This is an image that was taken in last light with long shadows in Utah a few months ago. I saw this fence out in the middle of nowhere and thought I would try and incorporate it into an image. There were lots of dirt bike tracks that I had to clone out. Not sure I did a very good job. Anyway, this particular composition caught my eye. It’s basically an S pattern starting in the hills of the badlands and winding directly into the fence line. I liked the way the fence was catching light and leading to the hills. Let me know if this works for you and if you have suggestions for me.
Specific Feedback Requested
Is the foreground too busy?
Should I burn the foreground dirt so it doesn’t catch the eye so much?
Is depth of field an issue.? The hills are sharp but not the foreground and fence posts.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D850, 150-600mm lens @ 210mm, ISO 500, 1/500 @ f/11
It was very windy so I had to raise the ISO quite a bit to get a decent shot.
Excellent use of light and dark in this image. The entire composition consists of light and dark objects. I really like how the fence is bright going in one direction and dark going in the other. I also like how you handled the mountain with some planes well lit on a fairly dark background. I’m a stickler for sharpness so I would have preferred the dark fence to be tack sharp. The good news is that it’s the dark fence and therefore less of an issue. Great image overall and one to be proud of. I particularly like how you made the more distant fence the brightest of the light objects.
I love those mountains. They make me think of something out of a JR Tolkien book. Like the Misty Mountains. If I had seen this scene and could photograph it half as good as you I would probably try to exclude the fence. That’s just my take, only because I think it looks so like a fantasy. I like all the shadow and light. Really nice capture.
I think this is awesome!! It does look like a fantasy scene! The fence and “road” are so strong, with the hills behind, that I would have been tempted to clone out the head!
I love the patters of light and dark, both in the road and the hills, with its wonderful zig-zag visual line. The dropoff to darker tones at the top is perfect! A focus stack would have been nice but the bottom area works well enough as a base. The shadow of the fence is wonderful! And good job with the tracks!
I’m absolutely fascinated by the composition and the different elements and I think that’s exactly what makes this picture so special. This perfect transition of the man-made elemnt (fence) into these breathtaking mountains is amazing.
It doesn’t bother me at all that the foreground is out of focus. On the contrary, it gives the mountains even more energy and structure. Again and again my gaze starts at the bottom of the picture and every time I have this wow effect again when it arrives at the mountains.
A very inspiring picture.
I don’t find the foreground to busy, although burning and/or reducing the contrast in the dirt might have the desired effect of it not catching the eye too much. On my screen the OOF area in the foreground is subtle and actually helps push the eye further into the image. Very nice study of light and shadow and angles.
I agree with all the positive comments, but it feels cropped too tight to my eye, especially on the left. The fence line going back and to the left is definitely a draw. And the central series of “peaks” is subtly echoed by several more in the upper left, creating another “line”. Having a little more breathing room around them would encourage me to linger there longer.
Thanks very much for your comments and suggestions on this one @Igor_Doncov , @Vanessa_Hill , @Diane_Miller , @Harley_Goldman , @Martin9 , @DeanRoyer , @Rick_Alway , @Eva_McDermott. I would have loved to have been able to do a focus stack but the wind was blowing somewhere around 15-20 MPH and I had a hard enough time getting 1 sharp image with the long lens. This is why I had to raise the ISO to 500. Vanessa, I did shoot just the hill if I remember correctly so I’ll have to go back and find that image. If I can locate it I will post in this thread for you to see. Rick, I agree with you about this being a bit tight. There were more formations on the left side catching lots of light so I thought I would try and exclude those and I very slightly burned the ridge catching light on the far left edge in the hills so that the eye would go more towards the center ridge. Thanks again for your comments. I appreciate them all.
I’ve come into this a little late but just wanted to say that I love this image - such a brilliant study of black and white. I do think that the fence really makes the picture and the different shades of light in this fence complement the shading of the folds of the hills. Composition and the aspect ratio tip-top too, so thanks for such an enjoyable image!
Thank you @philip1 for your thoughts on this. I agree that the fence is what makes the picture with both deep darks and bright highlights drawing you through the scene. Thanks again.
David, this is outstanding. The zig-zag of the fence leads to the zig-zag of the ridges creating a strong sense of depth. The second ridge (upper left) complements the main ridge nicely while adding interest in the top part of the frame.
You’ve hit this one out of the park, David (you’ll excuse the baseball reference but I can’t help it, the season is on!). Joking aside the light in this image or, better put, the light that is this image is so seductive. I just love how the fence line so beautifully mimics the rock face. I also love the elegance and seeming simplicity of this image. Wonderful.
This is not just an eye-catching image, but an eye-holding piece of art as well. The double S-curve is terrific. I appreciate the work you did to accentuate (and de-accentuate) the hills. Sharpness is fine - sharp where needed.
For me, the horizontal, bright fence line seems too eye-catching. I burned the left and right a bit, so it does not take me off the canvas. Also dodged some of the brighter areas in the lower center. With the strong shadows showing in the foreground, I seemed to want the earth between the shadows to be brighter.
We are all very happy you stopped and captured this scene. Might make us remember to slow down a bit.
I certainly appreciate the feedback @Kerry_Gordon , and @Dick_Knudson. I’m ready for baseball to start too Kerry. Can’t wait. Good analogy. Dick, terrific adjustments. I love them. I will incorporate them into a redo for my own purposes. Thanks so much for taking the time to share your thoughts on this.
Fantastic image. Definitely an image made for B&W. I’m not sure any of the reworks add anything substantial to your original interpretation. Good eye to see this.
