Hi @timbata -
Nice images here =)
I bet these were some amazing moments to witness.
I guess I’ll do these one at a time, starting with the 1st one - Mt. Kidd.
This is a powerful and dramatic mountain scene with stunning light and atmosphere. The illuminated peak against the dark foreground creates a cinematic feel, and the composition leads the eye naturally into the frame.
What Works Well:
Epic Light and Mood – The glow on the peak and swirling clouds add intensity and depth. The contrast between light and shadow enhances the scene’s impact.
Strong Composition – The river and snow in the foreground guide the viewer’s eye, and the mountain placement feels balanced.
Great Use of Contrast – The interplay of highlights and deep shadows makes for a striking image with strong depth and texture.
Areas for Improvement:
Dust Spot in the Sky – A noticeable dust spot near the upper center of the image should be cleaned up.
Color Fringing from Processing – Some color fringing appears along high-contrast edges, likely from sharpening or contrast adjustments. Refining color correction can help.
Foreground Darkness – Some details in the snow and river are lost in deep shadows. Lifting midtones slightly could improve texture without losing mood.
Tree Separation – The dark midground trees blend into the shadows. A slight dodge in key areas could help define them better.
Image 2: Through the Pines:
This is a captivating winter mountain scene framed by snow-laden pine branches. The golden light on the peak draws immediate attention, creating a strong focal point against the cool, purple-blue tones of the sky and foreground. The framing and contrast between warm and cool tones give the image a compelling atmosphere.
What Works Well
Compelling Framing – The pine branches create a natural vignette around the central peak, guiding the viewer’s eye toward the bright summit.
Dramatic Light – The contrast between the warmly lit mountain and the cool, shadowed surroundings is striking.
Atmospheric Color Palette – The mix of blues, purples, and yellows evokes a serene, wintry mood.
Areas for Improvement
Inconsistent Focus on Pine Needles
Some needles appear sharp while others nearby are noticeably soft, likely due to a misaligned or incomplete focus stack. This inconsistency can be distracting.
Consider using a smaller aperture in a single shot or ensuring all frames in a focus stack are properly aligned.
Purple Color Bleed / Brush Artifacts
The pine needles near the top and upper right have a purple hue that seems unnatural, possibly from selective brush work on the sky.
Refining edge masking or adjusting the hue in those areas could help remove the purple fringing.
Cyan Color Cast on Snow
The snow on the rightmost pine branches appears cyan, which can feel inconsistent with the rest of the scene.
A targeted color balance adjustment or local white balance correction would help keep the snow looking natural.
Easily Removed Distracting Elements on the Top Edge
Small bright spots and stray pine needles along the top edge of the frame slightly pull the eye away from the composition.
A simple crop or cloning out these elements would help keep the focus on the mountain and prevent unnecessary distractions.
Potential Aperture Adjustments
If you wanted the foreground needles more uniformly out of focus for a softer frame, a wider aperture could help isolate the mountain further.
Alternatively, if you wanted everything in focus, using a smaller aperture (and careful focus stacking if needed) would ensure crisp detail across all elements.
Overall, this image has a beautiful composition and striking contrast between the lit peak and the shadowy frame. Addressing the focus inconsistencies, color issues, and minor distractions along the edges would help make it an even more polished and cohesive photograph.
Image 3 - Misty Sunrise:
This is a beautifully atmospheric winter scene with gorgeous light, mist rising from the river, and a well-balanced composition. The contrast between the warm glow in the sky and the cool, snow-covered foreground creates a striking visual impact. The foreground tree and river lead the eye nicely toward the distant peaks.
What Works Well
Stunning Atmosphere – The mist rising from the river adds depth and mystery, giving the image a sense of movement and life.
Strong Composition – The curved shoreline and foreground tree create a natural pathway for the eye to follow toward the mountain.
Warm-Cool Contrast – The golden hues of the sky contrast beautifully with the purple and blue tones of the snowy landscape.
Areas for Improvement
Sky Selection Bleeding Into the Mountain
The top right mountain appears to have unnatural warm tones that match the sky, which does not make sense given the backlit conditions.
This suggests a blending issue from a sky selection or adjustment that has affected the mountain’s color balance. Refining the mask and bringing back the mountain’s natural cooler tones would improve realism.
Lack of Shadow Detail in the Pine Trees
The trees across the river are very dark, and while they create a nice silhouette effect, they feel a little too compressed in the shadows.
Lifting some of the midtones while keeping the contrast intact would add dimension and reveal more detail without over-brightening.
Subtle Color Refinements
The purple tones in the snow and trees feel slightly too strong, which could be a result of the overall color grading.
A small adjustment in white balance or selective desaturation in the shadows could help bring the scene closer to a more natural look.
Enhancing the River’s Depth
The mist is a fantastic element, but the river itself could use a slight boost in local contrast to give it more texture and depth.
A gentle dodge and burn technique could highlight the water’s reflective surface without making it overpowering.
This image has great potential with its strong mood and composition. Refining the color blending in the sky and mountain, pulling some detail out of the trees, and slightly adjusting the color balance would make it even stronger.
What an amazing sense of light and a stunning mountain! Those are some satisfying first reactions and it must have looked incredible when you were stood there.
With so much of the image sitting on the reaction to that mountain and it’s light, I want to spend more attention there and because of this, I think the left hand side of the picture is just distracting from it and I also think that, although that top ‘tuft’ of cloud is great, it isn’t adding enough to warrant the extra space at the top of the picture.
I think that some form of shadow recovery has been used (or other selective tool) as the representation of the snow has strange dark and light areas. I’ve lightened the foreground and tried to make it look more contiguous in this second processed image.
Overall I think this is a stunning image and with some more even handed processing I think it would do very well. I’m jealous of your experience!
