Don, I like how the glowing grasses lead my eyes from bottom to top. The grasses contrast well withg the darkness of the rocks. I do think that some burning-in of the brighter bits in the upper left corner would help keep the focus on the grass clumps.
It’s all about the light - and the light is just beautiful. I love how the grasses and even the rocks are lit up by the early morning light. You’ve captured a lovely scene.
The comp is excellent as well with the near - far set up leading the eye up and thru the frame. Initially I wanted to crop a bit off the top, but then that near-far perspective is lessened. I would agree burning down the non-grass highlights in the UL - and actually along the whole top edge for that matter. Not much, but some to help keep the eye in the frame. Not a huge deal though.
No other nits or suggestions. Well seen and captured.
I have witnessed such scenes often in the desert and have been tempted to shoot them. So I understand the attraction and what you were after. I wrote about how this was too contrasty but it turned out to be all wrong. I decided that all you needed was to bring the highlights down. The composition is good. I don’t think burning the top was a good idea but it didn’t affect the overall image much.
I don’t know. I think your contrast is fine. If you lower the contrast then you lose the pop of the smaller grass tufts near the top and then the near-far movement comes to a halt. Maybe just reduce the contrast on the closest two grass tufts to reduce their visual weight and keep the eye flowing to the top with the brighter grasses up there.
