The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was taken on a brisk morning this December in Yosemite Valley. I spent several hours photographing these fascinating ice patterns, and this particular formation stood out to me.
Specific Feedback
The primary aspects which I would appreciate feedback on are the color balance of the image and the overall lighting/contrast of the image. As far as color goes, I am mainly unsure about the tint of the image. Is there too much magenta, or could it benefit from a hint more? I personally like the slightly high key, bright feel an I am curious if anyone thinks it could benefit from more or even less contrast.
Technical Details
This was taken at about 1/15 of a second at f/10 and ISO 100. I used the electronic shutter focus bracketing on the Canon R5 to stack roughly 30 shots in Helicon Focus.
Lance, great to see you posting here. Looks like your time was well spent. Great to get lost into some ice abstracts in the field. Your image showcases the ice patterns well. Everything looks nice and sharp. For edge patrol, there is a small sliver of ice that is rectangular shape in the upper right of center. Easy to clone that our crop in a bit.
I brought the image into LR and made some minor tweaks. I did add a bit more magenta although I also like the baby blue color in your original too. Adding some magenta tint help counter the yellow tones which are hard to notice unless you start adjusting the tint. I increased clarity and dehaze a small amount to add some micro contrast and then reduced the saturation to help balance things out. It’s a subtle change but let me know what you think.
I find the color balance and tonality quite pleasing in this image, Lance. You can go anywhere you want with ice color wise or in B&W and come up with something interesting. Whether it’s pleasing is all a matter of taste. You picked a great frame to work with.
As long as I’m commenting: @Alfredo_Mora you forgot to post the revised image you came up with.
Thank you for the feedback, Dennis. Maybe I’ll try a B/W conversion and see how that looks. I mostly just want to make sure I’m not overdoing anything when it comes to color.
Hey Alfredo, good to see you here! I couldn’t think of anyone better for the abstract moderator role. Unfortunately your image didn’t seem to attach, but I tried playing with a hint of magenta and some micro contrast as you suggested and I am really enjoying the look. Let me know if you think anything seems off.
. @Dennis_Plank suggested that B/W conversion might be interesting. Hope you don’t mind, but I made this attempt at B/W. I converted it in my old version of Elements using Scenic Landscape style; darkened it a little, did some smart fix adjustment and then converted it to B/W infra red style.
What a wonderful ice abstract! I love the arrangement of the fractures, all surrounding the much smaller detail. I got the impression of mountain surrounding some large metropolis or congregation of creatures, what ever… but very cool the combination of he larger structure and graphics surrounding by the finer details.
Color/contrast/luminisity? All in the eye of the beholder! I think your original works beautifully, but the edits also show the possibilities! The b&w stands out quite beautifully. I like the slightly deeper blue that Alredo presented, but I think you’re right in keeping this on the light side. But again, many directions to go with this. In fact, I know that I too would struggle with the blues here; hue, tint, WB, too magenta or green?
the only suggestion I have and not sure if it’s mentioned - a slight vignette.
