I could not get the color version to where I wanted so I decided to go B&W like my brother did from this vantage point. This was taken a couple of weeks ago at Blackwater Falls SP in WV. We timed the trip to coincide with a rainy forecast and we were rewarded with just that. I loved the mood and atmospherics here and did not mind getting a little wet. In fact most of it occurred when I closed the hatchback and the standing water poured over me. I was able to cross off a couple of images from my wish list, but not all of them.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
All C&C welcome
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
All C&C welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-200 @ 200mm, f16 @ 1/8 sec, ISO 100, MLU, cable release & tripod
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Top notch, Ed. Even though I stole this comp from you, I didn’t get any this good. Good idea on the B&W. A autumn shot would be a different story cause there was just too much green.
Very nice, Ed! I love the diagonals here, and the fog is lovely, obscuring just enough of the forest. I also like the varying luminosity in the foreground trees, there’s great separation.
I feel like it is overall too bright, so I reworked it a bit, but I understand this may not be your vision here…just another perspective on the image. This is an overall darkening with Levels, then I used a TK Midtones 2 selection on a curves layer, pulling down the darker half more than the lighter half.
Ed, you really know how to lead the eye! Love the sway back and forth as your eye moves down the valley. Personal preference, I like your version. It appears to have more atmosphere, more mystique. Of course, living in Arizona, fog is always a fascination. Well done.
I love this image; it’s very ethereal, the layers of the mountains with the fog are beautiful, the layers of trees in the foreground add depth, and changing it to b&w makes it seem like a classic.
Ed, I’m a sucker for fog, and this image is right up my alley. I love it. In terms of composition you made excellent use of the triangular wedge of trees in the LLC, they create a wonderful anchor/entry point to the image. I also love how the fog rises up to where the zigzagging ridge-lines intersect. Just gorgeous.
In terms of processing I like what @Craig_Moreau did by adding contrast to the mid-ground and background, i think it accentuates the fog better. But I prefer your original processing of the foreground trees over Craig’s rework. In the foreground I prefer the lighter tones in the deciduous trees that are in your original.
Ed, you said that you had issues with processing this as a color image. Spring foliage yellows and green can be tough to handle sometimes. If you are interested, post the color version as well, and let some of us take a stab at a rework. However, I think the B&W works brilliantly, just willing to offer some input on the color version if you are interested.
@Craig_Moreau: Thanks for taking the time to do a rework; always appreciated. I like the FG ridge in my original, but I will try to bring down the brightness of those in the BG.
@Ed_McGuirk: Thanks for the offer. Here is the color version if you or anyone else wants to give it a try.
Here is my stab at working with this image in color. In Lightroom I played with Hue in HSL, pushing green slightly more green, and pushing yellow more orange (most noticeable in foreground). Spring greens contain a lot of yellow, so the above technique creates some color separation between green and yellow for more color contrast. Using TK LM’s, I darkened the spruces in midground (similar to what Craig did in B&W). I also dodged the fog, and cooled it slightly. Applied a TK Smart Orton to a Lights 2 selection, to make the fog more ethereal. I then applied some clarity to the foreground trees to create some contrast in texture, sharper in foreground, but softer beyond. Added some TK vibrance to the greens. Here is the end result, the effect is subtle, but i do think the image works pretty well in color.
@Ed_McGuirk: Thanks so much for taking the time to do a rework. As you mentioned the changes are subtle, but I like the direction you took the image; particularly the FG ridge as you were able to get some color separation from those in the BG.
I was able to cross off a couple of images from my wish list, but not all of them.
