The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I like the overall feeling of winter in the desert. The mountains have a bit of snow on them from an earlier storm and the roughness of the foreground vegetation leads me into that main subject .
Creative direction
I am trying to go in a different direction with my landscapes. In color, this is a very dramatic scene. I consider this a stepping off point for changes in subject, processing, etc.
Specific Feedback
I am too much the technical photographer. I need to reach down more into emotion with the images I shoot. This image is really not packed with emotion. Any and all suggestions are welcome and encouraged.
Technical Details
The original image was actually an HDR creation. I do that to preserve the highlights. R5 + RF 14-35 @ 14mm and f/8 with various shutter speeds, ISO 400, EC +0.33, handheld. I usually try to shoot at ISO 100 but did not have any sort of rest for the camera so upped the ISO instead.
Description
It was a cold and wet spring in Tucson last February when this was shot. The snow and rain had been constant with night time lows in the 20s Fahrenheit. The sun is from the right and gives nice definition on this range at this time of year. My wife and I camp in this area nearly every spring and we always watch the mountains for interesting scenes. I think perhaps I will try some longer focal lengths if we get there again as the cacti and vegetation on the low hills in front of the mountains are very interesting.
Hello, Fred. My first thought is how much I like the drama of the mountains and the sky in this scene. While I read your thoughts about the foreground vegetation, I think you have a bit too much of it and you are not engaged, i.e. close enough in to some of it, to use it to draw us towards the mountains. Even now, a crop of about a 1/4 of the bottom makes it a stronger composition. I know there’s an answer in there, so I’m glad you get to go back and visit this scene time and again as you will find different ways to see this.
I really like this image Fred. I think it does a bang up job of expressing a bit of dark and foreboding; very appropriate for winter. I really like the way the foreground grass is a bit beat up; I think it adds to that mood.
Thank you, Brenda. I’m thinking much the same. I appreciate your help with this. Hopefully, there will be similar opportunities again in March when we plan to return to this spot. I hope to infuse more emotion next time.
Looks like a wonderful opportunity, but for me the FG, mountains and sky are not separated enough. I wonder how this would look in color, as the composition looks very strong and the sky looks amazing! I see hints in the B/W that maybe the HDR went a bit too far. We have so much leeway these days with the shadows and highlights sliders that sometimes a middle exposure can be pushed but still look more natural.
I appreciate your input, John. I didn’t spend as much time that evening as I should have and we all know it’s difficult to go back and find a similar scene. Thank you.
Yes, I kind of have that feeling as well. I will be working further on the BW version. The color version has a different feeling altogether. I have attached an earlier LR color version of it. As for the HDR, I need to vary the processing and work on bring it back to the right amount of contrast.
A wonderful scene, but I agree, the B&W version blends the mountains and foreground. The mountains stand out much better in color. I agree with Brenda’s crop of the foreground. I would try a longer focal length, and possibly a pano, to add emphasis to those gorgeous mountains.
Beautiful photo Fred. I like more the B&W version that have more drama for me. The color version can be also appealing but with a lowered color saturation that now hide many details IMO.
Thank you for your impressions. I always like to try B&W versions of landscapes but it may be the wrong choice here. I am attaching a slightly different view of the same scene that used a longer focal length. The mountains are slightly better in this version I think.
Thank you very much for the kind words. I appreciate your opinion regarding B&W vs. color. We all have different ways of seeing and interpreting images and they are all valid in my opinion.
