This was an image I was really looking forward to working on after we got home from our two day trip to WV. Mike and I stayed at this spot for a while as the light was constantly changing and illuminating different areas of the scene. I particularly liked this one as I enjoyed the alternating bands of shadow and light. For some inexplicable reason I did not think to check the image for sharpness. It wasn’t until sometime later that I noticed that I had the autofocus switch set to limit on the 80-200. Needless to say I was disappointed after I got home and noticed the really OOF areas in the image.
As always thanks for taking a moment to leave a thought.
Specific Feedback Requested
I tried using the oil paint filter hoping to rescue the image. Just wondering what other folks think. Am I wasting my time?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-200 @ 105mm, f 16 @ 1/125 sec, ISO 800, CPL, cable release & tripod
Really nice scene, but the technicals, well… The filter really isn’t working for me and the sky looks pretty funky from the filter as do the trees. I am not into the painting filters at all, so keep that in mind with my opinion.
Ed, I think i’d crop this to 4x5 to get rid of the high flying bird. It just looks like a dust spec. Also the filter looks ok on the trees but I think it ruined the sky. Just made it look like high ISO noise. JMHO. The bands of light and shadow are nice.
I agree with Harley, no on the filter. Some changes I would do: lighten up the left lower part of the photo just a bit, darken the sky just a bit, and level the horizon.
It’s a beautiful location, and I can see why you are trying to salvage this Ed. But honestly the filter just isn’t doing it for me. It’s not abstract or stylized enough to clearly be “photo art” (whatever that is), rather it still mostly looks like an OOF image.
If you can’t salvage this image, it gives you a good excuse to return to this spot next Autumn. Or heck go back this winter, it looks like it might be a nice place to shoot after a snowstorm too.
