The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Hey all, I have been mostly absent for the last two months. I scheduled a 7-day trip at the end of May to the Olympic National Park with a fellow photographer. Unfortunately, this photographer failed to tell me that he had gotten sick the week before he jumped into my car. Seven days of four to six hours traveling in the car with him hacking and coughing away…needlessly I caught it. And despite my best attempts to isolate, my wife caught it as well. A nice Coronavirus cousin of Covid. We both were very sick for several weeks–I lost the hearing in one ear and developed vertigo, she landed in the ER with pneumonia. The thing is this wasn’t that important of a trip to put our health at risk…
Anyway, after two months, we’re pretty close to normal again and I can now look at my images from that trip without anger.
Well, enough of that. Here’s one of my favorites from a morning at Hurricane Ridge. The clouds were moving nicely over the mountains and the recent snows resulted in a nice contrast.
Specific Feedback
Any comments appreciated.
Technical Details
Nikon Z8, z100-400mm at 400mm, 1/1600 sec @ f/11, ISO 500, Handheld.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Hi David, you’ve taken an exceptional black-and-white photo! It has powerful contrasts and is excellently composed. You could probably have reduced the ISO to around 400 and still achieved a fast shutter speed for a focal length of 400 mm. I find it strange that your colleague coughed all over you and didn’t tell you he was ill. How stupid!
This is really nice, David. The dappled light and cloud shadows on the snow are what really makes the image. Th shadows in the tree areas look pretty dark on my monitor. I would probably lighten them up a little for some more detail in the trees.
Bummer about your illness.
Hi David,
That pretty much sucks catching Covid; I have been there as well and it was no fun at all. I am glad to hear that you and your wife are on the mend and almost back to normal. As far as the image; I have to say that I am immensely enjoying the dappled light and the mix of light and shadow created on the snow of the mountainside. There are just so many gentle undulations of snow for the eye to enjoy. My only suggestion would be the same as my brother about bringing the shadows of the trees up a little. Minor stuff to fix. Beautiful image!
Wow – what a horrible experience. I hope this “friend” knows what he did!
It’s great to see you back again! You got a lovely image in spite of the difficulties. I love the shapes on the snow – looks like a combination of terrain and clouds playing together. The subtle detail in the FG trees is very nice. Not a criticism but just a thought, to wonder about brightening the sky a little.
A powerful photograph and the B&W treatment lends to the power. I love the dappled light and the shadows across the face of the mountain.
Sorry to hear about your illness. Sounds like my son had the same virus, luckily my wife and I did not catch it. He is still on the mend, three weeks later.
I had wanted to go a bit dark with the trees at the bottom so as to emphasize the mountain and snow. Perhaps I went a little too far. I’ve posted an update where I raised the shadows a bit, removed the vignette, and brightened the sky. Please let me know if this is an improvement, or if I went too far the other way.
The rework is the ticket, David. The image is definitely more open. I think we all struggle with trying to hold or pull detail from very dense shadows.
I love the textures in the snow and cloud shadows.
Sorry to hear you became ill. I hope you feeling better!
-P
What a terrible experience. I’m always afraid of something like that when I’m flying. The only positive one can say is that your fellow traveler likely didn’t know he had covid. Probably thought it was just a head cold. There may be some lessons to be learned from this.
The light was very favorable for you. The snow has great texture.
David, I feel you could go even a little further with the shadow recovery. I understand your feelings about contrast, but the image feels bottom heavy imho.
Personally, I like really the higher contrast between the light and dark in the original version, but the lighter version is very pleasing, too!
I like the outlines of the shadows on the snow from the thickest clouds above.
The shape of the mountain is well defined by the subtle dark and light areas in the snow, and the amount of exposure was perfectly handled in my humble opinion.
The choice to go B&W for this shapely scene was a wise one in my view.
I’m sure color would have been good for setting a desired mood but the B&W really shows off those detailed shapes.
I learned a lot about the essence of B&W photography from you, thank you very much for your influence and your help!!
I’ve been through the Covid illness, I had the long version but it felt permanent to me at the time.
I seriously didn’t think I’d survive the ordeal but It sure feels good to have made it without any major permanent damage!
I never discovered where I got it, that may be a good thing.
I can’t imagine anyone volunteering to go on a non-essential trip while having at least a questionable health status. I stayed away from everyone for months even after I felt decent, it was just to make sure I wouldn’t make anyone else sick.
I’m very happy to know that you and your wife are doing much better now!
David, so sorry about your thoughtless and inconsiderate friend. Glad you and your wife made it through. That stuff is no fun. I don’t spend even a minute with anyone ill any more.
Your dappled light, shadows, and detail here is excellent.
Lightening the shadows as suggested worked perfectly -
Congrats on a fine EP!
Merv, thank you so much for your kind words and comments. It’s good to “hear” from you. So glad you’re over long Covid. My wife and I managed to avoid Covid all through the Pandemic, but not this time. Thanks again for the kind words.
