On a recent trip to the PNW I had some of the worst photography conditions you can imagine. I’d go to bed with driving rains and 30 mph winds and wake up to bluebird conditions and not a cloud in the sky. But…but…this one evening provided just a bit of magic and definitely made for a memorable day. It was a tough image to process because it contained both high and low contrast elements and so trying to maintain that balance while recreating the amazing light took some time.
Specific Feedback Requested
I’ m really curious to know what people think of the scene in general as well as the processing. Did I overdo the dodging of the light coming through the opening in the rock formation? Raw file included below
Thanks!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Sony A7R3, FM 100-400; 235mm, f/13, ISO 100, 1/3sec
Hi and welcome to NPN. I hope you like it here as much as I do (just joined this year!).
Great image and your processing really accentuates the shapes and the light. Cloning what you did was terrific. It puts our attention where it needs to be. The keyhole light is a bit pronounced, but only a little. Not sure if it’s the change in directionality that calls it out even if the keyhole light would probably be focused at a different angle than the light coming over the right.
The water layer adds a lot, but possibly is a tad too dark in the immediate fg. Maybe clone it out or crop it? Either way the colors and the additional waves you created where the rock was look pretty convincing.
Thank you so much! So as far as the cloning - that was 90% content aware fill. I’ve honestly never had it work as well as it did for this photo. I was surprised. I agree though, that immediate foreground wave is a bit dark and too attention grabbing. I’ll definitely work on that bit. Thanks again!
Yeah, sometimes CAF can do amazing things, often when you least expect it. I do not think the light through the keyhole looks overdone, it looks fine to me. I think the composition is fine, you avoided merging the seastacks, and I like position of the sun.
Color is a subjective thing, and often a matter of personal preference. It’s often good to have warm and cool colors together to generate color contrast. For me personally, something about the color of the dark water (and the deepest shadows in the rocks) feels a bit off. Perhaps it’s a bit too cool, and just doesn’t seem to fit with the warm light here. Shadows are normally cool, but it looks like the water is partly in the light, which is whats throwing me off. I also agree with @Kris_Smith that the water is too dark, essentially for the same reason.
Here is a rework where I applied warming to the water and the darker tones using a darks luminosity mask. Color is a subjective thing, I hope you don’t mind me taking my own spin on this. But for me the warmer shadows and water seem more consistent with the beautiful warm glow in the sky.
Thank you so much! And no, of course i don’t mind you putting your spin on it. It’s super helpful and exactly what I was looking for. I seriously appreciate it; and I agree with your thoughts. that’s why a fresh set of eyes on a photo is so valuable - I never would’ve though to warm the foreground but agree that it makes the image much better. Here it is after a little reworking taking yours and @Kris_Smith advice into consideration
Thanks again!
This is a lovely scene, Michael. The reworks with @Ed_McGuirk and @Kris_Smith suggestions have taken this up another notch. The soft light filtering through the fog is truly magical and the light coming through the opening in the rock looks just fine to me. Very nicely done.
I like the rework Michael. The overall warmer look takes advantage of the best thing about this image, the warm glow in the sky and mist. And by warming up the shadow areas, you make the light through the arch even more prominent. Yet the arch light still looks realistic because it is consistent with how the sky looks.
