Edit after suggestions from
@Diane_Miller
Original file with WB “as shot”
Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was shot on an early October trip to Mr. Rainier NP. We hiked up above Upper Tipsoo Lake before sunrise. Seeing the sun hit the peak, with the amazing color in the sky, was a special experience.
Specific Feedback
All feedback welcome!
Technical Details
Three frames, HDR processed using ACR.
f/11, ISO 200, 1/13, 1/30, 1/60. 62 mm focal length, Nikkor 24-70mm lens, Nikon D850
Further processing (minimal) in ACR.
1 Like
What a beautiful scene with that awesome reflection!! I love the dark shapes of the FG trees and the way they stand out against the more distant ones. My eye wants just a little more room at the top – the frame feels like it is pushing down on the top of the mountain. Easy to manufacture if you’re into that sort of manipulation.
The sunrise light is gorgeous but it brings up a question about the colors. It is not uncommon that we get yellows in sunrises and sunsets, but I have the feeling that it is more of a processing artifact than an actual representation. Colors change with tonal adjustments. I should start a Discussion about it, but I’m wondering about the opinion of the more experienced landscape shooters here. And of course the color can vary with the clarity of the air, as well.
Anyhow, if the yellow were judged to be a bit too much, it can be tweaked easily without changing the other colors.
Thanks Diane! You make an interesting point on “processing artifact” vs. “representation,” but I think to some extent that is a straw man argument. I would argue that landscape photographers generally are interpreting the raw file to achieve something closer to their vision when they encountered the scene. In this case, the WB in the original raw file “as shot” was 3450, tint -17, which looks way too cool to my eye. In the initial raw processing I increased the WB to 5500, tint +10, and used the Adobe Landscape color profile, but did not add any additional saturation or vibrance. That said, I agree the image I posted is a little too yellow. I went back to the previous version and decreased the yellow/orange saturation. But I also selectively increased the red/magenta color sat to bring out the color in the sky and crags below the main peak.
I also added a little bit of space to the top with CAF. That added a bit of artifact to the right top of the frame but I think it looks better than before. See what you think.
I think the RP looks much more realistic – better snow color fir first light and the magenta in the clouds is even nicer. With my Canon cameras, Adobe Landscape has almost always pushed saturation too far. And I rarely like the WB presets. Maybe some of this AI stuff could help us with colors.
1 Like
@Diane_Miller , thank you! I’m a Nikon shooter. My go to is the Adobe Landscape Profile, but sometimes it is a little too much color saturation even for my tendency to go for vivid colors. 
I generally do some tweaking of the color profiles and the WB presets.
