This image is from early October, 2019 in southern Vermont. It was a morning of totally crazy weather. My plan for the morning was to drive 30 minutes to an overlook at a ski area near the summit of a mountain. Ninety minutes before sunrise, it was pouring rain at my hotel, which was in a town down in a river valley. But I decided to give it a shot anyways. When I reached the overlook, it was not raining there, but there were ominous clouds and rain in the valleys looking to the east (where I had come from). And just before sunrise, a gap appeared in the clouds to the east. No Orton Effect applied here, the softness is all due to rain and mist in the air. The clouds, rain and fog continued to move through the valleys for almost two hours, while it stayed dry where I was at the ski area.
I know this is a 50/50 horizon, but I’d hate to crop out either the foreground foliage or the dark blue clouds. If i had to crop anything, I think its part of the top that has to go. What does everyone think about the horizon?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any critique or comments are welcome.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Canon 5D MKIV, Canon 70-200mm f4 lens, at 140mm, ISO 400, 1/30 sec at f16
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Ed,
This is quite a unique and interesting offering from Mother Nature. I do like your handling of the colors in the sky and the mood it creates. In this case I am not bothered by the 50/50 horizon. I think the brighter break in the clouds works to create a layering effect that works well. I looked at cropping the sky and foreground and do not think it helps.
Another case where getting out of bed and giving it a try paid off.
Terrific atmosphere captured; the rain has really muted things, and in a positive way. To me, this is not a 50/50 image. As Alan points out, the layering and the narrow gap in the sky really take precedent over what technically has the horizon line at the midpoint - not an issue at all.
I know you said you didn’t want to crop the bottom, so you may not go along with this. But I think this is an example where the autumn foliage is not the main story - it’s the atmospherics, layering and that unique gap in the fog/clouds. I’m thinking that should be emphasized (as an alternate view?) by cropping both top and bottom; not much, but also the more narrow format helps accentuate the length of that gap in the clouds. And to that end, I also warmed up the lighter area just slightly for a little more warm/cool color contribution. Just a thought, suggestion.
Oh, added a wee-bit of overall contrast with a blank Levels layer set to 10% Soft Light blending
This is really nice, Ed. It does not strike me as a 50/50 comp and even if it was, rules often don’t apply. I prefer the uncropped presentation. I like the trees and the way the image layers with more of them. Works nicely.
This is a beautiful, soft image, Ed., with a sort of impressionistic mood. I was perfectly happy with the horizon till I looked at Lon’s version, and I end up thinking that crop is perhaps a good idea - giving more weight to the extraordinary light on the horizon.
Ed,
Now that is what I would call serendipity! This scene has a lovely calming serene feel to it with the mist laden air and you have to love the dynamics happening along the horizon. As far as the 50/50 split it does not bother me one bit because the frame is filled beautifully with all the layers of the scene. Your intuition and fortitude served you well.
