Early morning light just as it broke through the cypress trees onto the mist that covered the surface of the water in this incredible swamp. This was taken from a canoe hand held using my Nikon D850 and my trusty 70-200 vr ii.
Specific Feedback Requested
I have come to the end of my creative process and thought that I would pass this by my friends here at NPN to get some feedback before I call it quits and print a test.
How do you feel about this? I like it dark, but is it too dark? My monitors are calibrated but how does this feel on your device or your screen? Is the light pop enough?
Thank you for your time and your feedback.
Technical Details
Nikon D850 Hand held in a canoe
Nikon 70-200 vr ii - with/VR Normal
165mm - f/8 - 1600 ISO - 1/500 sec
Processing - LR/PS
Initial adjustments in LR - Finished in PS with a slight Orton affect to soften and add glow to the light. I adjusted the light, to keep it from being over or under exposed, by using a luminosity selection and levels adjustment.
This is a cool image. It has emotional impact. Some may see this as a spiritual image but to me it’s more of a spooky image in the manner of Werewolf films of the 30s. You almost expect that gypsy woman to show up to tell your future. There is one really bright area in the top right that I would clone out. The bright rectangle.
Beautiful image Gary! Doesn’t look too dark on my screen, edit looks just right to me. I would remove the bright spot in the upper right corner like Igor and Dan have suggested.
Great feedback. Thank you all. I appreciate your help.
That bright spot was so obvious that I was staring right at me but it passed me by.
Here’s what I did. Instead of taking the bright spot out - I wanted to keep the bright areas - I went back to the raw file and exposed that area properly and then blended it into the final edit. I like it much better. I also did a luminosity selection for the highlights and created color adjustment layer and blended in some warmth into just the mist at the bottom to better match the color of the bright areas at the top, the light source. I liked that better than a global color adjustment.
Absolutely terrific. Reminds me of the workshop I spent in a kayak in cypress lakes. The fog is especially nice and that you got some sunrays. It doesn’t happen often in my limited experience. You’ve balanced the photo quite nicely in these re-works. The shaft of light is still evident, but it doesn’t overwhelm and detract from the somber feel of the massive trees. What a special image and makes me want to go back and do another workshop!
This is gorgeous, Gary, especially your final edit. Warming up the mist gives the image an added glow that highlights the mystery - what is barely seen. I still find that bright rectangle of light in the upper right a tad distracting and would consider bringing it down even more - it is brighter than the light showing through to the rectangle’s left and below and I would be inclined to make it a little less bright than that.
The rework looks great. Perhaps I would brighten the water in the foreground a touch more but that is just me probably. I have always wanted to visit the cypress swamps of the south during the fall when you have less colors but more opportunities to have this interplay of almost monochromatic textures with just hints of color.
Thank you Kristen. I took these prior to leading a group there. Everyone was completely amazed at the experience.
@David_Bostock Hi David. At first I didn’t think that I’d like it printed due to how dark it is, but I’m going to do a couple test prints on various papers. We’ll see how it goes. Thanks!
@Kerry_Gordon Thank you Kerry. I did what you recommended and it was great advice. I tried to match the other cracks of light in that corner. How did I do?
@DvirBarkay I took your advice concerning the foreground and it worked well. It gave the detail of the water surface and the reflections more exposure. Thank you!!
Late to the party on this one, Gary but that second rework hits the nail on the head. All of the mentioned nits have been taken care of with that edit. What sensational light you had on this trip. And so moody. It’s rather eerie looking like something from a Halloween movie. The trees themselves add to that feeling of eeriness with all of their leafless arms. Beautiful image!
Gary, this is absolutely stunning. I don’t have any suggestions that have not already been mentioned. The image definitely has a spooky feel to it and perfectly encapsulates what I imagine being in a swap at dawn is like. Well done!
Excellent! You captured the essence of the swamp in the morning light. What an incredible moment. The second photo is the keeper since it has that warmth within the light.
