This is an image I had in mind for quite some time before the opportunity presented itself a week ago. It’s not exactly how I envisioned it but I took what I found.
I saw this off the side of a small road in Idaho and pulled over to make this composition thinking I would sit on it a bit and retake it when the light was a bit better. Well, the light and clouds never again arranged themselves properly and this is what I came up with. It’s not a particularly original idea but it does convey a feeling I like very much. A border seem to have no effect on this image. In fact it seemed to cramp it somehow. So no border this time.
Nicely seen, Igor. Pleasing blue, green color palette and this lightning works fine giving it a light, airy feel. I might consider adding a vignette or at least a grad filter to darken the top frame edge.
This has a nice “sunny day” feel to it, and that’s not always easy to do when you lose saturation and shadow depth away from the golden hours. I do find the mix of reflected clouds and grass enchanting, and you did a nice job with that here.
John, It was a mid day shot but on the other hand it was mid September and close to the Canadian border. Nevertheless I lowered the contrast and raised the darker tones a fair amount in post processing. On my first try I lowered the clarity to give it the softer look I thought it needed but later decided that I wanted each blade of grass to stand out. I struggled with how much saturation to provide the yellows and came up with this. Sometimes it seems too vibrant but it is a sunny day.
Love it Igor. On first impression I’m thinking a drop of 1/2 or so of exposure - but I must say the clouds are perfectly presented; the whites are spot on. And so no reason why that can’t dictate the rest of the scene. Your description of processing explains, so thanks and the results are wonderful.
Hi Igor, it’s been a while, but I think I’m back. Sure missed the interaction. I like what you have here. Simple, yet enough detail to carry the comp. I think I prefer the second image, less brightness. I’m also seeing a bit of red in the browns along the water line. It could be my eyes or monitor but worth a look.
This looks really good, Igor. Well seen and executed. I prefer the first presentation, but the difference is not huge (but is noticeable when viewed large and in succession). No suggestions, I quite like the understated image.
Igor, this is simple yet interesting composition and I prefer the original post. You mention it is not exactly what you had envisioned but this works very well. This looks like mid-day sunshine and the original seems more appropriate in representing those conditions.
Igor, I’m really attracted to the feeling that there’s no up or down in this view…flip it vertically and it feels the same… It also extends forever in both on both sides. I do think that the subtle desaturation and darkening in V2 are more realistic.
Igor, I like the thought behind this quite a bit, and of the two you present, I prefer the more vibrant first image. I feel the water & cloud reflection feels a bit drab and flat however and would benefit from a little tweaking. I downloaded it and increased contrast a wee bit and think it helped but, of course, that’s subjective. I also put a slight CCW correction to straighten the water line.
That’s interesting Bill because I actually reduced the contrast in the original post. But when you compare yours and mine the benefit of contrast is readily apparent. For my taste something between the two would probably be best. Thank you for giving this some thought. Frankly I’m not enamored with this one and will not be putting in more time. I think that the comp would benefit if I was closer to the grass/reeds and they had been bigger.
