The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Much as putting down my fork between bites helps me savor my meal, wandering the natural world with my camera allows me to be more mindful of just how special this place we call home is.
Sometimes when I take pictures I’m reaching for an esoteric meaning, an allegory for something deep and profound. But sometimes, I just want to capture a memory of how dang beautiful I thought it was, and how amazing it was to be there.
Specific Feedback
How does the saturation level look?
All thoughts and comments appreciated.
Technical Details
NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 32.5 mm
1/800 sec. at f/16.0 and ISO 800
Handheld
I’ve cloned out a couple of thin ski/snowshoe tracks that ran along the edge of the near lip of the canyon.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:
Beautiful, John. I can easily imagine breathing in that cool, clean, crisp air. I think placing the tree in the foreground adds to the image. And the wispy clouds are nice.
John, this is lovely, while some of the blue in the sky and the shadow seems strong, everything works very well together. You’re placement of the foreground tree balances well with the craggy peak, while the transition for smooth snow at the bottom to rugged ridges is nicely dynamic.
Love it. This is where blue skies just simply work. Very nicely exposed and composed and I really like the foreground trees inundated with unblemished snow. It looks minty fresh the sort of thing that would not look out of place in an advert promoting toothpaste and frsh breath.
Beautiful, John. I like the blues a lot. It’s 6000 feet (or maybe 5500), and the blue can be darker there, and I like the foreground blues with the warmth touching the top of the primary tree. Really nicely done!
ML
IMHO, everything works in harmony here, John. The placement of the elements especially. Sky looks great. I really like the splash of light on the FG tree to make it stand out more from the cool, shaded FG,
After letting this one settle a bit and viewing it again, I tried a couple of slight tweaks to the sky that I think I prefer. I’m posting that to compare to the original. Do you care for one over the other?
I typically underexpose in conditions like this, both because it is so easy to blow the highlights and it allows a faster shutter speed when handheld. (I’ll post the sidecar jpg of the raw image below.) The downside is that increasing the luminosity in processing can sometimes get the sky color and saturation a little off.
Hi John,
This is another beauty from your backpacking trip. Keep them coming. The light on the mountain is gorgeous and I quite like how it is lighting up the FG evergreen. Even though your tweak on the sky was small I think it made an already outstanding image even better. I hardly ever shoot something trying for some profound message. For me it is usually about savoring the moment and enjoying the beauty that surrounds us in this world. Now that I typed that, maybe that is the esoteric meaning. No suggestions from me.
Way late to the party here so I’ll just comment on the fact that I prefer the newly loaded version called Sky tweaked. Why? It gives more depth to the clouds, reduces the blue just a bit and adds a little bit of a magenta look to the clouds due to the lighting of them. Either way you go, this is a beautiful image, well composed with very interesting subjects. I REALLY like this one John.
I like the darker blue in the original but the magenta tinge to the clouds in the retouched sky. Of course, I love both and would never have seen a sky issue in either.
ML
No suggestions from me.