Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction
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
Does the image appeal to you in any way, and what does it look like for you?
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
Originally, the frame in the camera was vertical. It shows a muddy river bed, almost no flowing water left, but very wet.
There was already little color in the image, but it was converted to BW and gold toned. Some grain was added and exaggerated with a pretty strong unsharp mask. I rotated the image 90 degrees, because I thought that would better fit the idea of the image after the edit.
Technical Details
Pentax K3 Mk.III, 2.8/17-70 @19mm, ISO800, f/11, 1/250s.
Processing described above.
Specific Feedback
Any and all.
Han, I like it very much. The pattern has a lot of variety in it. I also like the way it sweeps down from the upper left and then sweeps back up on the right.
To me it doesn’t look like anything else. It’s a visual event. Nice work.
You’ve done a great job here with this image. The directional lighting from the ULC to the right side of the frame, along with the repeating patterns becoming larger, gives it a sense of depth. This can be hard to achieve with abstract images like this.
Beautiful image, the color, light, shadow and pattern create a wonderful abstraction. I think for me the best part of the image is the shadow and light, even more so than the pattern, it gives a real sense of depth to the image. Well seen!
I can never resist sand and mud patterns. I like the golden tones of this very much. The variations in textures is appealing. The way the patterns flow through the composition is quite dynamic. The only suggestion I would make would be to maybe lift the shadows in the dark area just a touch. Very nicely done!
Han, this is a great look at this mud pattern. There’s a fine left to right, then up, swoop while the golden tones are very warm and attractive.
Thank you @Scott_Fricke , @Don_Peters , @Ted_Forman , @Mark_Seaver and @Chris_Baird for your comments. Greatly appreciated.
