The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is a favorite hiking spot of mine, and I happened to catch it a couple weeks ago with some bright fall colors. In this scene, I liked how the sides of the gulch and the rocky ridges converged on the colorful aspens and other foliage in the bottom of the gulch. The evidence of a fire that burned in this area a couple of decades ago—as well as what survived and what has regrown since then—is also interesting to me.
Specific Feedback
It was a cloudy day and the light was pretty flat. I made a lot of light adjustments in Lightroom to try to add some depth and contrast to the image. In the unedited version, the left side of the image is also much lighter than the right side, so I used a couple of masks to darken that side and try to even out the tones across the image. Any feedback or suggestions for improvement would be appreciated.
Hey John, this is pretty neat. I can see why you like to hike here. I’ve noticed similar scenes in the Badlands in SD only it was green at the bottom of the V. Flat light is difficult to convey contour, but I think you have a good start here. The two lightest sections of rock pointing into the intense yellow foliage are a good compositional element to bring attention where you want it. Another thing you could try is to use the new Point Color tool in Lightroom, either globally or with masks to isolate it. I’ve found it effective in bringing out texture and contour in flat lighting conditions. I’d have a go with the darker shades in the back part of the seam here and see if that helps give you the result you want.
I think you did well with the conditions you had. The diagonal patterns of the rock and trees along with the vibrant yellow foliage in the middle makes for a strong composition. Directional or dappled light would have taken it to another level, but that was not what you had that day.
@Kris_Smith and @DeanRoyer - Thank you both for the comments and suggestions. The sun did eventually come out on this scene, but it was afternoon at that point and I found the light to be a bit harsh. I preferred this cloudy, flatter version to the bright, sunlit one. I’m sure I’ll be back to this spot soon, so I’ll see what I find next time. Kris, I will give the point color tool a try and see what I come up with. I haven’t tried it much yet, but it seems like a powerful tool. Thanks again to both of you for the feedback.
I love images like this and think you did a great job capturing and processing this. If I had to offer any critique, I’d like to see just a touch more room at the bottom of the frame as the colorful trees feel a touch to close there. Aside from that, wonderful image with some very nice elements.
@Michael_Lowe and @Bret_Edge - Thank you both for the feedback. I appreciate it. Bret, now that you mention it, I agree that a little more space at the bottom of the frame would be nice. I took several other shots in addition to this one, so I’ll have another look at them and see if they’re any better in that respect.
You have fired the spot for the second time. I like the contrast of colors of the trees. Without seen the original I can’t say if a difference of light in the opposite part of the canyon can work good also for a difference of colors in the ground now very uniform.
@Giuseppe_Guadagno - Thank you for the feedback on the image. I appreciate it. I may play around a bit more with the color of the grass. In the unedited image, the left 1/3 of the frame is quite a bit lighter than the rest of the image. I think some of that difference is still visible, but I tried to go for a more uniform look because I found myself being drawn to the left side of the picture and away from the colorful trees.
