Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was an image I made last week at Lily Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. It was one of those rare mornings where a snowstorm wasn’t followed immediately by intense winds. There was a several hour pause before the winds picked up allowing me to photograph the fresh coat of snow while Longs Peak and Mount Meeker were lit by the first rays of the day.
Specific Feedback
It has been several years since I’ve been active on NPN. I’ve been so busy with projects that I simply didn’t have time for much else. I’m trying to make a bit more space in my life and also hoping to finally invest more in NPN and in growing as a photographer.
As for this photo, I know that it is quite classic in its approach, but I’d love your feedback on all aspects. I’ve shown it to a few non-photographers and have found them to be rather disinterested in this image, but I’m not sure why. What do you think of it? Is it too simple of a composition? Is it oversaturated? How’s the color balance look? What would you do if it was yours? How it could be improved either in the original capture or in the processing? Any input would be appreciated. Thank you!
Technical Details
Three image focus blend for branches, foreground, and background. Vignette added.
GFX 100s
32mm
ISO 100
F11
1/5
Welcome ‘back’ Erik! I know how life can get in the way of creative fun things like photography. Good to see you here again. I love the kiss of light on the mountains, that warm/cool contrast of light is very nice. I like too the overall framing with the pine branches in the sky. I am not so fond of the foreground, though. I think this would benefit from a slight reduction of the foreground, to bring us visually closer to that bush and rock and make us feel a bit more like we’re there. See my rough crop as example. It’s not a huge difference, you might even go further, but you get the gist here.
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Brenda, thanks so much. That’s definitely an improvement. Thanks as well for the warm welcome back to NPN!
Life does that to me too; my ability to dedicate to photography seems to be much more episodic than I would prefer. On the other hand life is rich and full, and I guess that’s a good thing. Fortunately photography seems rather patient, and is waiting when I wander back again. Glad you’ve wandered back again, and hope to see more of your images in the future as well.
To answer your question as to what I think of it, my initial impression is how special that sliver of light on the mountain peaks is, and it immediately makes me wish there was more of that in the image. Another way to say it is that special light makes it very hard for the rest of the image to keep up; the comparison actually harms the rest of the image. (I realize you would have had to have been in a location far away from this one to change that, and it really wasn’t an option here.) I think your processing looks great. For composition, I wish the branches were a more complete framing, for example running across the top instead of leaving that gap; the guys on the left grab my eye away in their isolation.
I do like the direction @brenda_tharp took it, mostly because it helps change the ratio of the rest of the image compared to the sunlit peaks.
Welcome back Erik! I hope you’re doing well, it’s been far too long, my friend. As for the image, the light on the peak and the soft pastels are wonderful. I get what you were trying to do with the framing with the branches, but I don’t feel like it quite worked here. I feel like I’m trapped in a cold, dark cave by the branches on top and feel the need to brush them away so I can see the glorious scene in front of me! But, if you were to move forward or remove the branch, I don’t know that there’s enough elements to carry the scene. Personally, I would crop it a bit to get out of the cave. Still, not your strongest work (it’s getting hard to live up to your stunning portfolio!), but a nice image. I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!
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John, thank you so much! I really appreciate your insight into the photo. That’s really very helpful.
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David, thanks for the welcome. I’ve been wanting to get back on here and get active for the longest time. I’ve had it on my list of things to do and am finally making it happen. I’m hopeful that I’ll be on here fairly regularly, at least until the busy season hits again next May.
I really appreciate your honest input on this image. I often have such great experiences in the mountains and sometimes can’t separate my feelings about the experience from the actual image. Thank you for giving me an impartial outside view of what other’s see in this photo.
Hope you guys are well. If you are in CO at all this winter, give me a holler. I’d love to connect. Have a wonderful Christmas!
