A few months ago I bought the Tamrom 28-200mm lens, primarily for traveling when I only have room in my bag for a camera and one lens. I didn’t expect much from a lens with the much focal length range but it has completely blown me away. I have yet to find a focal length at which it isn’t tack sharp and having that kind of range has proven invaluable. I used it to create this image and the telephoto compression really worked to my advantage. The light was quickly changing and the wind gusted enough that I had to hold onto my tripod to prevent it from tipping over. It was almost like a game firing off frames in between gusts, trying to catch the dappled light landing where I wanted it on the landscape.
Interestingly, I’ve stood at this spot dozens of times over the years and never “seen” this composition. Funny how our vision changes and new opportunities present themselves.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Always interested in hearing thoughts and suggestions, of any kind.
Technical Details
Sony A7IV
Tamron 28-200mm lens @ 146mm
ISO 100
f/13
1/200s
Processed in LR Classic
The light on the middle hoodoos is probably what made it stand out to you this time - it’s a tremendous element in the scene. The blocking with the ones in cloud shadow is so dramatic. I really like the light fall off to the right, but wonder how much of the scene you need there. Hm. I also like the rock slides on the front facing rock. Not a huge eye-magnet, but I find them intriguing. Can you talk about why you included so much of the cloud deck?
A very nice image that offers a good feel for the Utah canyon lands. The colours feel natural and the light is dramatic. But as with @Kris_Smith I wonder about the cloud deck at the top of the frame. I find it enormously distracting and, in any case, half the image is sky and it doesn’t feel warranted since this doesn’t appear to have been the focus of your intention. I’ve included a cropped version - 16:9 - so that you can flip between and compare. Obviously you need to decide for yourself if a crop is more reflective of or opposed to your vision for this picture.
I very intentionally included the clouds at the top as I liked the way they felt, almost as if they are putting pressure on the sandstone towers and acting as a frame with the shadowed foreground. I have another image I haven’t yet processed that I shot at 200mm, with less sky and all the focus on the Three Gossips and Sheep Rock, but I prefer this one. I’ll try to process and share the other soon.
Terrific scene from the canyon lands. I also enjoy the clouds up top and thought the same thing than they framed or contained the image and landscape nicely. The clouds are heavy in the sense that they are providing a weighted balance in the overall comp. At least I think so.
I also think Kerry’s crop is a viable one - especially that some of the smaller, lighter clouds are still present and preventing the sky from becoming just empty space.
Your tighter version looks good too, but I agree that the original just works better with the light, etc. The alternate might look better too without the contrail remnant (or at least that’s what the long line of clouds looks like to me.)
I took some liberties - and with a landscape like this, it might not fit your vision or represention of what you saw. I’ve never been to this part of the country other than a Chevy Chase vacation stop at the Grand Canyon and Four Corners… so it’s hard for me to judge color/sat, etc. on the landscape. Anyway, I tried to lighten and isolate more of the light on the main tower there for emphasis. Some dodging here, burning there. Not sure if it works, maybe not all that different than your original.
Thanks so much, Lon. I can’t believe you’ve never been out this way. Plan a trip and I’ll gladly show you around. I would love to see what kind of amazing work you’d create here!
I do like your re-processed version and feel that that slightly lighter sunlit rock has an even nicer contrast with the shadowed areas of the image. Excellent catch!
Nice take on this location, Bret. I like the clouds at the top of the frame acting as a natural framing element but I also like the cropped version as long as some of the feathered clouds remain. I’m wondering if you never saw this composition before because the light was different? Without good light, I’m not sure you’d notice much of a composition here but you struck gold on this trip. That dappled light, wind or not, in setting the scene. I like what @Lon_Overacker did with his rework. He really has accentuated the light and shadows. NIce scene, Bret.
I agree with the comments about the sky and like the 16:9 crop that’s being suggested. I actually like the image you rejected because the rock now takes on a personality and the scene becomes less of a grand scene. T
Ah, that makes sense. It seems to be a ‘you had to be there’ kind of thing that only the photographer would think of. Thanks for filling us in. I see what you mean about the mutability of the clouds - great timing with that composition.
Thanks, David. That could be, but I think it’s because I took a few years off from photography and have found since returning that the way I “see” is different. I’d really like to photograph this scene again with a colorful sunset sky and - my favorite - an ominous, stormy sky during monsoon season.
Hey Brett, I’m just going to chime in and say that I really like the first image with the clouds acting as a frame. I also really like the compression you got with that lens. Awesome.
