I’m finding the best way to learn photoshop and composition is by looking at the work of others and replicating it to a certain extent. So to branch out a little I’m going for a dreamy kinda look which I haven’t done before and would love some feedback.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
The specific things I’m wondering about are whether or not the foreground and rocks are too dark if the composition works and if the balance between the ‘glowy’ kinda look & sharpness of the image is right
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
I’d love anything but wondering how the colours look
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Single image, ISO50, 16mm at f/22 0.6sec basic adjustments in lightroom then photoshop for changes in camera raw, dodge and burning with tk actions
Hi Dale, I applaud your experimentation. I love the clouds and color, and I love the glow in the flowing water, and especially in the rocks on the right side. The combo of smooth water and detailed rocks is nice. The foreground rocks are dark, but they are in shadow after all so their tone doesn’t bother me. Beautiful.
First, I’ll just say that contained within this frame, somewhere,… is the word epic. Maybe that’s a bit too much, so how about timeless? And at least for me, it has nothing to do with the foreground. We can discuss if the immediate foreground is too dark or whatever, but for me, the defining element, is the human element. Without the person, this is simply just another glorious sunset, and yes, the darkness of the foreground should be addressed. But how can one ignore that lone figure standing there, watching that same sunset that you are? And probably you’re more incensed that this person has intruded in your viewfinder?.. but thankfully, you pressed the shutter.
Is the fact there’s a person in the sunset… original? nope; we’ve all seen that, been there. But I’ll argue there will always be a timelessness of standing there, witnessing the sun going down (or rising…) Each and every one of us knows that feeling, that experience. And so that’s why I think it’s timeless. Epic? Well, you darn well caught a glorious sunset so yeah, let’s call it epic.
to that end, the human figure is key, and therefore I’ve cropped to remove any conversation about whether or not the foreground is too dark. In this image, the foreground isn’t the main subject.
Just my thought on the subject. I think the inclusion of the foreground - and any discussion on darkness, and processing is perfectly valid - IF, the human element wasn’t there.
This is the bomb Dale. @Lon_Overacker has already worded why better than I can; I’ll just applaud both your photo and what he wrote.
The original is the bomb, but I have to agree that Lon’s crop emphasizes the best part and makes the human element stand out more. I could also see a 4:5 crop if you wanted to keep just a tad more of the beauty that cropping removes. In addition, that brightest sky looks a tad magenta to me; I could see adding just a touch of yellow. Regardless, this is a fantastic image.
I like it as is.
For me, that FG leads away, and out to that glorious sunset. I see the person, but for me that is not the focal point, it’s the sunset. I like the change from sorta dark in the FG to the brightness in the distance. It feels very natural to me.
I am on a laptop right now, so I can’t comment on the colors; they look fine to me. I like the combo of smooth flowing water and detailed rocks. If you did want to crop it some, a slight crop, like John did, works well.
Really nicely done!
Hi @dalegphoto, fanstastic image. I love dark tones in the foreground and how you managed the light in the sky. The human element helps composition a lot. Regarding crop format, i prefer 4:5 suggested by John (i’m a fan of 4:5). Thanks for sharing.
