The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
The sky was a little boring and I dont know if there is anything to imporve this other then wait for another morning. Wondering about the color balance, could it be improved.
Creative direction
I think Im just trying to express the beauty of these sights, definitely looking for a calm pleasing feeling.
Specific Feedback
Foreground thoughts, Sky replacement?
Technical Details
Shot with D850 24-70mm F 2.8 lens tried to keep the iso low and shutter speeds longer to get the soft water look
Description
Just trying to show the beauty of Yosemite
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:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:
All three images are very special but I’ll comment on the first. You have certainly done a wonderful job of expressing the beauty and calm of El Capitan.
I rather like the featureless sky. There is no need to compete with the beautiful scene of the river and autumn trees. The low shutter speed has given you the desired effect of “soft” water.
I played with White Balance and it showed you have plenty of wriggle room to experiment. A personal choice.
Maybe the image could go with a slight CCW rotation? If you agree, the tops of the trees on the left would be cut off, so do you have more canvas on top? You would lose the little triangular shape in the bottom right and that little bright reflection on the bottom tht draws my eye. If cloning is something you consider, that would work too.
Welcome to NPN, Michel! I’m going to comment only on the first image as our guidelines allow one photo to be posted every 24 hours. Re-posts are permitted in a thread when they are derivatives of the original. With that said, I’ve seen many photos of El Capitan but none from this perspectve so bravo for finding a unique composition! I also appreciate the warm/cool contrast of the pale blue sky and that lovely fall color along the creek. I think a slight crop from the bottom to eliminate that rock or piece of wood that’s coming in at the LRC would make for a slight improvement. Definitely a calm, peaceful mood here. Good work!
I’m adding my welcome, too! A lovely introductory image with wonderful light, and I think @Glenys_Passier has some excellent suggestions. I hope you will find participation here to be as rewarding as I do. This is a unique place!
You can edit your post (pencil icon in the lower right corner) and remove the other two images and post them later – they are worthy of sharing!
Michel, welcome to NPN! All three of these have what you wantd, a fine peaceful feeling. The first post is wonderful with it’s mix of colors along the river and slightly warm light on Half Dome. I agree that the clear blue (sort of…) sky doesn’t pull attention from the rest of the scene and that’s important in the peaceful feeling. #2 is quite peaceful, but it’s lack of color reduces it’s visual impact in comparison to the Half Dome view. That doesn’t detract form it’s intrinsic beauty. It would look good on it’s own. #3 is also very peaceful, with it’s centered main subject and the warm sunset light. It does look like there are two small dust spots in the water and that bright spot (light??) on the distant mountain. Those are minor flaws that are easy to clone out.
Lovely images! I too will comment on the first, as I assume that’s what your questions were referring to.
While sometimes the art of photography can be a deep dive into ontology, sometimes (for me) it is enough just to sit back with a cup of coffee and soak in the beauty. I admire your goal of trying to just show the beauty.
This view of El Capitan works very well. The river is a nice lead towards the granite face, and the fall colors are eye candy to enjoy on the way.
I too noticed the slight tilt, and agree with @Glenys_Passier about playing with the rotation. Also, that little guy in the bottom right corner seems a little out of place, and would be worth removing in some form or another. Darkening the sky just a bit in relationship to El Capitan might let the star of the show stand out a little more. Here’s a version playing with some of that:
Hello Michael. Welcome aboard and hope to see some more images from you along with your participation in the critiqueing of other’s work. Everyone else has offered some great suggestions, so I’ll only point out two small things. There seems to be a sight smudge on the lens or water drop almost smack dab in the center of the image in the trees. Or maybe mist rising. I would clone that out. Also, please post a larger image in the future. It is hard to judge things such as sharpness, focus, detail, etc, in a 1000 pixel image. You can find info about posting images in the Guidelines and FAQ section. Thanks for poting.
First off, welcome to NPN, Michael!
I will comment on the first image only but Oh what an image. It’s funny. I just returned from Yosemite just yesterday and I forget how difficult it is to compose an image from this place and have it say what you saw when you were there. It’s just so HUGE and awe inspiring that it’s so tough to tell a story with just a single image. However, you’ve a great job here. I love this location you’ve chosen. It provides a beautiful glimpse of El Capitan amongst the Merced river, Fall colors and pine trees. The soft light hitting the face of El Cap is really nice and the shaded fall colors along the river are just right to my eye. The featureless sky is not a bad thing at all here. From this location, you can get incredible late afternoon (just before sunset) glow that is almost red along the face of El Cap with clear skies. But honestly, this is more about Fall colors than it is about El Cap so I think I wouldn’t change a thing other than what has already been noted by others about the LRC and the rotation. This is eye candy for sure. Keep them coming and please be sure to help other members by responding to their images as well. Once again, welcome to NPN, Michael!
