The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I spent about a half hour at this location. Never moved the tripod once. Captured a set of HDR images every few minutes. This set was my favorite. I could have stayed longer, but I was getting hungry for dinner…
It should be noted that most of the fields at Cosumnes River Preserve are only flooded during the winter months. If I were to go out there today (June 9), it would be mostly a parched patch of “past their prime” grasses. [Which just goes to show that in landscape photography, timing of the light is always important!]
Specific Feedback
I tried a pano crop, eliminating the top third of the image. Mostly because “pano” supposedly implies “expansive”. But in this case, I found the original 2x3 camera aspect ratio to have a more expansive feel than the pano crop. What do you think?
Technical Details
HDR stack of 5 images taken 1 stop apart
Images merged in Lightroom
Minimal number of Lightroom basic panel slider tweaks
No local masks required
Base image: 1/15 sec @ f/22, ISO 64, 14 mm
November 23, 5:55 PM
Sturdy tripod
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Franz: I think you made a good decision with your crop. I like that the clouds fill so much of the frame and the amount of landforms you have. Nice HDR work as well. >=))>
Lovely!! Leaving all that sky is the perfect choice – you get a wonderful sense of depth and expanse. There is a bit of pincushion distortion that could be corrected to give a flatter horizon, but not a big deal.
RE: Pincushion distortion. Yeah! I know! I debated on whether I should fix it before I uploaded the image to NPN. But to be honest with you, over time the slight “fisheye” distortion effect has grown on me. I figured that since the sky already had a fair amount of rectilinear distortion in it, it would not hurt to squeeze in a bit more drama. In the end, I did not have the heart to change it.
It is where the edges of an image are pinched in at the centers. An internet search will turn up illustrations. The opposite is barrel distortion, where they bow out. It is a lens issue, corrected in prime lenses but common in zooms. It can be corrected in raw converters with lens profiles, if they are available for various focal lengths for a zoom lens, but that’s not usually the case. It can be corrected best in PS with the Warp tool.
Franz, I think you’re right to leave the subtle distortion. Most viewers wouldn’t notice it as a lens artifact and it does add to the drama. I get the impression (almost subconscious) that the “weight” of that cloud is bending the horizon!
