Hi Everyone. I am new to NPN - after hearing about it from Alex Noriega I had a look and liked what I saw. This is my first post, and I am here to further develop my knowledge of landscape photography, both in capturing and processing my photos. I am open to any feedback of any kind. Please be honest. I value every bit of feedback from everyone.
Photo Location : Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa
This is 1 exposure, processed mainly in Lightroom, but also some finer tweaks like dodging / burning in Photoshop. Photo taken whilst backpacking with a Nikon D850 / 70-200 f4 @ 86mm / ISO 64 / f8 / 1/40 sec exposure.
Instagram username - @markdumbletonphoto
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Great shot, Mark. And welcome to NPN. That must have been an amazing experience. You created a wonderfully dramatic composition with that ridge cutting diagonally through the clouds, and I love how the cloud above the ridge line mimics its shape. I’d suggest possibly cropping out a little of the sky. Just a little bit would do, mostly some off the top and left and perhaps a sliver off the right. I really like how the clouds frame the bottom of the image. Also, it could just be the monitor I’m using, but you may want to use a brush to adjust the clouds a little to bring out some more detail. Maybe experiment with exposure, highlight, clarity, and dehaze sliders.
@Cameron_Miller Thanks so much for the feedback. I’ll definitely try the crop suggestions. Regarding bringing out more detail in the clouds, do you think they are a bit too bright too? I agree that bringing out a bit more texture in the clouds will help.
As per crop suggestions, do you think this is better?
The clouds as I’m seeing them look bit too bright. However, when I tilt my screen I can see a lot more detail in them, which makes me think it could just be the monitor I’m using.
Hi Mark, and welcome to NPN, this is a great first post !!! After seeing this image, I look forward to seeing more of your work at NPN.
These weather conditions must have been wonderful to witness in person. I think you have an interesting composition that does a good job of exploiting the conditions that you had. The repeating layers of clouds and mountains are very dynamic. And I love the diagonal flow of the mid-section of the mountain. Photography is very subjective, and to my taste I like your original as presented without any cropping. If anything, the original feels slightly tight on the right, and I would recommend not cropping from the right.
If you use luminosity masks it would be relatively easily select the brightest highlights and reduce their exposure to get some more detail back in the clouds. I would also suggest doing some localized dodging of the sunlit parts of the mountain to enhance them a bit (especially the greens). I downloaded your image and had a go at a rework doing these things.
Hi @Ed_McGuirk, thanks very much for your comment. It was a great sight to witness, camping up in these remote mountains with these conditions is very exciting!
Thanks for your edit. I think its spot on with the brightness on the clouds and dodging on the sunlit areas. I appreciate the time you took to comment and do the quick edit. I have some time this evening to tweak my master file and will certainly use the suggestions.
I look forward to sharing more of my work here on NPN
Welcome aboard and excellent first post. My first thought was cropping sky and you already took care of that in the repost. I like the clouds in the original, the extra pop works for me. Love the mood of the image and it is a great scene.
@Harley_Goldman thanks a lot for the comment. Appreciate the honest crit on the sky crop. I’m going to play around with the clouds as per others comments, and then decide what I like best.
Looking forward to posting more here on NPN, and getting to know everyone too, and of course, learning more about what I love so much - landscape and wildlife photography.
Welcome to NPN Mark! Great to have you here and a wonderful first post.
I can just imagine what an experience this was to witness. Being above the clouds like this is awesome and I think you took great advantage of the conditions with your composition. Personally, I think the amount of sky included is just right; cropping any more just makes things feel tight, and it doesn’t have to be (which goes to show you that we all have different opinions and outlooks!)
I really like Ed’s tweaks in color/contrast. The rock formations seem just a little flat; but we’re talking minor and getting picky.
Looking forward to more of your images and participation!
Lon, thanks very much for your comment. In the Drakensberg, you are often above the clouds and it is an amazing experience every time!
Thanks for yoUr comment on the crop, and looking back I donprefer the sky as per original post. The extra dodging on some of the land areas definitely helps bring out a but more pop, and I am definitely going to make thise changes to the master file.
Hi Everyone. Thanks for all the great feedback. Here is what I think will be my finalised edit, taking into account the feedback from everyone. I have left my crop as per original, but darkened down the clouds a little bit, as well as brightening some of the highlights on the mountain to help them stand out a bit.
If you feel something is still worth mentioning on this edit, please let me know.
