Distant Light (the photograph formally known as Disco Ball)

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
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Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

I don’t normally post images so close to each other, but I find life just seems too busy and my stack of images to post keeps getting larger and larger. Between work and travel I’ll have another busy week ahead, so I’m going to toss another one up here to try and not get too far behind.

The strongest light sun rays I have experienced have consistently been at the Oregon Coast when the morning fog layer is in the process of burning off and thins to let the sun through.

I drove past this stretch of forest and wondered if I could get to a point to photograph it on the busy stretch of road. I turned around and parked at the State Park just before it, and hiked a short distance on the forest side of the guardrail back down the road to this scene.

I set up the tripod on the forest side of the guardrail. I would love to have crossed the road and played with compositions on the other side, but there were corners in the road right before and after this, the speed limit was 55 mph, and there wasn’t a shoulder; I just didn’t think it would be safe to cross.

Specific Feedback

I’d love your input on the composition, and processing suggestions are always welcome.

I removed one branch each from the right and left edges. The small branches didn’t bug me, but the larger ones snagged my eye a bit. I’ll post the sidecar jpg below so you can see what I removed. (The sidecar image is dark because I underexposed to protect the highlights, but the processing is true to the original scene.)

Technical Details

NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 60 mm
1/40 sec. at f/6.3 and ISO 64
Two images blended for depth of field (in Helicon Focus and touched up by hand).

Critique Template

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  • Vision and Purpose:
  • Conceptual:
  • Emotional Impact and Mood:
  • Composition:
  • Balance and Visual Weight:
  • Depth and Dimension:
  • Color:
  • Lighting:
  • Processing:
  • Technical:
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Here’s that sidecar:

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What an eyecatcher, John! I knew this was yours without even seeing your name. Those light rays and wild. You made the right decision to clone out a couple limbs as the image is much more impactful without them. I love how the bottom foliage has a nice subtle green color and the rest of the image is quite monochromatic. It’s a nice anchor for the scene. Nicely seen and photographed!

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I love both images. Beautiful tone and light !!! Would you consider changing the Title.

“Light in the Distance” That is how i see your images. Really Nice !!!

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Yeah, that was supposed to be a joke :grinning:

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Ok. I loved your images and didn’t feel the title worked for the photographs. So I thought of a title. Beautiful work.

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I liked it, so I changed the title! I changed it to a two-word title though, because that’s been sort of a tradition for me.

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YES !!! That works for me.

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Wonderful!!! I absolutely love the rugged forest set against the ephemeral light shafts! This is a classic wall-hanger!

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John, yes, the Oregon Coast can provide for some dramatic fog and sun scenes. This one is awesome, indeed. Well done and thanks for sharing the original.

Cheers,
David

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Very nice, John. A lot of people where I shoot pursue these light beams, including myself. I’ve met people who come to the coastal redwoods specifically for this purpose. I think you captured the effect very nicely here.

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This is very lovely.
Nice and simple. (but not simplistic)

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Hi John,
I am jealous; you folks out west get some amazing light shows among the redwoods with the sun rays cutting through the dissipating fog. This is nothing short of amazing. Obviously the crepuscular rays are the star of the show, but the light on the greenery of the forest floor compliments them beautifully. Absolutely no suggestions from me other than print it large and find some wall space.

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