The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This little scene is one of many nice spots along Deadman’s Creek in the Sonora Pass country of the Sierra. The creek got its name from an incident that occurred on a wagon train while crossing the range during the Gold Rush. One of the men was bitten by a rattlesnake on the East Side of the range and passed on after crossing Sonora Pass. His grave is in the area and is kept secret so that it is not disturbed.
I have been to this spot several times over the years and on this day the early light was very accommodating…for about 15 minutes. A few minutes after the shot was made, the light on the upper part blew out. I was lucky here.
I have often wondered if the intrepid folks who arduously traveled over the Sierra really noticed the beauty of the range, or were they just intent on survival and making a new life in California?
-P
Specific Feedback
I would like your thoughts on composition, color, or any nits you might observe.
Technical Details
Tachihara 4x5
Schneider 210 mm
f 45 @ 4s
Astia 100F Color Transparency, ISO 100
1800 dpi scan recently reprocessed in PSCC 2024
TK’s Luminosity Masks and some Dodge and Burn
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Preston, an excellent scene photographed just in time according to your comment. The light hitting the outcropped tiny tree? works nicely too…well done…
Nice image, and thanks for the history lesson. For me, I don’t think people have changed that much, most are just intent on getting through their day. And it’s still the rare ones that stop and notice the beauty around them. Like your scene. Good timing on the water flow. Only thing that I notice is that little group of flowers in the LLC. I’d like to see a little more room around them. But it’s likely the edge of the frame. I do like how the rocks are the main color, and then there are those pops of the brighter colors around the image.
Pure magic! The subtle spot light at the top, the perfect shutter speed to silken that small cascade and that splash of that amazing variety of color in the LLC, just makes this so enjoyable to look at. You really came away with a great photo here. Is it me, or do photos on 4x5 just have something about them?
Preston: It’s been my experience that luck happens to the skilled and well prepared so do give yourself some credit. My thoughts echo @patrick6 almost to a tee. A touch more room for the flowers on the bottom would elevate this to a higher lever but this is pretty darn good as is. >=))>
This is a nice photo that would be uninspiring without the flowers bottom left and top right. I note the top right has a few touches of sunlight, and by comparison, the central rock structures are rather flat. I wonder how the photo would change if the lighter rock areas were dodged and the mid tone areas of the rocks were burnt in.
Gorgeous little scene. Very inviting. The light striking the top is a nice added bonus. I will add my opinion to the others about a little more room around the LLC flowers. Also I feel the two intruding boulders in the ULC are a little distracting. I wasn’t there obviously, so don’t know the terrain, but maybe a slight move to the left would have gotten rid of the boulders and added space to the LLC. Hope you don’t mind, I cropped the boulders out just to see what it looked like.
@Youssef_Ismail “Is it me, or do photos on 4x5 just have something about them?” I am not sure if it was Weston or Adams who opined that large format images have a tactile sense that smaller formats lack. I agree with this, but damned if I can explain it.
@Bill_Fach Thanks, Bill. We did get up early to shoot here, but as it turned out, we had precious little time, especially with large format cameras. It is true that luck favors the prepared.
@Rob_Sykes I actually did do some judicious burn and dodge and levels adjustment in the lighter rocks. I wanted a sense of light without the rocks getting too contrasty, which is a trap I’ve fallen into while photographing this area on other occasions.
“This is a nice photo that would be uninspiring without the flowers bottom left and top right.” My inspiration for this photo was the early light and the textures of the rock contrasted with the flowing water. The plants and flowers were included because they were in the frame of my 210 mm lens, but I am glad they were there.
@Michael_Lowe That’s an interesting idea regarding the crop. As it was, I was in a rather precarious position on a sloping slab, so moving the camera was not a good idea. I did add some canvas along the bottom edge to give the flowers more room. I suppose I could have added more, but left it as posted.
-P
I was rather taken aback when I read what I had written - I did not communicate well at all. Apologies. Instead of words, I have taken the liberty of messing with Michael’s version. I tend to use masks or layers for dodging and burning as I find the traditional tools do not work for me unless the photo is mono. This also gives me the option of backing adjustments off if I go too far. Overall, I have made the top lighter, the bottom darker, the bottom flowers and water brighter.
Hi Preston,
I somehow missed this lovely creek side image on the first go round. I am really enjoying the intimacy as well as that soft glow of light along the top part of this scene. The waterflow looks to be about perfect and I am enjoying the rich brown tones of the rocks as well. This is pretty nice as is, but IMHO if you used the remove tool to get rid of those couple of intruding rocks toward the ULC it would make an already wonderful image even better. I also enjoyed the bit of history on the area. Very nicely done.
Lovely image, Preston. As others have said, a little more room around those beautiful wildflowers in the LLH corner would be nice but the two boulders at ULH corner slightly intruding into the frame don’t bother me at all. I actually think they do a nice job of helping to contain the scene.
Thanks for your comments, gents. I thought about removing those rocks in the ULC but feel that would go a little far manipulation-wise, at least for me.
