This is a view over a blueberry field on a mountain near our home.
I used 2 adjustment layers over the background layer. There is a gradient layer for the foreground. For the sky I used a gradient mask and a draw mask. White balance for the sky was picked in the sky layer, and for the rest of the image in the background layer.
This is way better than my previous attempts, thanks to some ideas gained here.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
All.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
All.!
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
I really like the blueberry field, Chris. I think the backlighting on the more distant shrubs add a lot to the depth of the image. And good job with the adjustment layers to get the colors pleasing. I do, however, find the composition a little lacking. I see a road that is leading the eyes further into the image but I find there is nothing in the BG that really holds my interest. This is probably going on a tangent but the light in the distant hill in the BG is very nice. I would perhaps isolate that with a long telephoto.
I quite like this. I actually think you did well with the composition too; I think in large part due to the more narrow crop (I’m assuming you cropped?) The field of red anchors the scene and offers great color contrast with the barren, dormant forested hills. The scattering of houses gives context and brings a sense of location to the image. Also, there’s nice balance between the blueberry bushes, the dormant forest and houses - and the sky.
Speaking of the sky, my only suggestion might be to tone down the brightness a bit? Weird though, it does look or feel overexposed and there’s variation in tone and color in the clouds. Hard to say without having witnessed the scene how the sky should be rendered.
I think overall you did well and agree with you, much better processing than previously…
Lon
I like the color, the light and the scene. My first reaction was to clone out about half of the sky. To me it would then seem to hold the eye in the areas where most of the interest is.
The red in the scene really makes a strong focal point. I didn’t know blueberry bushes has such good autumn color.
I think the white balance overall looks good, though I wonder if the sky could maybe be a bit darker to bring out some of it’s color. The blueberry leaves really stand out, but there is a lock of color in the middle-ground and the sky. I’d maybe think about bringing better color balance across the frame.
Thanks each of you for your thoughtful response. There is a variety of ideas about improving this image. I could take that as good, since it must strike a middle ground. I did try darkening the sky and cropping more of the sky but settled on this. I’m sort of wedded to thirds. And there is little color in the near background; all the leaves are gone so its birch trunks and evergreens. And white buildings (mostly).
This is a lovely country scene. That red color certainly does dominate it. The tree, houses, and the road(s) are interesting but overwhelmed by the red. The distant hills could use a bit more focus as well. Overall, I think there is a great story to be told here.
I just saw the b&w. I think it’s much better. Now the story becomes more apparent.
Chris, I like this image a lot, it tells a nice story about a part of Maine that many flatlanders are not that familiar with, it’s not all just about the seacoast. I actually like the composition, I think it is nicely balanced with a lot of interesting elements to look at other than just the red color. The light here is exquisite, and I like the processing you have done on the land, the blueberry bushes and trees in particular look very nice.
The sky does look a bit washed out on my monitor, but I would try making a selection of the sky via Magic Wand or luminosity masks, and placing it on a levels or curves adjustment layer set to multiply blend mode. I think you can recover more detail in the sky without losin ghte golden hour look.
Chris,
I love the reds of the lowbush blueberry when it turns crimson in the fall and you captured it beautifully in this image. The light on the landscape is gorgeous and imparts a serene feel to this country scene. My only suggestion would be to slightly tone down the sky with maybe a crop to just above the warm toned cloud on the right. Nicely done.
