The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
We have camped in the Catalina State Park campground in Tucson, AZ for several years. This scene of the Catalina Mountains was shot in February, 2023. The interesting part of it was the layering of vivid coloring in the lower level of clouds with the much more neutral color of the higher layer behind it. The dead plant matter in the foreground is a problem. I needed about a 12-foot stepladder to get above it. The western sky was even more vivid just to the right.
Specific Feedback
No specific point of interest. General impressions appreciated.
Technical Details
Handheld Canon R5, RF 14-35 @ 14mm, f/8 @ 1/50, ISO 100, EC -3.0. This lens vignettes heavily at this focal length and must be put through software to compensate for it.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
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Color:
Lighting:
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Technical:
Fred, I really like the wide angle composition with the mountain range stretching from side to side and the clouds seeming to fan out from the middle. But I do feel the landscape is a little too bright for that time of day. Sorta HDRish. IMHO
Fred: I’m with @Michael_Lowe regarding the foreground illumination. The scene itself and the conditions are marvelous and the sky is killer. Here’s a suggested edit of the FG for your consideration . >=))>
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Wonderful scene but I must agree with the others that the FG is just to bright, but in addition, the color balance of the FG is off as well since the light falling on it should have more warmth based on the light in the sky. I took @Bill_Fach’s idea and ran with it to add some warmth. For your consideration.
@Bill_Fach@Michael_Lowe@Youssef_Ismail I appreciate the time and effort you have put forth on your edits. They are quite logical and well done. However, it was not exactly as it might seem to have been. There was a great deal of skylight coming from the right as the cloud layer did not extend very far toward the western horizon to the right. The very bright sky was still providing a considerable amount of sidelight across the mountain faces. Attached is a full-frame shot of that area made within five minutes of the earlier photograph. This shot also shows why the upper clouds were not getting the warm light of the sunset as the leading edge of the cloud formation was blocking the sun.
I have to agree with the others, the color balance just seemed off on the original post, but when you posted this image I just went Oooohhh! I really like this one, the colors are great and it has a more dynamic composition than the straight on shot. I also like that this one has a small spot on the cliff face that is lit by the sun. Great capture!
Hi Fred,
That cloud laden sky is stunning and I quite like the way they seem to be radiating outward from the mountains. The wide angle also served you well for this scene. As you already mentioned the FG brush is a little bit of a problem. Was there any way you could have moved forward through it to exclude it from the scene? For my tastes the colors in the sky are way over saturated; particularly the cyan in the upper part of the sky. That is just my personal opinion and feel free to disregard my suggestion. That is quite the view for sure.
Sadly, the foreground was inescapable without a weedwhacker, drone, or tall ladder. This is such a great spot that I’m sorely tempted to rent a ladder for it. We are planning to be back down there in a few weeks. Perhaps there will be another nice sunset.
I’ll go back and look at this photograph again and consider your suggestions.
Hi Fred,
Renting a ladder might not be a bad idea it it can get you high enough to eliminate the FG brush; especially if you get some clouds like this again. Good luck with your return trip.
i like the xpan format quite a lot (personally), so I tried it here. I left the gorgeous sky dominant, for me, it emphesizes the vastness of the scene but it might change the reality a bit. I also removed some branches at the right bottom (apologies for the quick and dirty approach) to give a good view on the mountain skyline in the background. I hope you are not too offended
@Ralf_Mantzel I’m not at all offended. None of my photographs is sacred. Your suggestion works very well with this image. I had cropped it to 39:15 earlier which is very similar to your option. I use that crop for 36x12 canvas prints with a 1.5-inch wrap quite frequently. I didn’t show it here though.
