Owen's Bend

[kori (Kori Morehart)]

I grew up going further north in the Sierras and have recently had the chance to stop lower down to enjoy and explore. My kids and I are finding some great trails to hike and cow’s to watch meander. We were camping at one of the nearby creeks and decided to explore the Owen’s. It was mid-day and a cloudless sky, so I lacked getting some extra oomph, but the river still draws me and the beauty isn’t less, just different. Thanks in advance for taking the time to look and share with me. I truly appreciate your time!

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Processing thoughts (I’m VERY new to processing photos and am practicing playing with shots I get to help grow) and ANYTHING else you have feedback on. Also, I’m in the market for another lens. I’m more than open to hearing your opinions on a good starter EF-S wide angle that can help improve on shots similar to this. I have a couple I’m considering but would love opinions if you feel like sharing.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Always interested in composition thoughts and anything else!

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

Canon T3i 600D, stock 18-55mm lens @ 37mm, ISO 100, f14, 1/160, hand-held

You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

[Alan_Kreyger]

Kori, welcome to NPN. Given it was mid day I think you handled the harsh light quite well. At this time of day with clear skies I tend to look for more intimate scenes, but as you said this is still a beautiful place to capture and you did I a nice job highlighting the river bend.
I would prefer a little more breathing room above the mountain peaks and on the left side of the river bend,
I am not a Canon shooter but am sure others here will offer suggestions for a wider lens.
I look forward to seeing more of your work!

[Hank_Pennington]

I’m thoroughly acquainted with the Owens, but always too distracted by trout to attempt photography. I can’t help you with any processing suggestions, but I will say your photo goes one step beyond the simple fact of good composition. It conveys the “feeling” or “sense” of the Owens, making viewers feel like they’re actually there. I can’t find better words to elaborate on that, but when viewing this I can smell and hear the river and feel the cool air settling off the snowy heights. Very well done.

[Lon_Overacker]

Welcome to NPN Kori! Stick around and there will be plenty of processing morsels to help you along your way.

You’ve done well in capturing the essence of the place as Hank so eloquently wrote. I haven’t spent a lot of time there, but am familiar enough to know how accurately you’ve rendered the scene; colors, processing, etc. Yes, the light isn’t dramatic, but one can still convey a place well, and you’ve done that.

Also agree with Alan about wishing for a tad more room; actually, all the way around. Since it appears you still had some zooming out room (at 37mm) that there was likely something you tried to exclude from the scene. but in general, here’s my rule or saying around this. If you’re going to include something (mountain top, curved edge of river, or foreground…) then do so with purpose. Same goes for excluding things. If you’re going to drop in to something, like a tall tree, then clip on purpose. Anyway, nothing “wrong” with what you captured - your comp is excellent. Just food for thought about capturing enough space. Quite easy to crop, not so easy to add back.

As far as processing goes, yeah, there’s tons to learn and just as many ways to accomplish the same thing. It’s also very much about personal choice and taste. I think the goal for most is to have a natural rendition. I myself like to push that at time. I hope you don’t mind I downloaded your image and gave it a little contrast and color boost. Easy enough to use Levels/Curves layer, Hue/sat or simple brightness/contrast adjustments in PS or LR.

What I did is described in a post I wrote a while back. It makes use of the LAB color mode. It’s probably overkill for most applications and an advance technique, but the possibilities out there are endless.

I also increased the vertical canvas and “stretched” the sky using the Tranform tool. That’s a great technique when you have blank sky, white snow, or any solid. And at the bottom of the image is a great example where stretching does NOT work, because of how plants and things get distorted. So I resorted to cloning.

Hope this helps. Please let me know if you would rather not have your images altered.

Lon

[Harley_Goldman]

Kari, a nice view of the beautiful Owens. I like Lon’s changes and agree with Hank about nicely conveying the feel of the place. Many of us have spent a lot of hours and days in this area and it is a nice return journey through your image.

[Dave_Dillemuth]

Welcome, Kori! Believe it or not I know this exact bend ; o ). Nicely framed and pretty sweet given the contrasty mid-day light. I’m liking Lon’s edits.

[Andrew_Sentipal]

A beautiful scene and Lon’s edits take it to a higher level for me. Some great tips in the post to keep in mind for the future. Looking forward to seeing more of your work.