What changed: I went back to the zillion photos I took during my trip and found a similar panorama to the 2 I posted here, but that was not burned out and showed the complete trees. @Igor: I agree with you about flattened out pictures, but in my view the light here is not frontal, if you look at the shadows on the trees. Anyway, this is the best I could achieve under the circumstances. Please, feel free to disagree.
Added after receiving feedback from the community.
The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
After a few days of heavy rains, I attempted to reach the shore of lake Shkodar in Albania, early in the morning. The lake however had overflown its shores, creating a reflection pond. My main camera was fitted with a long telelens, so I used my smartphone to create vertical panorama’s. The light was continuously shifting, as you can see from the 2 very different pictures of the same scene.
Feedback Requested
My first question is about the quality of the smartphone pictures. Any issues there?
It took some time to adjust the number of pictures needed for an optimal panorama. Which of both pictures seems most in balance to you, composition-wise?
Of course, any other suggestion for improvement is very welcome.
Technical Details
Camera: samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra
Lens: Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Rear Telephoto Camera
Focal length: 8mm
Shutter speed: 1/750s
Aperture: f/2.4
ISO: 320
I created the panorama’s in Lightroom, the simple way.
They are both interesting photographs. I particularly like the near perfect reflection in both of them. I like that the tree tops are not cut off in the first photo, neither the real trees nor the reflected ones. What I don’t really care for is the overly bright sky in the first one. I don’t know if there is anything you can do to get some detail back, given that they were from a phone camera.
The light in the second photo is much more interesting, but two things give me pause. The first is the tops of the trees are cut off and second the very bright green moss line. While the moss line looks like the dividing line between the real trees and the reflection, something above the line or what appears to be behind the trees throws off the reflection.
Nice work though, making use of whatever camera you had art your disposal. The quality, at least at the size you have presented appeas to be good.
In the first image, the image looks level and the tall trees in the middle of the frame are relatively evenly dispersed although perhaps you could use a little bit more canvas on the left side of the image as that small tree is cut off and on the right it isn’t.
I very much like the X patterns all throughout the middle of the frame both above and below the water line. I also can appreciate the near perfect stillness in the water enabling you to get a terrific reflection. I would love to see more detail in the sky in the first image particularly above the waterline. The reflection is not too bad really.
In the second image, The light is better. Either first light or last light giving the brush some very warm colors. The greens are perhaps a little vivid for me but given the light you had might prove to be fairly accurate. I would have loved to be able to see more above the tree line and it’s reflection in this one as well. It feels a little cut off. I would crop the very left edge of this one as you have a curving tree trunk exiting the frame and it’s very bright.
These images are of nearly the same thing yet feel worlds apart and it’s all due to the light. It’s a tough pick but I think I prefer the second image slightly over the first image. More color and detail in the sky, good composition, great colors in the trees and reflection.
The quality does not appear to be an issue at all for me. Well done. Use whatever tool you have on hand.
I prefer the first image far more than the second. Part of it is that the brown and steel blue make a great color combination but mostly it’s due to the composition with all those distinct wavy trees. Regarding the second image. I don’t like frontal sunlight that falls directly on the subject and I never shoot that way. I find that it flattens the subject. It’s like the effect a flash had on portraiture in the old days when all the contours of a face is lost. In sunlight I like the light coming from the side or from behind the subject.
Xavier, I prefer the first of your original images. The composition is striking. The only thing wrong with it is the sky. One possible solution is to make it a high-key black and white image. I hope you don’t mind my showing you what I mean. Obviously, that may not be your cup of tea.
Thank you, Don. I am working on it, moving from the descriptive to the creative. I very much appreciate your proposition. Keep pushing (me and others).
