Mountain reflections (+ Rework)

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
1

Original:

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Composition 2

Reworked Images:
For the first reworked image, I altered the crop to give the trees underneath the mountain more space to breath as well as cropping out and cloning most of the grass clumps at the bottom of the image, in order to eliminate distracting elements. For the second reworked image, I lifted the shadows of the bush in the left of the image so it is less distracting and cropped out some of the grass at the bottom of the frame.

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Thank you everyone for your feedback!

Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.

Questions to guide your feedback

Hi, I would appreciate any feedback as to which of these two compositions is most aesthetically appealing and which provides more interest for the viewer, in terms of what the composition offers for the viewer to explore within it and which composition is more engaging.

Through initial feedback, I would like to ask the viewer if the first composition is overly complex or messy, and if the second composition is too simple and lacks depth.

Any other feedback is much appreciated as well!

Other Information

Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.

Image Description

These images were taken last month on the same morning, minutes apart. I had planned both compositions earlier that morning with each photo taken no more than 20 meters apart from each other once the sunlight started to illuminate enough of the mountainside.
I do like elements of both of these images but I am unsure which composition works best at conveying both a sense of scale/depth for the landscape and an exploration of the forest and lakes underneath the mountain. Through both images, I also wanted to convey a sense of tranquility.

Technical Details

Both images taken with:
f/11
ISO 400
Shutter speed of 1/50

Specific Feedback

I would appreciated feedback on all aspects of the aesthetic appeal of the images that might seem relevant to the viewer, especially the compositions. While I did try to carefully compose both compositions when taking the images, I feel like the first is overly complicated and the second is overly simple- I would love to have a second opinion.
Feedback on the emotional impact of the image, if any and feedback on the technical aspects would be appreciated if there is anything that you think could improve the images.

Thank you for reviewing my images

2

Hi Keenan,
that looks like a beautiful morning. The pictures radiate tranquility. I love the light hitting the mountain peak in the background.

I like both compositions.
The first image shows a bit more of the environment. It is obvious that it was cold because of the frozen water surface in the foreground.
The bush on the left or its shadow distracts my eye a bit, because it is the darkest part of the picture. Maybe I would try to brighten that area slightly.
And I wonder what the picture would look like if you had been standing a few steps to the right with your camera. I wish you could see a little more of the mountain top in the reflection in the center.

The second image is beautiful as well. I love the simplicity here. The reflection is great. I like it when the reflection still has some ripple and thus doesn’t look quite perfect.
What bothers me a bit is the big cluster of grass at the bottom of the picture. I would remove that (either by cropping differently or by cloning). That would even add to the simplicity of the image.

Really nice work. I would love to stand there, breathe in the cold air and enjoy the sunrise.

1 Like
3

Hi Jens,
Thank for the detailed feedback! Brightening the bush worked very well in the first image and I followed your advice and cropped the second image differently, I believe it does look better without the distraction of the grass. It was a beautiful morning.

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2 Likes
4

Hi Keenan,
you are welcome. This image looks great without the grass on the bottom edge.
There is just a small detail in your new crop: the small tree is now too close to the left edge. Maybe you should think about removing it by cropping it as well. But that’s nitpicking.

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5

Keenan, nice images each having individuality.

On the first image my first impulse was move the camera slightly to the right so that the top of the mountain would be visible in the reflection. I know this may have been impossible without water-wings :slight_smile: This move would have also split the bush on the left cutting out the highlight in the water at its base.

On the second image I also think the grass is a bit of a distraction since it lines up so well with the top of the mountain reflection. Also, when I look close at the reflection the edge of the mountain just doesn’t look right and I am left wondering did you mask and remove the ripples in the rest of the water. It could be just the way it came out water is a tricky beast.

Overall, I like the images and can only imagine the feeling of standing there. So, in that part you succeed by invoking a feeling in me.

1 Like
6

Hi Jens,
I see what you mean with the tree, I think the image could work with a slightly panoramic crop so that it is kept in.

7

Hi Greg,
Thank you very much for the feedback! I see what you mean about the reflection in the first image, I hope to revisit this location sometime in the not too distant future, so I will keep your advice in mind. Regarding the second image, I definitely agree with you about the grass and have decided to crop it out. As for the water, I didn’t mask any ripples in the water although I did mask quite a few dust spots in both the sky and the water so some ripples may have got caught up in that. Other than that, I think it might just be how it came out, with the ripples not visible in the rest of the water as the sky it is reflecting is so clear. I am glad the image had some emotional effect. Thanks again!

8

Hi Keenan, I was immediately drawn to the reflection of the mountain in the water and the curving lines that moved my eye around the picture. The first composition tells the story of the season because of the ice on the water. I would not crop it out. I find the clump of grass at the bottom left distracting. I would be tempted to crop just a little at the bottom and then use content aware fill to eliminate the bit left after the crop. Composition two is not convincing after seeing the first picture.

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9

Hi Barbara, thank you for the honest feedback. I definitely agree that the grass is distracting now that you mention it and it looks much better cropped. Thank you!

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10

You’re welcome, Keenan.

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11

The first photo is not too complex or messy for me. The shapes that the water and land make give the image structure, as does the strong line of the trees and mountain. There is a lot of “messiness” in the vegetation, but because we see it from a distance, it becomes a lovely texture and doesn’t feel messy. I do agree about lifting the shadows for the left hand bush and its reflection - it’s a bit heavy. Of the two, this first photo is more appealing to me because of the interesting shapes and textures, and lovely light. It also gives us a better feeling for the larger environment.

The second is lovely, also, but it doesn’t hold my interest as much as the first.

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12

Hi Bonnie, thank you for the feedback. I am glad to hear that the composition works for the first photo and it definitely looks better with the shadows lifted for the bush:

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DSC092462582Ă—1452 1.68 MB

1 Like
13

I prefer the 2nd composition much more than the first. I believe it’s the dark bush and its reflection on the left that doesn’t work for me. The image is all about beautiful arcs and semicircles and the bush just doesn’t fit with this overall scheme. It stands out in a negative way. The second image is more aesthetically pleasing and holds better together as a whole. There is the small patch on the bottom but that can be easily fixed.

I suppose the reaction is one of tranquility as that is one normally feels with fading light. The second image conveys that better.

1 Like
14

Hi Igor, thank you for your feedback. I definitely agree with you about the bush and I hope to be able to revisit the scene and try to improve on the composition so that I can find a way to omit the bush from the image. I am glad that the second image managed to convey a sense of tranquility. It’s interesting how you mentioned fading light, as these images were taken during sunrise, I wonder if it is in some way my post processing that makes it seem like evening light?