The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is a pretty common image for my area, despite the fact we had to drive 4-hours to capture it! Of course, this one is mine!
I love this area of Colorado, it is in Palisade which is part of Book Cliffs, which goes from many miles from Colorado to Utah. The background is Mt. Garfield and in the foreground are the blooming Peach Trees the area is famous for.
We got up before dawn to arrive at this location, which turned out to be too early because of the mountains to the east and my lack of a tripod (mistake!). As I waited for the light to come, I tried different perspectives both with a long & wide lens.
Getting a clean shot without power lines, houses or windmills is truly a challenge. I prefer to avoid them. Oh, the biggest challenge is to avoid trespassing, which if I were smart I’d knock on the perfect shot’s door and ask “Pretty please!” But I didn’t.
So this was one of my favorite shots.
Specific Feedback
Ideally, I would have preferred to have the leading lines go to the point in Mt. Garfield. Not being able to do that is a problem?
I also feel the image needs to be brighter. I tried to give the pinks a little saturation, without making time look fake. Looking up Peach trees I discovered the color of the blossoms can range from light pink to lavender, depending on the variety! Who knew?
Technical Details
Olympus E-M1MkIII, M.Zuiko 40-150mm 2.8 Pro
1/6 sec., f/8, ISO 200, 40mm
Handheld (boo tripod was 200+ miles away!)
This is a terrific composition! It looks like a painting, meaning it has that kind of quality IMHO!
I like the perspective as is and although you were trying for something different, this works very well.
Good to know you got it without trespassing too!
You mentioned wondering about making it brighter but it seems bright enough to me.
I do feel that you could add a bit of contrast so the ridges in the mountains are a little better defined.
Also, the flower protruding above the mountain ridge/cliff doesn’t feel right to me, I feel like it should be cloned down to below that ridge so it doesn’t connect to the sky.
Lastly, there seems to be a splash or two or pink in the clouds that doesn’t seem to belong there IMHO.
I also run this through Topaz Denoise at level 3 in the standard mode to smooth out the sky a bit.
Just a note: It’s OK to post images larger than this so we don’t have to download them to see more details, it’s difficult for old eyes like mine (Unless you’re worried about theft or something similar.)
Of course these things I mention are only my own personal opinion and preference so take my observations only as suggestions for you to consider.
Marvin, Thank you for your comments. I did use email to respond but I don’t see that here. Maybe it will show up later, oh well!
I actually didn’t notice the branch above the ridge. You are so right about removing that. I will also denoise the sky and add more contrast to the mountains.
Please keep in mind that you don’t have to please us by applying all suggestions to your image, it’s always up to you because it is your image.
We really appreciate you sharing and participating, it helps everyone with the experience of learning.
I didn’t realize how much I would learn by simply commenting on other images until one day it hit me just how useful it is for my own learning experience, it forces me to really think about it.
But, comment on other images when you feel comfortable doing so, no pressure!
Thank you!
Oh, BTW, if you need any guidance or tips with how to do something in Ps or Lr, don’t be shy about asking for anything specific like how to clone out something in the sky without leaving evidence of cloning (or anything really), we’re happy to help with that too.
Not sure if I already did, but if not, then another Welcome to NPN! This is a wonderful first post image here in Landscape!
Not at all! In fact, I very much like this composition as presented. The way the orchard lines up with the lead-in feature takes the viewer right to the mountain, even though it’s not pointing exactly to it - It’s that open receeding “V” that draws the eye in - and it’s working just perfectly.
I know modern fruit tree harvesting has all the tops cut for automated picking of the fruit… but the short trees, just for a micro second, made me think of a vineyard… but then I quickly remember that grape vines don’t have lavendar blossoms! But this is a wonderful take on the orchard and integrating with the natural landscape.
Great feedback from Merv. I especially think he nailed the slight boost in contrast in the mountain. I’m actually a bit ambivalent with the branch on the left breaching the skyline. My first impression before reading the comments, was that I appreciated the bulk of that trees upper branches reaching to the mountain - more so than the rest of the orchard. And for that, there is a stronger link between the two and I thought, hmmmm, do I really care that the little branch reaches thru to the sky? I’m wondering… but for sure, it certainly works with the example Merv posted. And trust me, I’m one of those nitpickers who would normally comment and suggest cloning when something is breaching an edge like this… so I surprised myself in thinking that in this particular image, it doesn’t bother me.
Well done. thanks for sharing and looking forward to more posts and your participation in the galleries!
Lovely scene! I like @Merv’s edits, but would leave or even enhance the pink in the sky to echo the blooms. The horizon, although a little irregular, is just slightly off. I think it is made worse by some optical illusion but maybe a slight CCW rotation would be good.
Hi Lon, Glad you like the composition. There were so many choices to make, I tend to try to capture all of them and then figure out which I like best! Thank you for your thoughtful feedback. My biggest challenge now is responding and finding time to redo the images. I have a tendency to just want to go shoot some more! Thanks!
KK
Counterclockwise. That should have been highlighted, as many of the commonly-used acronyms are. I’ll ping the mgmt and ask them to add it to the list.
I live in Moab and know this area well! You’ve done a fantastic job of presenting it in lovely soft light, with a nice sky, and a great little pop of color in the peach tree blooms. I don’t mind that the leading lines don’t go straight into Mt. Garfield, but I do think if you could have composed this with Garfield in the left 1/3 of the frame, with the orchard lines moving to the right (just like they do in this image), it might feel a little better balanced. Love this one!
(Unless you’re worried about theft or something similar.)