The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Death Valley, obv.
I have a whole bunch of images from a trip months ago that I’ve gotten stymied on finishing. I start a whole bunch, and then never finish. I think it’s partly because there are so many DV images out in the world, why bother. But it was so fun to shoot there, so I’m not sure the end product matters so much.
But here I am, I’m trying to finish a few. Decided to start with some feedback to see if it gets me moving a bit more.
Specific Feedback
I’ve been over this one a few times, processing it one way and then another. I don’t know why these images are really sparking my indecision, but they are.
So I guess my main request is about composition and processing. I shot pretty early in the morning, and shot ETTR, so the raws are pretty low contrast and lighter. It makes me feel like I’m “overprocessing” even though I’m probably just using the information that’s there.
Technical Details
Nikon Z8+100-400
It was super windy, I can’t remember if I was hand-holding or using a tripod.
ISO 640, F11. 1/60th.
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:
Julie, this is a very dramatic image. The layering of tones really works here. If I were to suggest anything, it would be to punch up the saturation of the yellows and maybe a touch of vibrance overall. The lights and darks are wonderful with full detail and no blowouts. If you do any tweaking, keep it subtle.
The composition is pretty straightforward for Death Valley. What makes this remarkable is the restrained colors while tonally fairly high contrast. There are some subtle blues in the dark tones and warmer hues in the lighter ones. The overall sense is that we are looking at a b&w image with some color. That quality is what makes it unique in my opinion.
I agree this is a straightforward DV composition; for me that’s a positive because the layering here is wonderful.
@Preston_Birdwell and @Igor_Doncov seem to have contrasting thoughts about the colors, and since this is a poster child for The Canyon Conundrum I popped this into lab and added some color contrast to the less saturated areas just for the fun of comparing. I’m not recommending it as an improvement, it’s just fun to run with ideas.
Thank you, everyone for the helpful feedback!
I think (and I thought so as I was working on it, but sort of liked it) that when I dodged the lighter portions that they were losing a little color. I went back a couple times and reduced the “bleaching” effect, but I think i can fix that up.
And yep, I think I forgot to sharpen this at all, beyond whatever LR did. Haha Oops. Thanks!
Is it too standard of a comp to bother with? Like scroll past, oh yeah I’ve seen this too many times before?
I think you’re asking the choir if they’ve heard the hymn before. While photographers, especially those intimately familiar with Death Valley may view this as a ‘standard’ composition, those not in such a place (like me) like them and do not consider them as ‘standard’.
One could say this about images from places like Yosemite, Arches, White Sands, etc., where images among photographers have certain repeating thematic content, others may view them as unique and inspirational.
-P
I think the composition of layers one above the other is common. But I wouldn’t say that people will scroll by saying they’ve seen it all before. I’m assuming this is Zabriskie Point? Standard at ZP is yellowish layers with darker shadows. But this is quite different. The white layer looks almost like snow. If that layer had been the same color as the warm back one then I would call it closer to what we normally see. So I think the white next to the black makes this image different.
I don’t know if you visited the Mesquite Sand Dunes. That place has been photographed to death. Yet I continually see new takes of these dunes. In fact I keep going back and finding new inspirations. You just have to get away from the crowds.
Very eye catching. I recognized DV right off. This is a unique shot for a very icon location. Kudos to you. I do think it could be sharpened a bit. I’m not good with tech so can’t offer anything specific, but I feel that it could benefit from more contrast (?) Something to bring out the texture a bit, lift the deep shadow in the black area and perk up the light area some. Very nice photo.
@Igor_Doncov , it wasn’t at Zabriskie, it was down the road a bit, somewhere along the 20 Mule Team Canyon road. The light formation towards the front is not as yellow as the one behind it in the raw file. (Probably not as light as I have it here, either, but that’s ok with me.) It’s kind of grey, with some yellows in the folds.
And I did go to the sand dunes! I swore up and down I would never photograph dunes but it was REALLY fun, totally enchanting, and I’m planning my next trip around spending more time there. Haha, oops never say never.
@Preston_Birdwell I hope you’re right that maybe the choir doesn’t mind singing the same hymn again.
I reworked it a bit. I re-thought my white balance, which I think gave better color separation than I had. I also was less aggressive with the dodging and retained some detail in the whiter formation.
And I remembered to sharpen! haha. Sometimes it’s good to post so you see what dumb things you did.
What to do with shots from iconic popular places? What I have discovered in the last couple of years is that it is immensely satisfying to make a collection of photos from a particular area. I make 12x12 prints and then place them in book, which I can add to if and when I take more. There is something about a series of prints of an area that makes the project seem much more personal than an individua photo. Another way to say this is that a single photo might seem just like another one taken by scores of other photographers, but a collection is unique. If you have ever been on a photo workshop, it is fascinating when the group reviews their photos recently taken. Everybody was at the same place, but every collection is strikingly different. The collections seem much more personal than the individual photos. If printing doesn’t interest you, make a web site and create a collection of photos from Death Valley or other areas you have a lot of photos from. A google search will bring up many options. Flikr (relatively cheap) and Smugmug (more expensive) are two I am familiar with. Here is a link from NPN on my book process: How to create a beautiful book of self printed photos, or what I did with 104,000 photos in LR. And here is a link to my Smugmug website with different collections of photos: https://tonysicilianophotography.smugmug.com/
Julie: I like the repost and I also especially like how you stimulated the discussion and shared your thought processes. I never pass up an opportunity to shoot in iconic locations. They are icons for a reason and I like having my own take on a place to savor and remember as time passes by. Yes I’ve seen lots of shots from there and have several of my own but I also don’t tire of how others present them. The layering here is marvelous and I think you processed it extremely well. Kudos for a fine comp and a pretty marvelous final result. >=))>
@Bill_Fach Thank you for your kind words and feedback! There’s a lot of pressure when photographing the famous places, right? The pressure to do something UNIQUE and original. This was my first time there, so I was mostly just trying to get a first impression of the place. This is just one of the results. In my line of work, we call them “war horses.” Some conductors feel that they have to have some unique take on standard repertoire, and it can come out sounding just nutty. I’m of two minds about it, “sure, let’s do something different” or “why do we need to reinvent the wheel, Beethoven 5 doesn’t need to be monkey’d with.” @John_Williams Thank you I think I’m leaning that way, too!
I think the answer to this depends on the “Why?” of YOUR photography. Intimately tied to that is, “For whom do you photograph?.”
If your target is to rise above in a large photography competition or wow eccentric photographers, the answer may be yes. I am not a member of that religion, but I like to attend services once in awhile.
If you photograph for personal satisfaction or to please hoi polloi, the answer may be no. I’m primarily of this religion:
With that said, I often have the most fun in photography when I can come up with an image that fits in both camps.
