Dawn, Merced NWR

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
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Merced_Dawn_ET_2873-CR3-.jpg
Merced_Dawn_ET_2873-CR3-.jpg2000Ă—1334 249 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

After a long dry spell away from photography, I drove down to the Merced National Wildlife Refuge in mid-February, to see the over-wintering birds. This image marked my first morning of shooting, and I just had time to take it as I got out of the car. Moments later, the colors were gone and the day was flat, dreary light (as it was throughout the trip). The scene looks eastward across the Central Valley to the Sierra Nevada skyline, poking above low ground fog near the horizon.

Specific Feedback

Happy to have any feedback, but mostly I just wanted to share that fire in the sky with you all.

Is the image too bottom-heavy? Enough tonality in the foreground at bottom?

Technical Details

Canon R5, EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS II USM @ 105mm, 1/100th, f/5.6, 0EV. Minimal processing in Lightroom – I just tried to open up the dark foreground at the bottom of the image to give a hint of the terrain. Cropped slightly for composition.

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Michael the fire in the sky is great! I don’t find the bottom too heavy. I also like the tree branches on the left. The only thing I would think about changing would be the square sign that doesn’t fit with the rest of the natural elements of the image.

3

Hi Ed, thanks for your feedback. Yeah, I kinda struggled with that sign. I dealt with it in a virtual copy but wasn’t entirely happy with my result so I thought I’d see what others might say about it. I appreciate you commenting directly to it!

4

You certainly captured “the fire in the sky” beautifully Michael. Well worth your trip to the refuge IMO. For my tastes it is a little bottom heavy because of the darkness. I would suggest a little crop and I would definitely get rid of the square sign. I hope you don’t mind, but here is a repost with what I was thinking. It had to be wonderful witnessing this first hand!

Merced_Dawn_ET_2873-CR3-
Merced_Dawn_ET_2873-CR3-2000Ă—1205 305 KB

1 Like
5

Lovely, Ed! I don’t mind at all – I appreciate it! Thank you!