The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This photo was taken at Big Meadows in Shenandoah National Park. It was later in the afternoon on early fall day and there was a nice light illuminating the grasses. I was attracted by the light, the different layers of color in the grasses, and the stand of dead trees in the background. I tried quite a few compositions that day to try and capture the light. Overall, I though this was the most successful.
Specific Feedback
I’m mainly interested in comments on the composition, though any feedback would be appreciated. I wonder if this photo has too many elements. There are the foreground grasses, the low hill in the distance and the dead trees, and I’m not sure if that is just too much. Also I used a wider angle lens, so the dead trees are small. A longer lens would have compressed the scene, but of course then I would not have been able to capture the sweep of the grasses.
Technical Details
Taken with a Sony A7riv in APSC mode using a Sony 24mm lens (36 mm equivalent because of the crop mode). Settings were 1/320, f/11 and ISO 800. It was processed in Lightroom with general exposure, contrast and saturation adjustments. I also did various local adjustments mainly to balance exposure.
Hello @WillR welcome to NPN, really happy to have you posting over here!
First, I think you have done a good job processing this image. I always struggle with the midday light and making an image that the contrast isn’t just too crazy. You have handled the colors and tones well.
With the main subject being the sweeping grasses in the foreground, I find the small green bush in the lower left corner to be a bit distracting. Everything has these rich warm colors and strong highlights, then in the corner you have a green bush with some high contrast. I played with a few crops, mostly panoramas, that would remove that and create a more cohesive front to back image by removing the bush. I really like the warm colors in the grasses and can see why you wanted to feature them. Cropping in like this does bring a bit more prominence to the dead trees in the background which you may want to tone down a bit as they are pretty bright, but that is up to you.
NPN is a super helpful place and I hope to see you posting here frequently! If there is anything I can do to help as you get started on the site, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Hi Will and welcome to NPN. Looks like you were out in the great wide open on a beautiful day. Brave of you to attempt some landscapes in this light. Not many would and I agree your processing handled it well.
I am puzzled as to what you want me to look at here. This happens to me sometimes when I have something that just feels wonderful to be in, but doesn’t have a throughline or focal point. The grasses dominate, but you have them at arm’s length and the bush to the left intrudes a bit. The trees on the far horizon are the brightest part of the image, but they are even further away. So I’m stumped. This is a tough scene though so I’m not sure what else I’d have done. Maybe getting low and immersed in the grasses would have been interesting. I’ve done that from time to time. Or maybe isolating the light trees with a long lens. That you didn’t include a lot of sky is to your credit as is taking a chance on a blue bird sky day.
So I hope that’s helpful for next time and that we’ll see more of you walks and photos in future. I’d love to see this scene with wild flowers or something. Definitely has possibilities.
Thanks, I will try a different crop, and I can certainly tone down the dead trees. If I do a modified version of the image is there a way to post it at the top with the original, or do I just do a reply and place it later in the thread?
Thanks for your reply Kristen. It was a pretty clear day, but it was also late enough that the light was hitting the grasses from an angle. It looked great there, but it was hard to capture. The issue of the focal point of the picture is what I was trying to get at in the description. My intent was to get the sweep of the grasses leading to the stand of the trees, but it doesn’t quite work. Thanks for your feedback.
You sure can! If you go back to edit your original post, you can add another image with the import button. Let me know if you need some help with that and I may be able to record a short video for you tomorrow.
I figured out how to add an image, though the interface could be clearer.
I tried a crop based on your suggestion and also toned the trees down some. I think it helps, but I also think there’s a limit to what I can without revisiting the scene. I’ll actually be back in Shenandoah this weekend, but maybe not at that location. Next time I think I’ll use a longer lens and spend more time on the composition.
Hi Will. Welcome to the website. I would agree with the @Kris_Smith’s comment about suggesting a more distinct subject for the scene. What I see in your image is a desire to capture the grandeur of the landscape, but doing it with a compositionally-limited poker hand, if you will. In my own photography, I am really (finally) learning to isolate smaller scenes and find the grandeur of a place within its details. I think you can gain quite a bit compositionally by distilling the scene into its core element, and the grass would really serve that purpose. I think there is much you could do with that wonderful grass that really would hone in on that as the subject. Additionally, I think Kris’ suggestion to change your perspective a bit, and get lower into the grass, is one I would second. One other though, the the sky is a beautiful blue, I would suggest playing with compositions that keep the sky out of your frame unless there is a specific color or pattern in that sky that is also distinct.
I hope these ideas offer a different perspective. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your work.
I think you did quite well in capturing and crafting this landscape. Personally, I don’t think too many elements; quite simple actually with the field of grasses, the tree-covered hill - including the stand of dead trees, and then the blue sky. You did well to not include too much sky and emphasized the field of grasses with approx 75% of the composition. I think it’s balanced in that way, and successful in emphasizing those grasses.
I would agree with others about the green bush in the LLC (lower left corner). To me though, the crop to eliminate completely changes the perspective bringing the stand of dead trees and hill more in to prominence. this works, but I think doesn’t accomplish what you originally intended.
Of course I wasn’t there and I’m not sure if you’ll be able to re-work the scene, but I was thinking actually a vertical composition having moved a bit to the right (in order to eliminate the bush AND keep the stand of trees still in the frame. the taller vertical format could make the near/far composition maybe a little stronger? At least that’s my thought.
Colors, processing, quite excellent!
Thank you for sharing and we look forward to more images and also your participation in the galleries and critiquing other images as well. Welcome aboard!
Ah, but it would in different light I think. Very low direct sun would bring up texture an modeling in the grass and how the wind has shaped it. Of course you have to go early or stay late, but it might server your purpose. Sidelight does wonders for a lot of things.
