Hello fellow NPN members! It sure has been a while. I am currently re-editing some of my older photos. I shot this back in 2018! I love how it resembles lightning. Any and all feedback on the post processing would be very much appreciated.
iso 100 f/11 30 sec
What technical feedback would you like if any? All feedback is welcome!
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Pertinent technical details or techniques: I double-processed the raw file and did a blend in the center to make the ālightningā pop a little.
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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Welcome back, @Stefanie_Goo!! This reminds me of @Matt_Payne shot a while back. Very nicely composed and I think the color and editing works really well. I really like how the higlights in the image leads the eye throughout the image. If there is anything, I feel like the small peak at the very far back (on top of the image) about 1/3 of the way from the left bothers me just a tiny bit because it is so close to the edge of the frame. Otherwise, this is pretty cool!
Stephanie, this blue and white view of a badlands make a neat abstract with fine leading lines and tons of texture. Thereās a nice āinto the frame and sweep to the leftā sense.
This is a wonderful abstract Stefanie. It does remind me of lightening. The exposure looks good. I see the spot Adhika is talking about. Maybe a slight crop will eliminate it but not a bother for me.
Oh, just lovely! The sinuous river bed makes a nice centerpiece for the beautiful textures. I had the same though as Adhika about that little peak. Maybe just bringing the highlights on it down a bit, to make it less prominent.
Welcome back Stefanie, great to see a post from you. I LUV the cold, steely-blue tones with this. Your processing is excellent and great job with the highlights as you described. I never would have suspected any work there - or anywhere really. The flow from top left through the center and with the ālightningā strikes hitting the ground at the bottomā¦ makes for a wonderfully flowing composition. No nits or suggestions on the processing, comp, etc.
I will jump on the bandwagon about the peak pushing the top edge. not only is it close, creating tension on the edge, but thereās a light strip right above it, which doesnāt help. I think easy enough mitigated by extending, "stretching the canvas a little for some breathing room and then cloning that little bright strip above. Minor stuff, but with an image of this quality, every little detail counts!
This is really nice. I love the blue toning you used here, it creates a very surreal looking image. The fractal pattern of the ālightningā makes for a very striking image. i also like how this pattern is repeated on a smaller scale in the LRC.
I agree with @Adhika_Lie that the peak at the top is a distraction. I think crop from the top, cutting the peak off at its base works, while retaining most of the river wash to the right.
Beautiful image, beautiful color, cool pattern. Welcome back - sure would like to see more of your work!
To my eye, and maybe Iām an anomaly, all lines are guiding me toward the upper left corner. Iām āreadingā the image (perhaps erroneously) as guiding me to that ULC rather than down in to the base of the river bed. As I step back and look at the luminance, there seems to be some vignetting of the lower part of the image, while thereās more light at the top of the image. If it were me, Iād be tempted to vignette the top more, and open up the highlights in the lower central river basin to guide my eye toward that tremendous ālightningā. Please let me know if Iām off base here or if you agreeā¦and thanks for sharing!
Hi @Stefanie_Goo. Good to see you are back. I love this shot and itās processing and would love to get a shot like this myself. Maybe one of these days. I pretty much agree with everyone on that the little peak and a crop would solve that. I might take the crop a little farther and take that stripe out of the upper right to make the āmain boltā the center of the shot. Welcome back.
Thank you all for your feedback! I agree the little peak in the upper part of the frame needs to goā¦ it is a bit of a distraction. @Jim_McGovern thank you for your detailed response and after looking at it a little more - I agree with you. I think the top should have more of a vignette, rather than the bottom. Thanks again everyone!!
Hi @Stefanie_Goo, this image is a beautiful journey for the eye. Iām trying to follows the lines from bottom to the upper part of the image and vice versa. A pleasant exercise. Thank you for sharing your image.