The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
We often camp at this spot on our way to explore Mount Cook and nearby glacial valleys. In fine weather (often quite rare here), drinking in the beauty at sunset is a good way to counter the cold!
Specific Feedback
Just interested in initial reaction. I find this type of image is just on the boderline between boring and pleasant but would like to gauge a general view in this respect.
Phil, good to see you here again! Thank you for sharing this image!
I struggle with this frequently! If it weren’t for the moon at the top, I think you would be closer to boring than pleasant, but it adds a nice touch. It would probably be slightly improved if it were closer to the mountains but we can’t always control those things.
One suggestion I would make is to look at the color balance to try to get the sky a bit more blue, unless, of course, this was a creative decision and something you feel matches your personal vision for the shot.
Glad to see you post an image from NZ again and I hope you’re doing well!
My initial reaction is one of awe and wonder because it’s such a peaceful and calming image of nature.
It is a pleasant image because it depicts a wonderful slice of nature, I don’t find it boring because it depicts a wonderful slice of nature
I did a quick Google Maps search so I could get an idea of what this area has to offer and wow, I can certainly understand the draw to explore it. What a great place to camp!
I really like the overall lighting and the composition, the placement of the moon is very appealing to me and I actually like that Mount Cook is just visible in the BG, it has a pleasant lure to it for me, it makes me want to explore deeper into the scene.
It’s a little odd to hear you mention a way counter the cold where you’re at when it hit 101°F (38°C) here in the Eastern US yesterday
I noticed a bit of banding in the sky and that might be the result of uploading a file that’s larger than 3MB, the uploaded file size here is only 321KB for a 3557x4113 resolution image, that tells me that NPN’s server may have compressed it a lot, that usually only happens to me if I try to upload an image that was exported at 3MB or more.
Since all the changes took place on NPN awhile back, I try to limit the image export out of Lr or Ps to 2.5Mb just to be on the safe side.
Either way, it’s still a gorgeous image, Phil!
I like the simplicity of this scene and I really like the inclusion of the moon. I do feel however that this could be made a bit brighter though - especially to bring out a bit more detail in the mountains.
Thanks for the welcome back David. I’ve had a few months off photography while stuggling to control Menieres. Hopefully I can now get on with life.
This photo was a real problem for me as I didn’t really know whether I liked it or not. As you suggest, the problem was with the distance between the moon and sunlit mountain peak.
As for the colour, I haven’t adjusted it in any way and I’m fairly sure that it does represent the colour of the sky at this location and at this changeover time between dusk and night when the sun is very low .
Hi Merv. Thanks for having a look at this one after my enforced absence for some time. I also found the scene very calming and peaceful…and cold too. We have spent many wonderful times camping in remote parts of the South Island and, although this is certainly not one of those remote areas (tourists everywhere here now), Mount Cook has a hold on our hearts that seems to endure. We can fondly remember nighttime gale force mountain winds when camping near its base and peaceful times in the various glacial valleys and lakes nearby.
The banding in the sky had me perplexed when I saw the image on NPN as no banding is evident on my monitors. Thankyou for your explanation of the cause as I have encountered this on several earlier occasions, but just shrugged it off and moved on. With having ME/CFS for the last 23 years, energy is often at a premium, thus the easy way out is often prudent! I am really appreciative of your comments here.
Cheers, and good to be back.
Thanks Tom. I tried it with some brightening of the mountains but thought that it lost the feeling of a cold, calm, and peaceful evening. I do agree with you that it would probably appeal more if it was brighter, but the loss of that feeling was just a bit much. Cheers.
Just happy to know that I was helpful in some way, Phil
I have an old friend that also has ME/CFS and I know he has more bad days than good but he always has a good outlook on life, at least outwardly.
I have degenerative disc disease and have went through 2 major back surgeries as a result, mostly just to keep my butt out of a wheelchair, the 24/7 pain wears me down sometimes but hey! I’m just happy that I can get around on my own two feet
I spent some more time browsing through images of Mount Cook and I noticed a few comments where people were challenged by the wind and the quest to climb. There’s a rock pyramid with bronze plaques on it, the names are of climbers that didn’t make it, some are still on that mountain.
This reminded me of Mount Everest in that regard.
Glad you felt like posting again and I hope you have many more good days than bad!!
