Hi everyone. Once again I’d love some critique on this image please.
This was taken in the Borrowdale Valley in the Lake District overlooking Derwentwater.
I like the composition and the light really treated me that evening. This image is a composite made up of various exposures over half an hour or so to catch all the patchy light on the mountains on the right.
I quite like how the reflected clouds act as a leading line and the fact that the stormy sky and clearer reflection act as a contrast in the image. The moody clouds hadn’t moved far enough up the valley at that point to reflect so it looks almost surreal.
The thing I’m not sure about is the sky. I have been able to pull a lot of contrast and detail out in it and wonder if it is a bit too far and needs dialing back. What do you think? I think it may unbalance the image slightly.
Other things to note. I’ve done a bit of warping on the mountains either side to balance it out more and added some light bleed for atmosphere. I’ve also reduced the saturation of any green in the image and added some color to the reflected clouds to balance the color palette better.
All feedback good or bad (especially bad - that’s where the learning is!) gratefully received.
It’s nice Chris and restrained in terms of colour which I like very much. The reflection of the sky in the water does seem much more gentle and friendly when compared with the almost apocalyptic cloud mass above it so yes on the whole I would ease back on the detail and localised contrast in the sky section to reclaim some of the natural balance. Maybe just lighten a touch the immediate foreground grasses too. Having said that the larger image does have that bit of extra brightness evident and feels more restrained than the smaller version so I think the large version is significantly better. Overall it works for me.
This is beautiful and dreamy, Chris. Nicely composed with a strong leading line. Processing looks good, although I agree with Ian that pulling back on the contrast in the clouds, and raising the luminosity a bit would help balance the sky more naturally with the reflections.
This is a beautiful composition! The S curve in the foreground does a great job of leading your eye through the image to the ominous clouds above. The dappled light on the mountains to the right is a nice additional component!
I agree with what others have said that the sky looks too contrasty to me. In particular, the clouds look like they have too much dark gray/black in them. Also, the rendering of the clouds doesn’t seem to match the reflection. I understand from your description that the clouds in the sky are different clouds from the clouds in the reflection, but I think the image would benefit if both sets of clouds had matching tonalities and color. Also, the light bleed in the center of the image, where the sky meets the land looks a little too strong to me.
Thanks everyone. I’m glad you’ve confirmed that the sky is too strong I’ll work on that.
With regards to the reflection not matching the sky I’m not really sure how to remedy that as I don’t have any exposures that the reflection matches the sky as it just went dark rather than a nice reflection if that makes sense. Is cloning an option do you think?
Chris, this is a gorgeous image, and I really love the composition here, it is very powerful. The sinuous river, the light hitting the peaks, and the dramatic sky, what a killer combo.
I think the comments you are getting on the reflection can be looked at two ways. I think many are commenting the contrast is inconsistent between sky and reflection. In the sky the dark clouds are darker, and the lights are less bright. In the water it’s the opposite, the lights are bright and the dark are not as dark. I think adjusting contrast and some dodging and burning would help bring the two into better tonal balance. In real life reflections are darker than the sky. To me it’s the reflection that looks good (though I might darken it slightly), and I would adjust the sky, making both the darks and the lights brighter.
I think the second way this can be looked at is that there must be lighter clouds and some blue sky above the top edge of your frame. A different composition that showed more of those clouds and sky might be perceived as being more “consistent”. However taking that route places the horizon closer to 50/50, which may not be desirable.
This really is a gorgeous image, Chris. The soft light and tones really work well with scene. That S curve and reflections really makes this one for me.
I think you got some great feedback, so the only thing I could add is to check your horizon level. It appears to be ever so slight tilted to the right.
I think the sky works great. I would agree with Eva that the reflection does not match the sky. I would work on that rather that touching the sky. Really fine image however you slice it.
Chris, I agree the clouds have a bit too much contrast and would pull back on that. Something not mentioned is the very strong violet color on the side of the mountains. This may be realistic but it does seem a touch strong for my personal preference.
Oh and by the way, this is a wonderful scene you have composed it beautifully! I am nit picking but that’s the idea right?
I have looked at this a few times now, and feel the sky is over-dramatized considering the softer mood of the rest of the scene. I also agree with Ed’s comments about the sky being darker than the reflection. This is a fine image that has great potential to be even better with some tweaks.
-P
For sure you have a wonderful landscape to start with and as the comments indicate, there are a few directions you could take various elements to raise the bar a bit.
I’m really enjoying the s-curve of the reflection and the somewhat tranquil look and feel of the lower portion of the scene. I also especially like the light striking the mountains. My only thought there would be to reduce the magenta in that one small area in the peaks.
I would agree with others that the drama in the clouds is a bit much relative to the quiet nature of the reflection and grasses. Not a huge discrepancy, but something to work on - I think you’ve already mentioned.
I think this may be a contributing factor to the reflection not matching? Enough time goes by and of course the clouds move and things change. One thing about reflection, I think deeper in the image the angles and such should have a more mirrored reflection, and we don’t see that. At the other end, what is reflecting in the immediate foreground is more from what is happening above and out of the frame, so that’s more likely the case. It’s just as you get deeper in the frame, what you see in the sky should start being mirrored in the reflection. Now having said that… it’s highly likely that this is only being mentioned and picked up because this is a critique forum after all… I’m betting the general public would be analyzing this like we do…
