The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Another image from our June 2024 trip to the White Mountains of NH. We were on an old back road photographing a lupine field; which Ed McGuirk was kind enough to share with us; when I noticed this moody light on the mountains to our right. It was only 5:50 AM and the light was already starting to get a little contrasty, fortunately there were enough clouds to soften it somewhat with a nice interplay of light and shadow. When composing this image it was in the back of my mind that this might make a nice B&W image.
Specific Feedback
Which version works best for you; the color or the B&W?
Technical Details
Nikon Z 7, Nikon 24-200 @ 200 mm, f 16 @ 1/100 sec, ISO 100, Kase Magnetic CPL, cable release & tripod
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Hi Ed, very nice. The color image for me. But I think just a little too much blue /green. Mmaybe a white balance adjustment or just the early blue light. The fog layers create a nice sense of movement, like they are breaking over the ridge line.
Wonderful find! The clouds are gorgeous! I’m wondering if the brighter layer right at the top is pulling the eye too much? Darken or crop??
I love the B/W and wonder if some of that punch could be applied to the color version – the contrast is very low on the dark end. Maybe bring up the darks in raw conversion? Or maybe layer the B/W on top and put it in Luminosity mode? I like @Stephen_Stanton’s idea of some playing with WB also.
Without a doubt thumbs up for the B&W Ed. It’s far superior IMHO. Especially the processing. THere’s a lot more detail in the BG mountainsideI tried playing around with the color version in PS, but couldn’t get it to look anywhere as good as the B&W. I tried dialing down the blues and cyans and all that turn was remove all the color. Glad you shot it with the idea of converting.
100% black and white! The color version really doesn’t do it for me but the black and white has such nice tonality, and it could be my imagination but there seems to be more texture in the trees. The image just feels like it was made for B&W, which aligns with your thoughts when you clicked the shutter. I experimented with cropping and I think cropping to just below the light cloud at the top improves the composition, IMHO.
I’m not going to be much help Ed, because I like both about equally.
It takes a minute to figure out what all the upper layer are, and I like that initial disorientation. The splattered lighting in the foreground adds to that effect.
Ed, I like them both. The color version has significantly less contrast, which I think helps hold interest in the sky, leaving me wondering (as John does) what’s going on up there. It makes for a mysterious view. The extra contrast in the b&w does a good job of separating the land from the sky as it shows off the details in both. It’s nicely dramatic rather than mysterious.
Fabulous mood and atmosphere with this one. I’m giving the edge to the b&w version, mostly because the color version seems a little muddy or hazy to me. The clarity and contrast in the lighted side of the forest covered hill is looking really good in the monochrome. I would agree with Stephen about the blue/green color of the hill; can’t quite put my finger on it though…
I don’t think any crops have been mentioned. I think you have a couple of potential options. A crop of the brightest clouds up top brings more emphasis to the light on the forested hill. Conversely, a slight crop from the bottom brings more emphasis to the moody fog/clouds.
For me at least, I think the color version could use some clarity, dehaze or something for a little more pop. Certainly the light/contrast in the clouds is already there in all versions.
Always pays to “look around”. Good call to photograph this scene!
