The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
My wife and I had just spent the last hour and a half waiting out a major monsoonal thunderstorm in the Santa Rosa Mountains of Southern California. The rain just dumped on us. We were supposed to be picking up pitfall traps for my son the entomologist. then the clouds drifted past and the sun started to come out. It was gorgeous.
Specific Feedback
Is the lighting better in the first landscape orientation or the second portrait orientation? Any comments or recommendations for improvements are appreciated.
Hi Ed,
For my tastes you captured the yucca perfectly in the second image. I think you distilled the elements down to just what you needed without the extra information on the right and left sides. The light ing is quite lovely and those storm clouds add some nice drama to the scene. I love the raindrops too BTW.
Very nice captures, all three! For me, the landscape orientation works, with the yucca standing out so nicely against the dramatic clouds. The clouds fill in the extra space on the left of the first image and the space to the right of the plant doesn’t feel empty – there is a nice balance of visual weight. The colors and detail are very nice! The composition/framing in the second one feels crowded. I’d like more on the bottom and both sides, especially on the left to give the bright cloud more room. Lovely light in both, and nicely captured raindrops.
The landscape format has the better lighting. It give the yucca blooms much more depth. With everything wet it also heightens the color saturation in a wonderful and natural way.
Thank you so much @Diane_Miller and @Youssef_Ismail. I took quite a few images at this location and moved around to try to get the best angles from the yucca and the clouds and the sunlight/shadows on the mountains. These were two of the better ones I got . . .
Ed - all 3 are great. I prefer the landscape orientation. The yuccas are perfectly placed, and the cloudy sky is very compelling, with the white and gray storm clouds against the hills and yucca.
I’ll add another vote for the lighting in the horizontal format Ed, and those clouds on the left really help to balance the image. Love those thunderstorms!
