The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
We left Coober Pedy before daylight and headed into country that resembled a moonscape. aptly named “Moon Plains”. Once an inland sea 120 million years ago, the area is now entirely devoid of vegetation. It’s scattered with crystal clear gypsum, ancient petrified wood, and palm tree stumps. The only lumps on the horizon are the Kanku-Breakaways. The early morning light was absolutely beautiful, but the sky was mostly devoid of any features.
Feedback Requested
I’ve have so many images of this place. And, in each one, the sky has irked me. I know I could replace the sky, but would it make the image any better. Does the sky work as is?
Minor adjustments in ACR include Shadows and Highlights. Into PS where I removed a couple of wayward branches from the bottom edge. I could have cloned, but took the easy way of Generative Fill.
I suppose another sky could make it better for some viewers, but that would not make it better for me (if it were my image) because it would not represent how it appeared that day. I like it as is. It works very well. Perhaps the sky you are searching for does not exist there; after all, you obviously have been there often and have “so many images” but have never seen a sky that didn’t irk you. Excellent image.
It does evoke the Moon – or maybe Mars. I think the largely blank sky adds to the feeling of immensity, which sounds like that’s accurate. I like the portion of the image given to the sky – it would feel crowded with less sky. And there are some thin, distant clouds there. Maybe you have brought out as much detail as practical – more might be worth trying for but the color of the clouds matches the distant horizon and in my book that’s a success! The FG is lovely in a stark sort of way. I don’t know if it was possible to walk to the near high point, but a pano of the two peaks in the mid-ground, against that horizon, could be awesome..
Glenys: Never having ventured to your part of the planet except by images this is a treat. I’m in agreement with @Diane_Miller regarding the sky. One would not expect a lot of cloud action in so arid an environment. For me the amount of frame real estate allotted to the sky is just right. Looks like a photo target rich area and I think you’ve captured it well.>=))>
There is a really nice sense of space and distance in this image. Especially distance. The landscape gets less sharp and the colors fade with distance. I think that’s what I like about this view the most. I agree that the sky lacks the brightness that’s called for here. And it’s too yellowish. Although the entire image has that warm color cast so there is consistency there.
Beautiful detail and texture in the foreground Kanku. You have interest throughout the frame. I also appreciate the tonal contrasts between the foreground and mountains in the distance.
Thank you @Igor_Doncov and @madd_laura! @Igor I think you are right. I fiddled with that sky so much, a yellowish cast it could be. It could also be the remnants of dust.
