The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I took this image on a beautiful February morning in the Eastern Sierra range. I was hoping to capture alpen glow on the peaks, unfortunately that was not possible due to dense cloud coverage. I did however get some beautiful light on the landscape.
Specific Feedback
Any and all critique is appreciated.
Technical Details
f/10
1/25 sec
ISO 100
I used a variety of masks within both lightroom and photoshop to try and enhance the depth within this image. Also some dodging and burning to help shape the light
Thanks everyone for your feedback on my original post, I really appreciate all of your help with this one. When I went back to work on the original image, I found this image which was taken a couple minutes earlier. I kept everyone’s suggestions in mind and tried to be more mindful of the light and contrast. Let me know what you think.
Looks quite serene and inviting. I think the water makes a great leading line, but I’m not sure it’s being used effectively. My eye has gone to the bright yellow strip each and every time I open this photo. I want to explore, but I don’t. Back of the photo wins every time. Given that the sun just crested, this is natural, but is it working for your intent for the photo?
Thank you for the feedback Kristen. This is the problem I have been running into as well. Every time I view this image my eye darts straight back to the highlights in the background. With the mountains being covered there is no subject to command attention. As much as I love the warm highlights on the reeds in the foreground, I think I may choose to edit a blue hour version of this image as I find it to be less distracting without the sun.
Good morning Scott! I agree with Kristen on this one. I think the golden area in the middle right hand side of the image looks a little blown out and it just takes over the image. I downloaded it, messed around a little and it feels like you’ve got enough data in your file to pull back exposure in that area, preserve the details and make it blend in a little better. I also went with a little more contrast all around to let the colors shine and bring out the reflection in the water.
I also wonder if cropping out the right side of the image could make for an interesting composition?
Overall though, what a beautiful location! You certainly captured the feeling!
Scott, this is a beautiful shot. I love the soft reds and yellows. I also agree with Kris’s suggestion. I think the processing @scottflaherty did on this image make it a stunning image. I like both reworks, but I think I’m leaning toward the second one in which he cropped off the FG land on the rt. side. My eye instantly grabs the river and I follow it to the BG. Nice.
I really don’t have much to add as I think everything I’d like to say has already been said. The curve of the river is really nice and I think @Dan_Hawk did a really nice job bringing back the bright highlights which really helps reveal the beauty that kind of got lost in the original.
Love the Owens! And you’ve captured a gorgeous landscape. Compositionally this is wonderfully framed and presented. A great and complimentary sky and love the amount of snow on the mountains.
First impressin is the same as the other comments and I agree that Dan nailed the re-work. Such great potential with this image - certainly print worthy!
Hey Dan! I appreciate you taking the time to work on this image and show me what is possible. I really like what you did with the edits. Bringing back some of the highlights was a really nice touch. I’ve since messed around with a few other images from this morning with your suggestions in mind. I’ll post the revision shortly. Thanks again
Thank you! I agree, I think Dan did a great job with his re work. My image was a bit “half cooked”. I was so focused on trying to accentuate depth within the image that I botched the contrast. I appreciate you taking the time to look and offer me feedback.
Hey Lon, thank you. It truly was a beautiful morning and I see now that I need to spend some more time with this one to really drive it on home. Dan did a fantastic job controlling the light.
I jumped back into lightroom and actually found a different image from this morning (same composition, just taken a few minutes earlier) that I believe to be more interesting. I kept all of the feedback in mind while processing it and believe its just about done. I will post shortly.
