The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is from a recent trip to Joshua Tree National Park. It was my first time, so it I spent much of the time getting to know the various parts of the park. During one afternoon I was drawn to some dappled light on some rock formations and the surrounding desert floor.
Specific Feedback
I wanted to preserve the subtlety of the light, so my editing choices were to not push the contrast and saturation to much. Does this image have enough interest?
I like the light on the rocks! But the image is maybe a bit too understated. Since you want to keep the subtlety, maybe a crop to emphasize the rocks as the subject would work as an alternative to adding much more contast and saturation? (I’d probably bump those up a smidge too though.)
I agree with Cathy’s reference of “understated.” I know you mention you wanted to preserve the “subtlety of light”, but I think perhaps at the expense of exploiting the beautiful light on the rock? At least for me, I think that light on the rocks IS the star of the show and this could be brought out quite a bit more.
I think the desert landscape is showcased quite nicely, although I think much of the detail and beauty is lost in the wider view. Tough call as I like the smaller rock formation in the foreground, but I think I would consider cropping from the bottom to bring the emphasis to the main rock formation and the lovely light striking them.
It’s a lovely scene. I think you can push the light a bit, but not at the expense of contrast. Dodging the lights with a warm color would perk up the dappled light look that you want to convey. Maybe even warming up the whole image a tad. I gave that a whirl - see what you think. Also, I think I agree about the crop - maybe a 5x7 taking off some of the sky?
