Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
This is a Hawaiian lava tube cave entrance which is regarded as a sacred space for shelter, burial and ritual. I wanted to convey the other-worldliness of the site and a sense of mystery while giving the viewer insight into the huge variety of vegetation growing in such a condensed area.
1). Are my two goals supportive or in conflict?
2) Are there processing decisions that would strengthen the dual messaging?
Other Information
Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.
Image Description
See above
Technical Details
SONY Alpha 7C, SONY lens f4-5.6 28-60; shot on auto settings; processed in Lightroom and Photoshop
Specific Feedback
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Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This definitely has a sense of mystery as to what’s down that cave Margaret. I love all the different types of vegetation, in and surrounding the cave too. This fits the weekly theme really well with all the different plants and shades and shapes. The only thing I would recommend is a very small crop of the bright areas on the top, or at least darkening those areas up a bit, since they are a bit distracting from the mains subject of the image. Cool image.
That “hole” is very intriguing and invites me to explore it! (or maybe not; a grumpy bear may have found it first).
Nice greens all around. I agree with Ed that a small cop off the top, or a little burning, would remove thaat slightly-distracting brighter area.
Good entry into the Challenge.
Margaret, I think you’ve succeeded well with showing off both the “entry to the underworld” and the variety of vegetation. I agree with the others that doing something about the sky along the top will help focus the viewer’s attention on the vegetation and the hole. I like the fern on the right and being able to see that its base is down in the tube.
