The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Whenever I paddle an undeveloped waterway, I often give the shoreline a lot of attention and this was a really nice surprise - a big split boulder. I haven’t seen one quite like this. If you look closely, you can see a big piece on the right that will fall at some point. I took many photos with two cameras and lenses, but like this one the best for its isolation. To further that end, I went with monochrome to eliminate the distraction of color from the forms, shapes and textures. Blue bird skies aren’t good for much, but they are good for those things.
Funny, I knew this was the theme of the week and so shot quite a few small slices of the landscape, maybe more than I normally would have, so it was a welcome exercise and kept me happy and entranced for several hours on this relatively small lake (191 acres). Plus I saw an otter so there was that, too.
Specific Feedback
So thoughts - I like the tonal range here and think it works, but contrast is subjective so what say you? Also the background is what it is, but the tangle of filaments helps offset the monolithic presence of the boulder, I think. Is the reflection dark enough?
Technical Details
Handheld in the kayak
Lr for all of the RAW processing and B&W conversion which I tweaked slightly in that panel. Used masking to bring some balance to the tonalities in different areas. Added some texture & clarity that way and globally. Cropped slightly for better composition.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This is a nice, moody image. I like it a lot. The darkness sets off the light on the boulders and tree branches, and really emphasizes the boulders. My only suggestion is to darken the light area in the ULC. It draws my eyes a little too much.
Very interesting! The tonalities are great and the reflection is wonderful! I like how you almost-centered the symmetrical rock. (The rule of 7/16ths.) The leaning tree emphasizes the split so nicely. Sorts like, C’mon, lets get this over with!
Thanks @Diane_Miller - it is a cool rock and I’m glad I noticed it. The tree to the right was important for the composition, so I made sure I could get all of it in and there are some bright trees to the left so cropping them away made sense. I wonder if the big chunk will break off soon enough for me to see it. Probably not, but you never know.
Did my best to reduce the brightness in the ULC where a bright green pine bough was in frame. Used Point Color, white balance and exposure, whites and highlights tools in a radial mask to get it to this point. Good?
Very nice! And wonderfully seen. The movement from the left-hand side of the rock, to the slightly tilted right-hand side, to the very tilted tree is great.
Kris: I SOOOOO envy you your paddling experiences. Really well seen and composed and the rework is just fine. Good decisions all around and a really fine result. >=))>
Thanks @Steve_Kennedy, @Diane_Miller, @Bonnie_Lampley & @Bill_Fach - I guess I should work with shorelines more often. Glad you guys find something intriguing about this. It was a real fun thing to encounter and luckily the wind was very calm and I could take more time than I usually have patience for in the boat.
