The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was my first visit to Bryce Canyon (May 2023) and I was blown away by the beauty of the place. The way the light bounces around the canyon walls and gives the impression of the hoodoos being lit from within, is breathtaking. This photo gave me the impression of Elders sitting above watching their kingdom below.
Specific Feedback
I am wondering if the overall photo is a little too dark. I like the idea of the hoodoos being the main focus, but wonder if it needs more light. On my desktop computer it looks the way I want it to though when I export it out the colors seem darker. I am also wondering if the overall feel of the photo is too cramped.
Technical Details
This was shot with a Nikon Z7ii with a Nikon Z 24-120 S f4 lens. 1/6sec, f/16, ISO 64 at 56mm on a tripod.
It was processed in Lightroom Classic and NIK Color Efex Pro 4.
Welcome to the community Claudia! Very nice image! Glad you could get there, it is such a beautiful location. To your question if the image is too dark…generally I would NOT say that this image is too dark. The rocks in the foreground are quite bright and stand out. The background is noticeably darker, which on one hand creates some separation between the foreground rocks and the background. If that is your intent, then great, you nailed it! If you wanted to create a more harmonious image where the foreground is more integrated with the background, I might bring the tonalities a bit closer together so it isn’t such a striking contrast between the two.
The composition is fantastic. The rocks on the left have a lot of visual weight to them and they are balanced out by the details and textures of the bg rocks. This is a very pleasing photo for sure! Well done!
Welcome, Claudia!! A wonderful first post! The BG is not too dark for me, thanks to the brighter area so well echoing the elders! This place can have unbelievable light, but honestly, I think this may be the best example of it I have seen or captured!! And I love the dramatic depth you have captured here!
Hi Claudia,
Welcome to NPN!
What a great first image. I love the composition. This landscape looks otherworldly.
You mentioned it was taken in the Bryce Canyon. I never have been to the USA, so I did a quick research on that spot. Wow, that looks like a real playground for photographers. It must be a great experience to see this scene with your own eyes.
The overall contrast looks fine in my opinion. If I had to change anything about the image, it would be the wb. I would cool it down very slightly. It would reduce the warm cast into the shadows and may add to the color separation. But that is just my personal preference.
Your image looks great, even without any adjustments.
I can’t wait to see more of your work.
Thank you so much for the feedback Jens, I think you are right about the white balance. I will try that for sure. I hope you get a chance to come and visit this magnificent park some day.
I visited this place for the first time about a year ago and have to say that your image here is a very well composed and unique take on an area where there’s so much going on. It doesn’t feel under exposed at all and I like the way the foreground subject stands out. Well done!
Terrific shot! My eye goes first to the bright area in the foreground and then moves to the light are in the background…and it’s a very pleasant journey.
This is a beautiful image. I especially like the composition. I do not think the background is too dark, but it might be interesting to try slightly reducing the brightness of the FG.
Hi Claudia and welcome to NPN. A photo from Bryce is certainly a way to get attention and I think you’ve got the start of a good one here. Having been there before and looking through some of my images taken on film, I know the light isn’t quite like this and so as a result, while it is pleasing in some ways, I find it forced; like a movie set. Each area of illuminated rock is separate and looks spotlighted rather than sunlighted even though it might have been filtered in this way naturally. From my recollection, hoodoos making shade make a solid block of it that doesn’t vary in intensity. Where the sun hits a hoodoo is very bright indeed and so things are a lot more contrasty than depicted here. Some softening and evening with processing is to be expected, I get that, but my first thought when I saw the thumbnail was about your editing, not the subject and while that could be your intent, I’m not sure you want it that way. I’d be curious to see the raw file to compare the light strength and pattern.
Anyway…just my thoughts. You have a terrific composition here, a good eye and nice light. Keep images coming and please do join in with commenting on other photos - have a crack at mine!
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Hi Kristen, thanks for your comments, it’s funny you should say it looked like a movie set, because that was exactly what I felt when I was there. There was a hint of drama in way the light hit the rocks that I felt like I was in a midieval arena or in a game of “Wizard Chess.” This place just is other-worldly and had me personifying all the different hoodoos and rock formations. I have many more “realistic” images, but this one just spoke to me as more dramatic. Thanks so much for your tips. I will try to post the “out of camera shot.”
What I find really cool here is that the rocks almost look like they’re glowing from within. Kind of like those Himalayan Salt Lamps! I don’t mind that you made the rocks glow so much but I think that since they’re so bright that the dark areas above them need to be lightened a bit to balance the image out.
Also, welcome to NPN!
