclude the sky. The desert has a lot of interesting details, textures and patterns, and a shot like Brian suggested would make the most out of those in this scene.
In my own photography, independent if I am in the desert, the mountains, or a forest, I try to look for strong compositional elements. I look for shapes, lines, textures, colors, etc. and design images around those things. If you train yourself to do that, it’s easier to enter an unfamiliar environment and still make good images.
Thanks Ed, Brian and Preston. You confirm my thoughts and I understand your comments very well.
Ed, another thank you for your wise and very true advise about looking for strong compositional elements. But I’m afraid that I am not the right person to follow your advise… I am no photographer, but more someone who strolls around, I soak in and enjoy the area and photograph the things that touch me. That doesn’t result in the best images, I know. But I’ll try.
