Sigöldugljúfur Canyon+3Reposts

Hi Folks,
One of the few waterfall areas in Iceland that had really wonderful natural color was this canyon. Plagued again by the skies, and I have another of a different, single waterfall from this area, but this one interests me more. I believe the color is from silicates in the rock, which allows for this lovely aquamarine color.

Let me know what you think. I’m always open to suggestion.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

I used two exposures here for dynamic range (don’t remember doing it, but the filename is HDR.dng, so that’s my clue. Let me know if you see issues with that.

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Does the composition work? I’m struggling with grand landscapes right now, and I don’t know whether it’s a aesthetic thing where they just don’t excite me as much, but I still feel compelled to make them, or whether I need to be making different compositional choices (in the field or in the lightroom).

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Two images blended in LR using their HDR function

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You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
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Marylynne,
I would say that you did the best you could with the skies by minimizing them as an element in the scene. For my tastes I think you included to much in the image. For me all the good stuff is toward the center of the frame with the waterfalls along with the aquamarine colored river. I think if you cropped from both sides and left the five waterfalls it would simplify things and showcase the green colored walls with the waterfalls and the river. Just a suggestion of course.

I like this image a lot, you really captured the grandness of this location. The sky is not an issue here, you minimized it effectively, and to me it does not detract. I could also a crop with no sky working too, but I prefer including the sky here to enhance the dramatic view. Your processing looks great, and I love the green colors here, both in the land and river. Very nicely done, this may be my favorite of your recent Iceland waterfall images.

Marylynne, I looked as this one for a long time…I like it a lot! I considered cropping out the sky but decided I could not find a good place and ultimately came to the conclusion that it would change the sense of place and perspective too much. If I were to suggest a crop it would be from the right, this does offer a lead into the scene, but I think it could be cropped about half way to the first falls and it helps focus attention on the really nice parts. The colors are really nice IMO!

Wonderful job on this one!

I think the cropping suggestions are on point. I have included two of them, one without sky and one at 5x7 with sky. My preference is for keeping the sky, but I feel much more impact without all that green to the right. It is difficult to crop off the top because of the rock formations, etc.

Still open to more suggestions, so keep 'em coming. I could not do this without y’all.

5x7 with sky:

4x6 without sky:

4x6 with even less of the bg:

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I love the 5x7 with sky version. To me, this is definitely the grand landscape photo, so I like to see the sky. There is nice detail in the sky - you could darken it some to reduce its prominence. This is a very cool scene!

And I’m very impressed that you got the Icelandic letters in the title, you must have a special keyboard, or know how to use a regular one better than I do :grinning:

The first repost; 5x7, with sky does the trick for me. Including the sky gives the landscape breathing room and depth.
–P

Marylynne, The first repost 5x7 image really works nice for me. It’s an awesome view and that crop really shows it off. I like how it draws you a little closer to the falls and it just has an overall nicer feel to me. I’m fine with the sky…actually I like it. The colors look great and I love all those falls.

Marylynne, the 5x7 works best for me as well! What a beautiful grand scene. Thanks for reposting!

Thanks everyone. Ed M: I just copied and pasted the location name from the workshop email. My keyboard is just like yours :sunglasses:. Copy and paste saves me when it comes to foreign locations!

Marylynne,

Count another vote for the 5x7 repost. what’s weird is that in your original post, the bottom seems cramped or cut off. Yet, the broader more sky view of the repost has the bottom framed exactly the same. The difference being the top is now more open, more “comfortable” in space and as Bonnie and others have eluded - it really has a much more “grand landscape” presentation. The 4x6 works too if you’re just showcasing the waterfalls, but I much prefer the grander presentation.

Great colors to be had with the diffused lighting conditions too. Well done.

Lon

Another vote for the 5X7. The first 4X6 was cropped too much, which made it less attractive than it could have been.