I have been out chasing fall colors with my drone. I have used the satellite map to find interesting looking lakes to photograph. This one caught my eye with its multiple islands. This was one of those fall days where heavy clouds mixed had opening where the sunlight could pop through. I put up my drone just before this bit of sunlight was dragged across the island. It lit up for a minute and was dark again. The rainbow to the right was just icing.
Specific Feedback Requested
I don’t like the piece of island in the bottom right, but I kept it so I could keep the rainbow. The sun was so bright that I did mask an area of the island and bring down its brightness.
Hi Cameron,
This is a beautiful scene. I love the fall colors of course, the varied light, and the composition. The island in the lower right is fairly small and I think it can just be cloned out or you could crop the photo to make it more of a pano. Are you able to tone down a few of the bright spots in the image where you lose detail? I don’t think it’s a big deal if you can’t.
Hi, Cameron. This is so beautiful and serene. I guess being on the move to capture these moments apply to the weekly theme of motion. The sky’s dark tones and the water’s calmness are mesmerizing, especially on the right side. About your comment regarding the small island on the LRC, you could easily clone it out or use @Glenn_Tunaley 's suggestion for cropping at the bottom. It does seem like the highlights where the sun is shining on the island are creating less definition. If you decide to work on those highlights, you might also see what would happen by toning down the water highlights on the left side of the image. Ideally – although maybe not realistic – less highlight on that side would create a stronger impact on the sunshine portion of the photo.
What a gorgeous Fall color scene, Cameron! The fast moving storm makes it fit the category also. I think the crop to pano suggestion is a great idea as it’s simple to do and the bottom part is just dead space anyway, not to mention the little piece of island that is a distraction. As for the brightness issue, it appears that the sun was breaking through clouds so you bright areas and shaded areas with most of the brightness on the left side which ended up slightly over-exposed. I tried a simple method which is a brightness layer adjustment with a gradient from right to left at a slightly downward angle, using a -25% decrease in brightness and a+15% increase in contrast. See what you think.
Thanks Gary that looks good. I need to experiment more with how I use masking. I usually select out the sky or subject or use the brush. I’ll have to try using more of the gradients.
