I took this shot last summer while I was traveling around central Norway.
I didn’t have anything in mind when I arrived at this location, it all looked quite dull until some light appeared at the end of the lake, hitting the mountains furthest away.
What cought my eye was the lake and how the steep mountain sides end up in it. Next to that ofcourse the dark sky that was moving in with in particular the ring shaped cloud around the peak.
In PP I darkned the sky and added some blue to it because I felt it went well together with the yellow/green mosses in the fore- and middleground.
Even though I’m quite satisfied with the overal look, I still feel there is something missing. I would love to hear what I could do different or what you think is missing, or maybe what’s in it that doesn’t work.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Anything will do. PP, composition, use of colour.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Bracketed shot consisting of 3 exposures. Simple adjustments in LR, then blended in PS with additional adjustments.
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@dewit_photo
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Welcome aboard and real nice first post. I love the subtle light and great depth to the image. The vignette works really well to move me front to back. I quite like it and don’t have any suggestions. Processing looks spot on to my eye.
Welcome, Jurre! This is a really nice composition. The sky is awesome and I really enjoy the foreground composition, too. The color of the rock/moss bothers me a little but that is probably a personal bias?
I like the composition and color treatment here. I’m a fool for gray and lime greens. The greens look like Iceland greens to me, and I’m guessing Norway is similar? It reminds me of some of the moss in the Eastern part of the Columbia River Gorge.
Welcome to NPN Jurre! I like the composition - it is simple yet effective with the line formed by the river which leads to the brighter area in the sky. This is a very nice first post!
Hi Adhika, thanks for the welcome and comment!
I can see why, it has a weird muddy yellow/greenish colour to it. But it actually was like that. I could change it, but I don’t think any other colour would look better. Would you like it greener?
Thanks for the warm welcome Brian! Maybe that is why I felt something was missing, because it is simple? Thanks for letting me know what you think of it, really appreciate it.
Welcome Jurre. Really sweet first post. This image has a very somber feel to it and I wonder if toning down the brightness just a tad at the end of the lake. Not sure it would change much, but might worth a try. I love it as is.
I somehow completely missed your comment. Sorry for that!
Well I’ve never been to Iceland and funny enough it also reminded me of the same kind of green I see in the photos that others have taken there. So I think they’re pretty close.
Thanks, I’m glad the colours work out well together.
Hi Jurre Jan! Nice to see you here too.
You’ve captured a nice dramatic scene here. That mild orange glow really lifts the scene. I like the dramatic sky, and indeed that nicely curved cloud. The blues you pulled into the sky look good.
My only problem is that the water has a slight greenish cast at the lower edge in the middle? Have you dodged the mosses in the fg, and bled som on the water? I think keeping the water similar to the rest of the lake might look better (blueish, grey or even a touch of orange from the sky).
Hi Ron, Likewise
I think you’re right about the water, but I can’t exactly remember how it ended up the way it is now. I will have a look at the tiff file to see where I messed up with either blending or dodging.
I will also try to incorporate some orange in the brightest parts, since it is an actual reflection of the lighter parts in the sky. To be continued
Thanks for the feedback, very usefull!
Hello Jurre, welcome!
Overall I like the image a lot. A beautiful scene.
In general, I don’t often add artificial colour to a scene (I’m a reluctant processor ) since it can result in a look that is a little unnatural. Often nature is good enough. I colour balanced your post and added the result here. The difference isn’t big, but it affects both @Adhika_Lie’s green rock/moss and @Ron_Jansen water.
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If the brightest parts of the water are a reflection of the lighter parts in the sky, the hues should appear without correction. If not, something went wrong in the previous stages of the processing.
Hi Jurre, I meant to comment on this a couple days ago but I accidentally closed my browser tab and then forgot about it. Anyway, I just wanted to say that I really like the composition here. It has a nice flow to it. I also like your processing and the colours in this image. Really nicely done!
Thanks a lot for your comment and your take on what you would change. I’ve held them side-by-side and even though the changes are small, it really finished / balanced the photo.
