Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction
Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
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Black and White is not my typical Go To, especially with the desert. My son recently told me this is his favorite of mine. I was astonished. So I’m curious, what draws you in ? Or not?
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Image Description
Full moonrise over Sixshooter Peak in Canyonlands desert. I took many images this evening, as you might imagine. The colors were intense, but the black and white version is what spoke loudest to me (& my photographer son ;<).
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Specific Feedback
I guess I’m wanting to know, does it capture the sense of great vastness and silence that I so love in the desert? It was definitely the evening golden hour - does it need more evidence of that? How would you manage the B&W conversion?
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Connie, I really like the butte, the moon is awesome, and the desert scene is indeed vast. I was a bit surprised to learn after opening the thumbnail that this was the moon and not the sun obscured by clouds. I think the B & W kind of tricked me in that regard. I’m not really wild about the cut off brush in the foreground in this image.
Connie, It’s a nicely mysterious and inviting scene with the full moon and the butte. Since you’ve got decent light on the foreground and in the moon, I expect that this was taken the day before the official full moon. The high, thin clouds help balance the light so you can see details in both the moon and the land. I think the shrub branches help to put the viewer right there. One thing I learned in converting to b&w is that the blues often show excessive grain which raising the white balance to over 5800 helps suppress. (That’s most often true in daylight scenes, I find that dusk scenes like this often have WB above 6000 making the point moot.) One thing you might try is to burn-in the butte. A darker butte “might” give it a stronger presence. Some burning-in of the brighter rocks near/along the bottom would also let the moon and butte hold more attention.
Yes, the bush…sometimes I like it, sometimes I don’t. But I’ve never experimented with getting rid of it. I shall give it a go! Thanks Ed
This was actually taken as is! I should post the color one too, for contrast. You’ve offered me much to think about and play around with here Mark. I need to come back to it when I have some time to sit and ponder (and figure it out! ;<). Thank you
I can see why this is your son’s favorite, Connie. I think the black and white version is really great. To me, it almost looks like something other than a photograph, like a wood block print or something like that. I’m not sure how to articulate it, but there is a unique look and feel that I really like. The color version is very nice as well, although I think the way you’ve cropped the black and white version is more effective, as it removes a lot of the foreground bushes. Both are wonderful images. Thanks for sharing them!
Thank you for your kind remarks and observations John.
