The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was taken as the sun was going down on the Badlands in South Dakota. This place is truly spectacular and a photographers dream place. So many different landscape and compositions.
I am fairly satisfied with this image, but I always value the opinions and suggestions from my fellow photographers on NPN.
I like the proportion of space devoted to the landscape, and that some of it breaks the horizon – not always easy to do. The subdued contrast works well to show off the forms without them looking overdone. The sky and top of the formations looks like there is a graduated filter giving some yellowish coloration, and I wonder if it should be pushed more to bluish. A shot in this indirect light can be difficult to color balance but it could be worth playing with the initial temp and tint in the raw file. The shapes and framing are very nice – you have very nice potential here!
The lines and shapes of the badlands are nicely composed. I had a similar reaction as @Diane_Miller about the sky. I wonder if you took additional images with a longer focal length? It might be interesting to see if a version without the sky is just as compelling.
Hi Scott the landscape captured in this image is truly majestic, with a wonderful interplay of light and shadow that emphasizes the rugged textures of the terrain. The warm, golden hues painted by the sunlight add a serene glow to the scene, enhancing the natural striations in the rock formations.
I have the same concerns with the sky, seems to be about its relative lack of drama or detail when compared to the vivid landscape. While the sky does provide a nice, clean backdrop that doesn’t compete with the complexity of the terrain, adding a bit more interest could indeed elevate the overall composition. This could be achieved by enhancing the sky in post-processing, perhaps by slightly darkening, cooling it down it to bring out any subtle textures or by adding a graduated filter effect to create a sense of depth. Its a minor issue though.
I see what may be the problem with the sky color, which also affects the top of the formations. Possibly the FG was bluish from being in the shade while there was warmer light above. If you neutralized the bottom area that could have put a yellowish color cast on the rest. Try a daylight WB on the raw file, if you haven’t. This is one where auto WB may not work.
