Another new location for me. I have been hunting for a spot where I can get a good selection of the Snowdonia range in a big panorama. This was not the spot (the search continues).
I hadn’t even noticed this composition until I got my phone out to send a shot to my Mum to show here where I was. I enjoyed the sweeping shadows that form ridges and lead you through the scene. Towards the peak in the back ground.
I’m most interested in processing feedback, especially in the back ground. Any advice or cc on any element, including composition, will be welcome.
Sony A7ii | Canon 16-35mm f4L
26mm | f/14 | 1/4s | ISO50
0.6 Soft GND (in hindsight it should have been a 0.9 Soft)
Single shot
@eugene_theron_photography
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
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I have no comments to make about the processing, Eugene, just about what seems to me a beautifully composed and crafted image. The mood is serene, with a gentle contrast between the misty blues of the bg and the warm colours where the light falls in the fg. Great sense of place and of the time of day.
Stuff like this happens to me all the time, it really illustrates the value of having the patience to slow down and really think about our images. I think the processing looks right on the money, and it helps create a nice mood in this image. The foreground light and color look gorgeous. The landscape looks very rich and warm in this scene.
I am a bit conflicted about the composition. I love the placement of the rock and grasses here, they make for a killer foreground. But when I look at this image, all those diagonal lines in the left half of the scene lead my eye to a bald sky in the URC, while the interesting peak in the distance is in the ULC. When I see leading lines that are as strong as these, I generally like to see them lead to something of interest, rather than just empty sky. I’m making this comment from a pure creative/artistic standpoint, but I suspect you may have more of an emotional attachment to this location due to the novelty of finding it. If your intent want to share an interesting new location in nice light, this works fine from that perspective. But in terms of impact, IMO it would work better with a stronger background in the URC.
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Eugene, there is a sense of calmness with this image and I think it’s a great attribute to the image. I also like the quality of the light you have captured and the processing is spot on. I am with @Ed_McGuirk with the composition. I hope you will revisit the spot. It looks like it has so much to offer.
Eugene,
Most certainly a grand view that you have capture, composed and processed very well. Processing is good and appropriate; my only comment there has little to do with processing, but more to the conditions that existed at that moment. It’s too back the atmosphere is a bit hazy; not much to do about that, but I think clearer condition is about the only thing that could be done to improve this.
The light striking the lower half and the low angle warm light is lovely. The only small suggestion would be to burn down the brightest grass along the bottom edge right of center. No biggie though
Lon
@Ed_McGuirk Yes, I agree with you re slowing down. I had already been mooching around for 20 mins or so before I started to look for comps. I can get get quite impatient when I get to a spot and can’s see a shot immediately. I have forced ‘sit down and absorb’ time.
Now that you mention it I can see what you are getting at - i drew them on in blue. I had seen the comp slightly differently. With the snaking s-shape leading towards the peak and the yellow lines drawing in from other points. So now I’m conflicted too and I tend to agree with you. To be honest I think the point of the image was to show a cool new spot with nice light, but I also quite liked the image (i guess there was something I was unsure about and I think this may be it).
@Adhika_Lie thank you very much. Really appreciate the feedback. Yes, I hope revisit sometime. It’s luckily not too difficult to get to.
@Ian_Wolfenden Thanks Ian. Im glad i was able to convey how quiet and peaceful it was. I still can’t believe I had the whole place to myself. Thanks for the feedback.
@Lon_Overacker Yeah they haze was a pity. It’s often like that round here during the spring. I am a firm believer of just making do with the conditions that present themselves. Which is easier said than done sometimes lol. Tending to agree about the lower right grass. Now that I’ve seen it, I can’t unnotice it. Cheers for the feedback.
Another thought. Perhaps coming round to the right slightly may have helped. Would have put the peak slightly more central and balanced out the ‘space’ on the right. Would also have accentuated the clouds on top of the peak. I couldn’t have stepped right more than a few feww or I would have fallen off the edge 
When I first viewed the image, my eyes immediately went to the golden light in the foreground grasses, which led me to see those strong leading lines you highlighted in blue, which then took me to the upper right. I did not really “see” the S Curve you drew in red, but I see it now. I think the blue lines dominated for me because they pointed to something bright, the sky. If you want the viewer to follow the red lines you drew, you may want to consider a square crop. This eliminates much of the bright sky, retains most of the red lines, and the viewer has no choice but to end up at the mountain. And now the mountain dominates the background. I hope this helps, this image has a wonderful foreground and is worth tweaking to get the most out of it.
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Yeah you are totally right. That crop makes a huge difference to the way the image feels and is scaled. It just has a better balance. Thanks for the suggestion @Ed_McGuirk
I really like the light on the foreground and the sweeping line in the grasses but for me, the background gets kind of lost. This scene is however definitely worth re-visiting in better conditions!
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Thanks for the feedback @Tom_Nevesely. Yeah i tend to agree with you the more I look at the image. Cropping has definately helped it out but could still do with something. Maybe a slightly longer focal length
