The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Kind of a classic White Sands scene but on my only visit there I was delighted and intrigued by how a vast expanse of sand would suddenly be punctuated by a single yucca. This was taken in the early morning so as the sun was rising the shadow was receding.
Specific Feedback
I brought up the brightness of the main layer of sand but wanted to maintain some tonal separation between it and the fully sunlit BG dune. More brightness around the yucca?
Technical Details
Sony A77II
Sony 70-400 G @ 120mm, probably CPL
ISO 200, 1/320 @ f8
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
It is amazing how the yucca can survive amid all that sand. The contrast between the colorful yucca and the white sand is striking. I don’t think you need more brightness around the yucca at all. What does catch my eye, though, is the darker dune in the upper left. Maybe a touch of brightening on the shadows there would make it less prominent. I think it feels off to me also because it’s OOF - that combined with it’s contrast between the lighter bits makes it feel odd.
Bill, the Yucca stands out well, along with the surrounding dune and it’s shadow. The slight softness of the dunes behind helps keep attention on the Yucca. It does leave you wondering how a single seed got enough water to grow in this spot…
Hi Bill, the yucca definitely is the star of the image. I think you separated the tones well. At first I thought maybe to left side oriented but the long shadow balanced the nice image. I need to visit White Sands again, it’s not that far and I never got interesting pictures from there like you did.
