Blue Morning

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
1

Blue Morning
Blue Morning2360×1694 1.52 MB

Blue-Morning-sans-bord
Blue-Morning-sans-bord2000×1334 1.45 MB

Type of Critique Requested

  • Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.

  • Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.

  • Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.

  • Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

Hi Tim,
Most of my landscape photography focuses on the boreal forests of Northeastern Ontario and Northwestern Manitoba. These areas are very remote and only accessible by bush plane and canoe. This photograph was one of those where my attention was on something else completely when I glanced over to my left and down at the end of a narrow inlet I saw this scene. It was dawn but the sun wasn’t yet up over the horizon and the indirect light was giving the whole scene an almost unworldly blue glow. I had been clambering over a rocky, boulder ridden shore and, needing both hands to navigate, had left my tripod back at our camp. The light wasn’t going to last much longer, so I hunkered down and shot handheld. It’s quite remarkable what modern lenses with image stabilization can manage and this one came out nicely focused. But I was right about the light – only a very few of the many frames I shot actually captured it before it changed. While the composition isn’t highly original, I was very pleased with the light and in post, tried to accentuate chiaroscuro with the bluish glow I experienced that morning. I would be interested to know how such an image might fare in competition. Does it have enough je ne sais quoi for a judge to take a second look? Thanks for your attention, much appreciated.
PS. Because the background on the NPN site is so dark, I have placed a frame around this image. I have also included a version without the border.

Exif: ISO 800, 420 mm, f/11, 1/60 sec.

2

Hi Kerry - thanks for submitting this image for critique. The composition is well handled with the brush placed against a dark background and the edges of the frame nicely forming a frame. The plants on the bank form a nice array and the blue tinted reflections work well. Compositionally, I might lose a little from the right hand side of the picture, placing the bush just to the left of centre, just to get the composition a little tighter.

Subject matter wise, the image shows off the location well but I don’t find myself ‘excited’ about it in a way that would get me to put it on my got list for a second round. It’s close though and it is the blue glow that lifts it up for consideration. I think as part of a project about the location it would be perfect, nicely composed demonstration of the environment.

So I think for the subject matter you have done about as well as you could. A well caught moment and, as you say, a remarkable example of how you can capture handheld what would previously have needed a tripod!

I hope that makes sense… thanks again for the submission!

3

I really like the cyan approach to this subjects. I guess it’s the handling of color that appeals to me the most. The various degrees of the same color with the dark browns. Actually the light on dark also appeals to me. The whole image has an otherworldly sense to it. I can see the appeal of this image. Prefer the white frame because it makes the darks even darker. Beautiful work and it has a soul to it.

4

Thanks so much for your kind words. That you see the image as having soul is just about the highest level of affirmation I can imagine for an image.