A very long walk up a very long Swedish mountain valley brought us to the toe of a small glacier. It was cold and windy, and my long-suffering partner tried to stay warm by hunkering behind a large boulder while I spent too much time wandering, composing, and wandering some more. She finally gave up and baled on me, starting back down the rocky glacial forefield to at least be moving again. I finally ended up with this composition, then had to chase her down and hope she wasn’t too frustrated with me (again!).
Specific Feedback Requested
I really like the drama in this image, and saw it as a strong B&W at the moment of composition. However, probably in line with the larger apparent trend in landscape photography, I am starting to worry about the complexity of some of the scenes I compose. There’s a lot going on here, obviously. Is it too much (especially with regards to the high contrast clouds)?
Technical Details
Sony Ar7III with Tamron 17-28 mm; 17 mm, 1/60th sec, f/22 at ISO 50.
This scene was passed through Nik Silver Efex Pro before additional post-processing in PS. Lots of luminosity masks with targeted curves and additional dodging and burning in this one.
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Wow, this type of scene is what those ultra wide lenses were made for. Excellent composition, Jeff. And I think B&W fits the image perfectly. I love the larger version, I can just wander all around the scene. I only have one suggestion. As you said the clouds are a bit dark. That’s not a problem, but it looks like there was a gradient or luminosity mask that also darkened the top of the near cliff and the hill/mountain in the distance. I think brightening up those ares would yield an even stronger image. This is so unique, I just love it.
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WONDERFUL!!! Fantastic visual line down the valley and very nice tonal structure! I think @David_Bostock has a point about the darkening, as I see a light halo above the horizon on the left. Both easy to fix.
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Jeff, there is indeed a lot going on in your image, and I enjoy all the diverse elements working together. The lines and shapes in your composition lead me into the depth and I keep exploring the whole frame.
I just think whether the whole image could use some brightening, the closed shadows as well as the brightest areas in the snow. This is of course only my personal suggestion. I like the image as it is, especially the stunning dynamics.
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The contours in the ice make for a strong element in the foreground and effectively lead my eye through the scene to the waterfall. The strong contrast enhances the drama of the scene. One minor nit is that the mountain in the upper left hand corner feels a bit too dark.
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I really like this composition and its graphic nature. This has all the components of a really good image. In my opinion what needed is an analysis of how to tonally process the various shapes with respect to one another. The sky, in my opinion (again), would be better off if its tonality was lighter. Not because it would look more natural but to offset it from the adjacent dark shapes and to balance the only other light shape in the image, the snow. This is hastily done but it does convert the proposed idea.
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This is a challenging image to post process for the reasons that @Igor_Doncov points out. I actually love the composition - its flow is quite unusual. Igor’s suggestion to lighten the sky and, even more, why he suggested it, is right on and I’m amazed how positively it affects my entire sense of the image. But I would continue along those lines with the ice field centre-left as my eye comes around the bend. I might be tempted to bring up the contrast, possibly the texture so as to invite me in a bit more intentionally. Well seen and composed.
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Wow – what a change Igor made! The lighter sky feels like the perfect balance for the FG ice, and its tonalities much more natural.
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Yep, can’t deny that the lighter sky is a considerable improvement. Thanks @Igor_Doncov! I appreciate everyone’s honest feedback and careful attention to detail. I’m glad the composition resonates and really appreciate all the suggestions for corrections/improvements.
The work that @Igor_Doncov put into this balances the bright white LRC with the ULC’s brighter sky. I also would suggest the same thing that @Kerry_Gordon mentions about keeping the eye going through the scene by adding some additional light, contrast and texture in the snowfield as it goes around the far bend. I would also dodge the far upper left mountain as it looks almost pure black and I think that bringing some of the blacks and shadows back puts it more in line with the other mountain outcroppings. This is a beautiful image that was worth the time you spent looking for a composition. I also hope your partner isn’t too upset with you.
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What a fun image. I like Igor’s sky brightening a lot. I also wondered whether a horizontal flip might allow the (western) eye to read the scene more effectively. We tend to read from left to right and to move from top to bottom. In the original, we move from bottom right thru the middle to top right
I don’t know how you feel about changing nature in this way (flipping a scene from how it appeared in nature) and I know it’s always harder for me to do this in a place I enjoyed as it appeared in nature. So, it’s a lot easier for someone else to flip the scene than it is for the photographer. Anyway, just one possible suggestion below:
Anyway you look at it, a great hike, great image, and great story.
ML
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