The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
It was a cool, overcast morning at the Mud Volcano area of Yellowstone NP. Steam was rising from the hot springs and blanketing the grasses leaving droplets of condensation and softening the palette of colors.
Specific Feedback
I love pastels and softness in photos, but wonder if maybe this needs a little more contrast.
Such a beautiful soft image, Chris. I also love pastels which is why I spotted your photo right off. I am torn also between adding contrast or not. It would certainly be fun to play with the various colors, I think I would start with the soft oranges to see what and how the increase would effect the image. Really depends on what you saw, how you were feeling and what you wanted to project. I would still love to have this hanging on my wall! Nicely done.
I really like this image and the pastel colors. To me the bottom part is a bit distracting as it’s brighter and a bit messier than the top part. Not sure if distracting is the right word, but it grabs more of my attention compared to the top part which I like more. Maybe a selective vignette can change this a bit.
I also have similar worries about contrast with many of my photos. If you want to print it it might be a good idea to process as you wish, but at the end make a copy with more contrast and look at them at least an hour later. Or make a small test print and judge whether you like the contrast on it. For my own photos I usually find myself more critical of the prints than what I see on the screen.
Thanks, Nedyalko. Good point about darkening the bottom just a little. Unfortunately, I don’t do my own printing, so I need to get it right the first time.
This is lovely and well-framed, with the gentle undulations in the grasses guiding eye movement in exploring the image. I think the soft tonalities work well with the soft colors. I like the base provided by the plants there. It is nice that they are echoed in a couple of places near the top.
The histogram has almost no information in the left 1/3 or so, and it might be worthwhile to increase the contrast only from the dark end, using a curve (or levels) to move the left end slider to the right just a bit. That would cause minimal changes in the lightest tones. The range of mid-tones here should print well.
Lovely, Chris. I love the low contrast look, but that’s just me. I had a thought about the dark grasses at the very top - they felt a bit out of place because their color is more muted and darker than the rest. Likewise, the two darker, roundish dark grass bunches near the bottom. Perhaps raising the shadows on those areas and/or cropping off the top (to a 4x5 ratio). Here’s my thought; I also brought down the lights on the lightest grasses at the bottom, broadened the histogram by moving the darks end (left side) towards the middle and bringing up the midtones. I’m thinking the latter will make for a better print.
This is a lovely image. I like the muted, pastel colors as they are. It gives a very serene, quiet feeling. As far as comments on contrast, cropping, etc. it may be worth experimenting a bit, but ultimately you should try to reflect what you saw and felt in the moment. I think if you do that, you will be most pleased with the outcome.
@Chris_Baird, I love the softness of this image, as well as the muted colors. I feel as if I can lie down on it and be two feet off the ground! It feels so peaceful (which we need right now!). I have mixed feelings about added contrast. The one area that I think might be interesting to play with is the foreground, specifically the area of the dark wildflowers. Adding a little gentle contrast there will give the image more of a foundation. (In PS, create a new layer, change the blending mode to Overlay, and use your white or black brush to gently brush in the contrast. I’d set the opacity rather low — around 20% or so.) Oh, and I like the long grasses in the middle softer, carrying through on the gentle theme. This will look lovely on your wall!!
) I will definately incorporate them.