With this photo I was trying to capture the juxtaposition of different textures, as well as light and shadows found in the desert. The moving clouds on this particular morning made for some beautiful, selective highlighting of the dunes. I found the stones and mud patterns amid the dunes quite intriguing, and chose to incorporate them into the composition.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any and all feedback welcomed.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D850, 24-120mm at 50mm ISO 125, f/16, 1/200sec
This was shot as a vertical composition, but the foreground ended up being flat and uninteresting, so I cropped it to this version.
@fritzrumpf
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This is a very evocative creation. I like it very much. I would crop a bit off the right side. Unfortunately I can’t download and show what I mean. This is a very lyrical image imo (poetic) with vague emotional suggestions.
Thank you for the feedback, Igor. I was struggling a bit with the cropping on this image. Enclosed is the re-cropped image. I must say it is growing on me. The foreground in the original vertical was simply too uninteresting, so I guess I was trying to preserve as much of the dune outlines as possible. I was also trying to create a bit of tension between the lighter top left area, and the darker right top area. With your suggestion (I hope this crop comes close to what you had in mind), there is plenty of contrast left for that light/shadow tension. Thank you again for taking the time to comment on this post!
You succeed very well in conveying the different textures. The silky sand with graceful curves contrasts well with those patches of coarser sand and gravel. I will vote for your original crop, as it feels right to me as far as the overall balance. The far ULC and URC feel too dark to me though. You, of course, don’t want them too bright, but they’re just a tad too dark, I think - they feel odd (even if they were really like that, they still feel odd). I think lightening them a tad up won’t compete with the rest of the scene, because you caught the main light on that very graceful foreground ripple.
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You certainly did a great job of capturing the numerous textures and the beautiful layered light provided by the moving cloud cover. I love the mud patterns in the foreground and the sharpness of the stones throughout the image. I am playing with a roll crop since I find that the top of the image doesn’t add much impact and so a crop just above the 2 dark spots in the upper 1/6 of the image removes all the swirls and the darkness and makes it slightly less busy along the top of the frame. Your really captured a beautiful scene though however we interpret it. Nice job!
Actually, I think I like the original crop the best.
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You have got some really neat light, colors and texture here. The sand in the highlights areas has such a rich, creamy look, very nicely done on your part.
My vote for tweaks would be similar to @Bonnie_Lampley , I would try slightly increasing the brightness and contrast of the top third of the image. There are some neat looking lines and patterns there that could be brought out more. Agree with Bonnie, it’s the upper corners that need it most.
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I was actually suggesting a smaller crop.
This is very nice. Love it “as it is”.
I do like the bright/dark contrast in the photo.
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It is always helpful to have other set of eyes look at an image. This is one I will no doubt play with a bit more.
Thank you, Igor! I tried cropping a bit more from different angles, but to me, the image started to loose the impact that I envisioned. I always like your feedback; would love to see what you had in mind.
