This was taken last year in Death Valley and I have been skipping it because the image quality is not quite up to standard. It was a very windy day as the storm passed through and I had to keep up the shutter speed. But it resonated quite well with my mood today: Fourth day of lockdown and I have this weird anxious existential dread that I could not put my finger on.
Let me know if there is anything that I can do to improve this. The image quality looks decent on web size but in full size, it is very noisy. Applying NR to the image just smeared out any hint of details on the low contrast scene like this, so if you have any idea, I would really appreciate it. Do you like the hint of colors on the LR corner? If you are familiar with DV, it would give you some hint where this was taken.
The lockdown is proving to be a testing time indeed, can’t see the time to go out again.
Good side on the whole story is to review old images, and this one is great mate.
Love the layers and the colour palette, indeed the grain is a bit noticeable but not a major deal. As for that colour hint in the corner I guess I would desaturate it to fit the rest of the mood and maybe add a bit more of contract or dehazing just to show a bit more of that last mountain on the back.
For me the minimalism just adds a near abstract sensation, and it’s a great image of a great scene.
Thanks for sharing,
Cheers
I like this so called less quality, Adhika. This is about the image itself. Not about noise, contrast or sharpness. Free of rules !! Therefore to me a fine image to look at in peaceful colors and composition.
I also like this image very much. Somehow the tones and colors all work together really well. I think that perhaps it’s because the sky tones/colors look so much like the hills that this works well. Yet there is a hint of clouds that tells you it’s undeniably the sky. In fact, the fact that all is being hinted at and not stated clearly that’s so attractive. Definitely, desaturate that red area. It just pulls you too much.
I quite like this, with its great dreamy mood. I would agree with @Igor_Doncov on the red area. And I don’t think a little loss of detail in further reducing noise if it needs it in a large size would impact the impact (so to speak) of this one. It might just enhance the feeling it evokes.
Adhika, I knew this image was yours the instant I saw it, you are having a lot of success with this style of image. The somber mood of the image is very appropriate for these extraordinary times we face. It’s somber, subtle, and beautiful all at the same time.
[quote=“Ben_van_der_Sande, post:3, topic:12003”]
This is about the image itself. Not about noise, contrast or sharpness. Free of rules !!
[/quote] - I couldn’t say this any better than Ben has.
With f/6.3, ISO 560, 1/250 it must have been very dark when you took this image. The noise doesn’t bother me at all, and it may not even be noise, it might be texture in the haze or drizzle. This grain actually adds value to the mood IMO. I downloaded this and applied ACR Dehaze +5, and then masked that into the bottom half, and thought it helped. Of course that’s on the Jpeg, and it may be a different story when printing.
Agree with the others on removing Artists Pallette (?).
Really unusual Adhika. The low contrast and lack of strong color variation is the exact opposite of what a lot of us chase, and I agree it works well here. I will say it took me a moment to get to that; it grew on me.
Adhika,
I would have never guessed that this was from DV as it is so different from what I would imagine the place to look like. I love depth in the image as the receding ridgelines disappear into the foggy BG. Needless to say this is dripping with mood and has an air of mystery to it. I think the couple of tweaks with the repost have nailed it! I think it resonates with the challenges we are facing right now.
Hi @Adhika_Lie,i love this shot. I like the transition from dark to bright, i think this shot would work also in B/W and with 1:1 crop. Thansk for sharing.
Adhika,
I am very late but wanted to stop by and pile on. Great mood, with just enough haze to draw the viewer in and allow them to explore the gloomy dreamland. The tones are wonderful together and the repost is a slight, but worthwhile, improvement. This definitely is suited very well for the Lie gallery. Well done!
