I was wandering around one of our local gullies last week and came across this interesting scene.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
How the light was just brushing certain parts of the scene was what drew me to it.
Andre, I really like the mood scene you captured. The minimal colors and how the light hit specific areas in the scene are captivating. The vertical lines are an extra bonus, especially as they connect to the title of the photo. You clearly convey a feeling of marionettes. I can almost hear the music playing in the background.
The cropping format you chose works well. However, I might have been tempted to omit the dark area and bright line on the left side in favor of a tighter crop, e.g., a square crop, but it would be simply a personal preference. On the LRC, the color is a bit pale in comparison to the rest of the forest green. There would be a suggestion I’d make to try to apply a radial filter or brush to equalize that tone with the rest. That would solidify with the dark green at the bottom of the image and maintain that entire section very grounded. The luminance of the “marionettes” is totallly striking and enchanting, almost as if in a fairy tale.
I have a question about the top of the photo. Was there any distraction there that caused you to crop it so closely? That round branch adds to the idea of the marionette display.
How lucky you are to have found this scene. Thanks for sharing it.
I love how the light is playing with the straight vertical lines. As I look at your photo I think I would try to make the bright vertical vine stand out more by darken elements that draw the eye away from them. Then I would play with brightening the vines to see how far I could take them with blowing them out. That being said, I’m by no means an expert. I’ll be curious to read the comments of the more experienced members. This is a very nice find.
If you know my images you know I love the dark and moody. I know how difficult it is to relate that color harmony and the greens are perfect. Wish I had made this image.
Andrea, this is very striking and intriguing. The starkness of the vines and the black shadows are set off very well by the bright greens. I’m with EgĂdio in think that a square crop on the right would look good.
Thanks for the comments @Mark_Muller@Steve_Rosendahl@David_Starr@EgĂdio. @Mark_Muller most of them took a break, but if you squint your eyes and use your imagination you can make out one on the middle vine. @EgĂdio I had a hard time finding a crop that I liked. It started to get a bit busier when I included more of the top. The light was also brighter there. @Mark_Seaver I toyed with a square crop in-camera at the site but the image felt like it needed more room to breathe. I also like the asymmetry of this one.
Just lovely! It’s so dark, but those pops of green and the bright verticals give it a lot of life. I can feel the marionette dancing around. I’m with others on a slight crop, just a tad off the left - maybe a 5x7 ratio?
