Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Les Illets, Chamonix, France.
That beautiful austere and shapely pinnacle covered in rime ice and new snow belongs to Les Drus in the Mont Blanc Massif near Chamonix, France. I visited in early autumn this year and the weather was completely different, no laser blue skies this year but lots of swirling mist and cloud. This tiny wee window opened for just five seconds to reveal the breaking light of a pastel dawn enveloping the summit. It appeals to me hugely, I hope it does the same for you.
Specific Feedback
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Technical Details
Fuji GFX50S, Fuji GF 250mm + 1.4 x converter, f8 at 1/80 second, ISO 200.
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2 Likes
This is well done Ian. The “peeking through the veil” affect you captured has a lot going for it. I like your choice to include so much cloud and sky; I don’t think the effect would be as powerful if you had cropped closer to the peaks (which would have been my natural tendency). I also like their placement in that lower right third; I think that adds to the overall feel. That hint of color is a wonderful accent to the otherwise lack of saturation.
I played with increasing the contrast of the peaks to bring out more detail, but it ruined the overall feel this image has. I prefer your version.
Thank you John. Yes I prefer the delicate shay peeping through effect of lowered contrast rather than any bolder presentation.
| John Williams Valued Contributor
October 21 |
This is well done Ian. The “peeking through the veil” affect you captured has a lot going for it. I like your choice to include so much cloud and sky; I don’t think the affect would be as powerful if you had cropped closer to the peaks (which would have been my natural tendency). I also like their placement in that lower right third; I think that adds to the overall feel. That hint of color is a wonderful accent to the otherwise lack of saturation.
I played with increasing the contrast of the peaks to bring out more detail, but it ruined the overall feel this image has. I prefer your version.
I like this image.
I tend to agree with @John_Williams with the composition being very pleasure by not cropping to the peaks; on the other side I believe the all the “white” sky on the ULC keeps pulling my attention there.
I would try to, or either crop it to the peaks, or “massage” the file to avoid that sky.
I like the fact that there is so much texture in the mist. I think that’s where many photographers have trouble. They shoot a homogeneous grey. I also like the hint of color here. Sometimes less is more, as they say.
Very stunning image! The detail in the mist is mesmerizing, and the “peeking” peeks and bit of colour are perfect.
John, I love this image especially the way you’ve framed the peaks surrounded by the darker clouds and highlighted by the warm light. Very, very moody. My problem with the image, however, is the visual mass of the darkest clouds that curve around from the upper left to the lower right - it pulls my eye away. My first thought was to crop some from the left but that undermines the composition, to which you obviously gave a lot of thought. But I think the issue could be addressed by lightening and bringing up a bit more textural detail in those very dark areas and maybe also adding just a bit more contrast to the peaks themselves - I did a bit of dodging and on a separate layer also switched the image into soft light mode, covered it over with a black mask and then painted in where I wanted it, brought down the blue, and pushed the dehaze slider over to the left a bit and painted that in around the base of the peaks. It is admittedly pretty crude because I’m working with a jpeg and also because I don’t want to invest overmuch But maybe it gives you some idea of what I’m talking about.
1 Like
Hello Kerry
Yes I like the result. I think it works well. Perhaps the mountain feels a tad too warm in the blacks and greys still, but yes I like the edit, It still feels true to my perception of the scene.
Ian
| Kerry Gordon
October 26 |
John, I love this image especially the way you’ve framed the peaks surrounded by the darker clouds and highlighted by the warm light. Very, very moody. My problem with the image, however, is the visual mass of the darkest clouds that curve around from the upper left to the lower right - it pulls my eye away. My first thought was to crop some from the left but that undermines the composition, to which you obviously gave a lot of thought. But I think the issue could be addressed by lightening and bringing up a bit more textural detail in those very dark areas and maybe also adding just a bit more contrast to the peaks themselves - I did a bit of dodging and on a separate layer also switched the image into soft light mode, covered it over with a black mask and then painted in where I wanted it, brought down the blue, and pushed the dehaze slider over to the left a bit and painted that in around the base of the peaks. It is admittedly pretty crude because I’m working with a jpeg and also because I don’t want to invest overmuch But maybe it gives you some idea of what I’m talking about.
