This image was taken on the same morning as @Ed_McGuirk’ last post along with @Ed_Lowe. I was so excited by the clouds starting to form over the mountains that I basically just plopped my tripod down in front of some lupines and started shooting. I didn’t spend enough time on my fg composition. I feel; I should have gotten down lower to cut out some of the middle ground between the yellow flowers and the trees. Also I cut off too many flowers. I got some decent shots but nothing great. Maybe next time.
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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That grass looks pretty good, Michael. How about raising the luminosity on the flowers? That would still leave them cut off, however. I would just crop off all the flowers and make it about those great clouds. Actually, I would crop part of the lupines off and treat them as a layer. There are mostly horizontals in this image so I would suggest a 3:5 aspect ratio, or thereabouts. In that case leave the flowers dark. The mountain layer looks good as well. How’s that for a confusing critique?
Mike,
You and I both got caught up in this wonderful moment that nature provided us and did not explore all the possibilities. That does not mean there is anything wrong with this image. This has some wonderful layers and colors starting with the lupines , then the open meadow, the mountains and all topped off with those lovely lenticular clouds. My only suggestion would be to lighten up
I agree with your assessment of the foreground. I would like to see more room at the bottom of the Lupine. Still the overall image works for me. It is still beautiful and those clouds are amazing. They almost look like lenticular clouds.
It sounds to me , Michael, that you already understand how you might approach this or a similar shot the next time around. As others have said, there is a lot to love about this image - the colours, the light, the mountains and, of course the ridiculously fabulous sky. What is really interesting to me, however, is to see essentially, the same moment as interpreted by two different photographers. We all know that no two people are ever going to interpret the same moment in the same way but we don’t often get such a graphic representation of that as having your photo and Ed’s, more or less, side by side. Wonderful.
I loved the clouds in this image so I took the liberty of downloading it and cropping to concentrate on them.
The Lupins I think, especially in that light, deserve a shot of their own. They are super.
Mike, I’m coming in late here, but your image sure brings back fond memories of one of the best mornings of landscape photography that I’ve experienced in a long time. As you know, I have shot New Hampshire’s lupines many times over the years. And I’ll admit that I still struggle with how to incorporate lupines in the foreground, should I leave space around them, or should they be cut off? The problem is that it is harder than one might think to find a pleasing arrangement of lupines with space left in front of them (especially for horizontals). And cutting them off doesn’t always fully work either. I think the the most important thing I’ve learned when cutting them off, is to do it in a uniform way, without leaving small cut off tops in the near foreground. As you know, this is easier said than done. I think verticals can be easier in this regard (see my recent post), because you only need a small cluster of lupines for a vertical comp to work, and it’s easier to avoid cutting them off and showing the whole flower.
This is still one heck of a nice image, and I actually prefer your original composition over the reworks. If this pandemic ever ends, maybe we can take another crack at this location in 2021…
The clouds would blow me away too. I like the image as it is; I’d probably add more punch to the yellow flowers as has been suggested. The different responses here demonstrate how all views, individually given, represent personal perception enabling the photographer to communicate a personal message. Wonderful image.
