Edit:
Original:
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
In January of 2021, a couple buddies and I escaped the worries of COVID by spending a couple of wonderful days on Mt. Ranier. There was amazing texture in the snow, and a couple of my favorite photos are from that trip. Our campsite was near where Mazama Ridge looks down into a bowl that feeds east into Stevens Creek. One of those friends and I returned a couple of weeks ago. We ended up camping a bit north of where we camped in 2021, but passed by the bowl a few times while snowshoeing. The textures weren’t quite as nice as 2021, but still interesting and I photographed the same clumps of trees as 2021. Here’s the image from 2021 for comparison: Corduroy Pillow
Specific Feedback
This one had little color to begin with, so I went with black and white. I played a lot with varying contrast and higher/lower key. This is where I landed, but there are so many directions to take BW I’d love feedback on that. As always, all thoughts and suggestions welcome.
Technical Details
NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 104.0 mm
1/400 sec. at f/10.0 and ISO 64
Handheld
This is a very nice composition.All the parts seem to balance one another. My only suggestion, and this is just a personal preference and is unlikely to affect the quality of the image, would be to raise the background shadows just a tad. The ones behind the mound. I just feel that this is such an optimistic image and deserves a brighter touch. Could be just my monitor though.
Beautiful image, John. I love the texture in the snow and the long shadows being cast by the trees in the lower right part of the image. The black and white processing looks very nice. I can’t say that I have any suggestions to offer–I really enjoyed the image as is.
Hi John! This is another winter Rainier beauty! The textures might not be as nice as in Corduroy Pillow but they are still very nice. I also like how the light areas somewhat reflect the shape of the large group of trees. You’ve probably already tried this, but I’m curious how it would look if you slightly increased the luminosity of the greens to brighten them a touch.
Thanks @Igor_Doncov, @John_Kilgour, and @Steve_Kennedy!
I played a lot with variations on contrast and luminosity, but one thing I didn’t do was just go after the background. I’m posting a version with that in mind, and it has the added benefit of brightening the trees that got caught in the crude and quick mask I made for the adjustment. Thanks for the suggestions!
