Death Valley Detail

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
1

DeathValley_Jan272018_0281
DeathValley_Jan272018_0281683×1024 901 KB

This is from a workshop in 2018, my first time in DV. What drew me was the dark pebbles against the lighter, fine-grained sediment. I’m revisiting old files, as my previous processing wasn’t doing it for me. This time I brought out more of the texture in the light sediment and accentuated the colors.

What technical feedback would you like if any? What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Any critique welcome. Does it look too crunchy? What about little rocks around the edges? There’s that group coming in from the right, which adds to the composition, but do they draw the eye out?

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Single frame, a7, 50mm, f/16, 1/20s, ISO 250

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4 Likes
2

I love intimate scenes like this Bonnie. It does not look too crunching to me. The contrast and tonal range look good. Excellent detail too.

3

Bonnie,

I love the texture and tones you chose and it was definitely worth revisiting your old files! This has a nice flow to it as well! Regarding the right side, it did draw my eye out a bit but not a deal breaker. I took the liberty of offering an alternate reworked crop, I hope you do not mind. I also cloned out the larger rock on the LRC.

Well done!

rework
rework1317×2000 453 KB

4

Real nice intimate scene, well scene and captured. I do like @Alan_Kreyger 's rework, but the image works well as posted too.

5

Lots to enjoy in this intimate scene, Bonnie. This is well worth going back to and revisiting. It does not look to crunchy to me, but the rocks along the right edge do draw my eye a little. I think @Alan_Kreyger’s small tweaks in the rework take care of that nicely. The textures you brought out in the sediment add a lot to this image as does your processing. Great eye to spot this one; sometimes it pays to look down.

6

Hey @Bonnie_Lampley.

I find intimate scenes so enjoyable to shoot and look at, they make you wonder and see how much information, details and composition there is on a tiny patch of land for exemple.
And your image is just gorgeous, the earthly tone (mainly of the bottom half) the contrast and the lines of the cracks of the sediment. I tend to like @Alan_Kreyger composition a bit more, because in a perfect world i would love to see a vertical 16:9 centring that exclamation mark form.
Thank you for sharing,
Cheers

7

Thank you, @Eva_McDermott, @Ed_Lowe, @Harley_Goldman, and @João_Ferrão for your comments. @Alan_Kreyger, I like your crop and edits. It helped to get rid of some of those bits along the right side. Thanks!

1 Like
8

The crop for me too Bonnie. It’s subtle, but I think it improves an already nice intimate.

1 Like