The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
A location near the Eastern Sierras during a off and on storm rolling thru the area. This natural cistern looks like it could make for a decent watering hole possibly. But overall the surrounding area has natural streams and snow runoff as a healthy supply too.
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:
Paul, this looks like the Alabama Hills region. Is it?
It is a nice landscape, and I love the pothole and the reflection in it. The light was very soft which really adds spice to the color. If I had one nit it would be the very bright spot in the clouds at the middle of the top edge. It’s an eye grabber.
Other than that minor item, this is fine image from the Eastern Sierra.
-P
The golden earth and the blue clouds drew me in immediately. The simple gravity of the granite and water is so compelling. The centered arrangement/composition helps strengthen the heft of that rock. The bit of light in the clouds is a nice balance, but for me doesn’t draw that much attention away from that pool. The little shape just in front of it (toward the viewer) almost looks like a fossil and reminds us just how old these rocks are. Sublime.
A great combination of weather and the weathered. I like how the snowy mountains add to the composition by peeking in under the clouds. A very atmospheric shot.
Paul: Wonderful scene and terrific light to bring out all the color and details in the land forms. I also like that small strip of mountains. I’m with @Preston_Birdwell regarding the bright spot in the clouds and think you have enough sky to simply crop this away and not leave anything lacking. Top notch find and a fine capture. >=))>
Very nice Paul! That foreground has a roughly hourglass shape that really works. Centering the pool was a bold choice, but it really works too. As others have noted, I love the warmth of the granite; it even shines up from the bottom of the pool.
I agree with @Preston_Birdwell about that bright top edge. It does pull my eye away from the scene below, and I’d rather just rest awhile on that good stuff.
@Preston_Birdwell@Kris_Smith@Mike_Friel@Bill_Fach@John_Williams thank you each for your very positive reviews and comments on this scene. With some suggestions I have posted an updated version above with the bright area changed by using Content Aware. I appreciate the help and ideas overall…
Wow … The Hole and reflection really caught my eye this morning. I really like the contrast of the brown in the rocks against the blue and white of the mountains in the BG. The clouds are amazing. The image has such a great vibe.
Your beautiful image joins a long line of noble photographs from the east slope of the Sierras. Is there any place in America that has provided so much compelling scenic photography? Your photograph does perfect justice to this tradition.
@Gill_Vanderlip@Russell_Carpenter thank you for the comments on this scene. Yes Russ, I’d say for our general area here on the west coast the sierra range and Alabama Hills ranks at the top of the photographic opportunity list for sure…
Amazing image made even greater by the size of the negative. My first impression was: why is the foreground sunny when the clouds show all sunlight is blocked out. I thought the clouds made it overly dramatic. However after I examined it more closely I got to like the effect you were after her. It’s sort of how the Grand Canyon is often photographed due to the absence of interesting subject matter above the plateau. One suggestion is to dedicate less ‘canvas’ to the sky and make the hole bigger.
Oops, looks like I just duplicated Bill Fach’s suggestion.
@Igor_Doncov thank you for the review and comment. And after looking at your cropped minimized sky similar to @Bill_Fach had posted I really like that look. As far as the FG being lighter my original image posted here lends a bit of thought that the sky was maybe opening a bit here and there. I cannot recall that exactly as it was quite sometime ago now.
This is fantastic, Paul. The subtle blue tones in the foreground rock contrast nicely with the warm tones and that sky is about as good as it gets. Composition works really well and is a classic example of how the “rules” are meant to be broken with the pothole dead center at the bottom. Works beautifully.
Hi Paul,
I am so used to you posting your wonderful JTNP images that I had to look twice when I saw your name. This is a wonderful scene dripping with mood and your tweak with the rework is perfect IMO. I am loving the FG rock with the natural pothole and the reflection. The sky is filled with drama with those ominous storm clouds rolling by. I am also enjoying those snow covered mountains in the BG as they make for another wonderful element in this desert landscape. Beautifully done; no suggestions from me.
Paul, as everyone else has said, this looks great. The warm colors in the rocks, the nicely abstract reflection in the cistern and how those contrast with the stormy sky make a very inviting and dramatic picture. Your change to the sky is a good improvement.
I think I’ve been to this very spot! It’s been a good 12 years though. I love the colors and texture in the rock. The stormy skies give us a bit of a story (the pot hole fills, the pot hole empties).
If I were to add one thing to the feedback already given, it would be, perhaps, to consider reducing the texture in the water, making it feel more fluid and distinguishing it from the rough surfaces surrounding it.
That, of course, is a matter of taste. This is lovely as presented, and as reposted.
ML
This is a wonderful scene dripping with mood and your tweak with the rework is perfect IMO. I am loving the FG rock with the natural pothole and the reflection. The sky is filled with drama with those ominous storm clouds rolling by. I am also enjoying those snow covered mountains in the BG as they make for another wonderful element in this desert landscape. Beautifully done; no suggestions from me.