I took this image a few months ago (back when we were allowed in the mountains). This is by far the wettest day I have ever photographed on. When I say rain, it was a deluge - myself and hound were more than soaked when we got back to the car.
Despite it raining there was wonderful mood and even a smitten of light as the rain gradually eased. This is a rarely photographed area in Snowdonia - by I rarely, I mean I have never come accross any images of this part of the valley.
I was after a moody image and I got some great conditions to work with.
Specific Feedback Requested
As usual I am open to discussing most cc and observations. I guess Im most interested in the processing this time round, but hey let me have it
How do you find the mood of this image?
The processing?
etc etc
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Sony A7ii
Canon 16-35mm f4L
CPL
19mm | f/11 | 1/4s | ISO 100
I love this. On my monitor, the shadows are just right and a critical part of the presentation. I could see brightening and cooling the water just a tad, however it would âbrightenâ the mood some and that might not be what youâre after. Excellent waterfall image!
Eugene
I love this image, especially its mood. I cannot help but want to see more in the mid left and upper right hill. I am new to this site and am amateur but took the liberty to try and open up some of those areas. I used radial filters with shadow, black temp and slight magenta tint . IThe compositioni to my eye is spot on. I wish I had the opportunity to photograph these type settings.
This is excellent, Eugene. It really has a great mood, kind of mysterious and powerful. The vignetting (I assume) works really well to focus my attention on the beautiful falls, then gently pulls me out to the ridge and bright area of sky. Really well processed to my eye.
Perfect shutter speed for the water, it has great texture. Looking at the small image, I thought the rest of the image was too dark, but after looking at the larger image and giving my eye a moment to adjust, I think the luminosity of the image is just right to create the mood you intended. Another aspect of this image that i enjoy is the glow in the sky, that looks very nice too. Nicely done Eugene.
Thanks very much everyone for the comments and the feedback. Much appreciated.
@Harley_Goldman thank you. Yes, I did add some vignetting to create âlight gradingâ as such. To focus in on the cascade and to a certain extent the glow.
@John_Williams yeah, me too. Had to use some trickery to keep the gear dry - it is Sony after all . I had the same thought but, like you said brightened the shot more than I would have liked it.
@Ed_McGuirk when I uploaded it I thought - damn thatâs dark. But yeah once you open it up, everything seems to balance out a bit more. It was a pretty dingy and moody day so dont want it too bright. Iâm going to try printing this one as itâs so much better when itâs big.
@Mario_Cornacchione thanks very much, Glad you like it. I see your point with the shadows but i think brightening it too much will detract from the mood of it. It was a very dark and moody day. Thanks for posting your rework though - really appreciate the input. Hope you can get out into the mountains one day soon
Eugene, this is a really good image. I think your post-processing is excellent, it emphasize perfectly the mood of the scene. Also, the shutter speed is very well chosen, the water is soft but still have enough amount of details. A very minor comment, there is a water stream at the upper part of the right image border that could be darkened (or erased). When enlarging the image, for me that part draws some attention.
Hi @Ola_Jovall! Thanks very much for the positive feedback. I agree on that small cascade. I had darkened it down a little already but looking again, it could do with a bit more work to blend it in. Thanks again!
I really love the mood in this image, Eugene. I like dark images, I like dark parts of images, I like images that donât represent reality, and most of all, I like when photographers do something different with their images. Youâve interpreted this scene a little differently and kept it dark and moody. According to your description, thatâs how you experienced it so you are communicating your experience.
My only suggestion is to experiment into the realm of interpretation. What else could you communicate with this image? Think of the emotions that the photo elicits and could elicit and process it to demonstrate those. Or collect the words viewers in this thread provide and see if they inspire you to interpret the image a little differently.
Just a couple of ideas. If you do another version, Iâd love to see it.
Hi Matt - thanks for the really kind feedback on the image and also the commentary on the mood. Itâs much appreciated - glad you like it
In my images I definately like to represent the feeling of being at the location, be it in the mountains or wherever, while keeping the image âreasonablyâ close to reality. Like most photographers here we put our own artisic spin on it through the processing. I deliberately kept the image a bit more soft and glowy, mostly to try accentuate the feeling of being in a rain storm that was slowly abating.
As I mentioned above, I think the processing has been applied in such a way that it does express the day, the conditions, experience and to a certain extent the ongoings in my brain (for lack of a better way of putting it). The day certainly didnât feel very âbright and sunnyâ so would not choose to process in that way
I appreciate your thoughts on different processing, but I wasnât intending to process it in a different way, but more to refine what I had already done. Out of interest, what emotions does the image eleict to you as it stands? Also, what else does it elicit to you and what would you have interpreted the scene if it were your image?
Eugene,
I want to give your questions some good thought but I donât have the time right now. Iâll get back to you this weekend because this is a very interesting conversation. Thanks.
Matt
Eugene,
Following up on your question about the emotions and interpretations I would consider, I think of mystery, curiosity, wonder, brooding, imaginative, uncertainty, powerful, and expansive to name a few. Then I wonder how the image could be processed to convey those responses. The first one I consider is curiosity - how could this image be processed to engage viewers to be curious about this place? What is so special about this place that is unlike any other and how can I illustrate that in the image? Or what can I imagine this place to be?
Please know that I think you probably considered many things as you processed it and you described them in your intro and your last comment to me and I donât want to convey that you have not done so. My comments are only aimed at encouraging you and the NPN community to stretch the imagination, which many of us do. I am aware that I am probably closer to one end of the bell curve for tolerance of experimental images, but I do think there is tremendous personal value in pushing oneâs imagination outside the comfort zone. You never know where it may lead, and thatâs a positive photographic development.
Hi Eugene! I think this is a beautiful scene. It makes me think of many hikes Iâve taken where the weather looks threatening but itâs not raining yet so you go anyway and then you get drenched and almost lost on the way down because the trail is flooded and everything looks like a trail! It looks like a really amazing place to explore! I like the darkness of everything and the way you exposed the water. Really awesome!
I think you are right, I probably and did consider a lot of these things when processing the image. Hence the result that you see on your screen. The location, conditions and my imagination are all encompassed in the processing and the way I choose to represent my photography (or art if one so chooses). Personally I think the way the image is processed does convey many of the emotions you suggested - I wonât explain them all - if the way I have chosen to represent them.
Furthermore I feel that a lot of âstretching the imaginationâ comes at the point of actaully shooting the image, like is the case with a lot of the images on your website. If one was intending to try and bend somebodys mind with an image of a place then they/I could consider maybe shooting ICM, for instance, and processing it accordingly. I think if we start stretching the bounds of interpretation too far in more classic landscape scenes (such as the one we are discussing) we start to warp the boundary of reality too far into the realms of what is not possible. Its a fine line.
I would be interested to see how you processed the image to convey what you are outlining?
Thanks Vanessa! I think what you described really conveys the day perfectly
I plan to go back when our lockdown eases and explore some of the hidden areas slightly off the valley floor. Its an intriguing area for sure and certainly feels more brooding in a rain storm
Eugene, you make some very strong arguments for the types of images that can be subjects for experimentation. ICM is one direction I have chosen to go because it really does stretch my imagination into unpredictable and uncommon territory and I love that.
On those occasions when Iâve attempted to process a more classically composed image into one of my imagined realities, the results simply arenât as interesting as they are for my more personally composed images and subjects. This awareness has been in the back of my mind because I see the results of my efforts, but until you described it I hadnât given it the credibility it deserves. I have noticed, however, that the frequency of my capturing classic compositions has dropped considerably in favor of personal, intimate, and uncontextual images.
As for how I processed your image, I havenât attempted to but did I mention that I thought your posted image was really compelling? I want to make sure you get that.
. I had the same thought but, like you said brightened the shot more than I would have liked it.
