Red Cliff in Mist, Island of Sylt

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
1

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Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

It was a misty day at the end of February this year, when we hiked along the west beach of the island of Sylt. This image was taken at the Red Cliff between Kampen and Wenningstedt. The mystic atmosphere made for a quite different experience of the otherwise more colorful cliff walls.

Specific Feedback

Any comments and critique are welcome.

Technical Details

Panasonic Lumix DC-G9 with Olympus 12-60mm 2.8-4.0, tripod, polarizer

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2

You found a nice section of cliff wall with some interesting almost symmetrical patterns. I would probably raise the levels/exposure just a tad.

3

Peter,

This has such mood and atmosphere; and clearly the mist has provided that mood, and a bit of mystery.

I really like the straight-on view of the cliff; including the shape and symmetry. The beach at the bottom provides good context and scale.

I’m with Michael on perhaps boosting the exposure a little bit. However, I think what might happen is losing a bit of that “misty” appearance. Which leads me to think of perhaps using a gradient of sorts in combo with any number of adjustment layers to retain that misty look - and I’m thinking to maintain that in the upper parts of the image, but with more clarity in the sand and grasses at the base. Not sure if that makes sense. I haven’t tried, but I think there is some potential to strengthen the exposure and contrast, while still maintaining that ocean-mist softness.

Thanks for sharing!

4

Hi Peter,
I find that the light mist/fog has created some nice atmospherics in this scene. I agree with @Michael_Lowe and @Lon_Overacker about bringing up the exposure just a bit. I hope you do not mind, but I played around in levels just a bit and this is what I came up with. I did not want to go to far and destroy the mood with the fog. Just my opinion of course. Nicely done.

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5

Thanks for sharing this fascinating image — I can certainly see why you captured the scene. The luminosities of the scene are close to each other (Z2-4/5), which gives a sense of calm. The dominant figure is a triangle at the centre of the image, giving the composition a very solid appearance. The light is slightly hazy magenta, and it is evenly distributed over the entire frame. To me, however, the image becomes a bit too static. You may not feel the same way — this is just my subjective preference. Would it be an idea to experiment with exposure (perhaps only locally), clarity (also locally), gradient filters in the top left and right corners, putting emphasis on the triangel? Thanks again for posting an intriguing image.