Just got back from visiting a friend in the PNW and spent a ton of time outdoors including shooting in the Palouse. I haven’t done any processing on this image yet and am interested in other’s thoughts about the sliver of sky that is currently there. My instinct is to cut it out since it’s the brightest part of the image and draws the eye out. However, I do know I can adjust this in post but maybe not completely.
I’ll be doing some contrast adjustment through various means. Any suggestions for processing are always welcome as I am still a beginner and always learning. Thanks!
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Brie: I lived in Spokane in the early 80s in my pre-photography days and the Palouse was something to drive through on the way to more interesting places. Now I rue the missed opportunities. The full pastel color spectrum you have here is immediately appealing and for me that small strip of sky is like the beginning of the rainbow so I think I would be inclined to keep it. It is small enough that you certainly could crop it out but as is it also acts as a framing element. The pull of the bright warm colors in the ULC kind of overwhelms it anyway. Well seen, composed and captured. >=))>
Brie, this is a lovely picture with plenty of potential for further post processing. There are three things that come to mind for me. The first does have to do with the brightness in the upper left corner. When I scroll and crop out the sky, however, it brings that brightness down considerably and that’s the reason I’d consider cropping the sky out. The second thing would be to make more of that magenta emanating from the ULC. I can see hints of it all along the ridges in much of the picture and I think bringing those highlights up by dodging with colour (i.e., light painting) would add to the overall mood. Green and magenta work very well together. Finally, I would boost mid tone contrast. I would want to be careful with this so as not to undermine the soft, early morning feel of this lovely image. I think this is a picture worth spending the time on. Very nice indeed.
Oh man! You certainly did miss out! I grew up in CA but have only been as far north as OR so this was my first trip to WA. My friend is actually in Spokane and I can’t wait to go back to visit. Thinking of doing a 2-3 week trip using her as a home base for adventures. Thank you for your input and compliment. I think I’ll work on highlighting the ULC first to see how the images looks. I can always crop that top out!
Thank you! I’m a beginner and shooting in this area was actually overwhelming! Your feedback about post-processing are just about what I was thinking and the mid-tone suggestion is very hlepful. My brain probably understands that green and magenta go together but realizing it and putting that knowledge to work is a different thing so thank you. I think it would be worth my time to study some color theory. I really love this image and I think it will take some careful finessing not to over do it. Thank you so much for your feedback!
Brie: Spokane is a great hub. Within a half day drive you can get to Glacier, the Canadian Rockies, North Cascades, the Palouse etc. Good luck on your explorations. >=))>
Hi Brie - I really like you use of negative space. I would crop the sky. You mentioned you were planning contrast adjustments - that would have been my only other suggestion.
Thank you! I am going to crop without deleting pixels so I can always change my mind. The more I look at it, the more it feels like a distraction and doesn’t add to my image. Working on post now. Hoping I can do the adjustments I want with my beginner skills!
I would try making a vertical of the left side and make the magenta a prominent part of the image. Currently it feels unbalance by being the the top left corner. I don’t think cropping out the sky in the original changes much.
This is a really different take on Palouse that is refreshing.
