Squallus Maximus +Repost!

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
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Captured this just yesterday afternoon. Yet another storm passed through Northern, CA. From the looks of the clouds this day I could pass up the possibilities, so I headed out to chase some rainbows. Rain, hail, winds, squalls, light rays, rainbows… saw it all yesterday, sans the unicorns and leprechauns…

Here’s where I some times struggle, especially with the b&w processing. No doubt the clouds, light and rain were talking. You can even see a rainbow in the LL. The color version is good, but not as dramatic, so of course I knew that processing in B&W could create even more contrast and drama. Here’s the struggle. What I’m displaying here is exaggerated to some extent because of the processing. Obviously I don’t feel that badly or I wouldn’t have posted. I’ll just claim artistic license and be done with it. Does anyone struggle with this?

One thing is for certain. For just a short couple of hours - I felt like a kid, chasing rainbows without a care in the world.

Thanks for any comments, critiques or suggestions.

Edit: Thank you so much for the valuable feedback! It is mucho appreciated. I think I incorporated all of it, including: brightening adding contrast in UL. Great feedback on the darkness bleeding in to the page bg. With that I also added a frame. I had abandoned frames in the new NPN 2.0, the feedback is completely valid. I’ll be paying attention to this in the future. Also brightened the foreground a tad and cloned out that piece on the right edge. All excellent! I hope this is improved. I think so.

Also, thank for your thoughts on artistic license. Appreciated also, and I agree with the sentiments.

As far as the bark reference… LOL! that made me chuckle. But I’ll let it go at that. :sunglasses:

Below is the reworked image for comparison. thanks again!

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49D0895HBW_15001500×1001 161 KB

49D0895HBW2_1500
49D0895HBW2_15001594×1095 194 KB

Very curious your opinion about processing scenes like this.

Nikon D800E, new Tamron 17-35mm @23mm f/11 1/250th iso 400 hand held.

Would have preferred to include more of the storm to the right, but as it was, I was leaning over a barbed wire fence and didn’t want to include it.

Thanks!

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Dramatic and beautiful, Lon. I love the processing. I might lose that bit of white cloud just above the horizon LRC, but really minor. Gorgeous!

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That’s pretty amazing, Lon. Looks like the wind in the squall was coming from everywhere. I like the fact that there’s a bright band of light along the bottom, which adds to the drama.

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I certainly don’t have any problem with a dramatic presentation of a scene, Lon. Once you decide to photograph it, you are automatically talking about presenting your interpretation of the scene. The idea that anyone can present it as it really is, is utter nonsense.

That said, I do think you went a bit far on the darks as the left hand side of the image all but disappears to me. I’d also suggest that you think about putting a frame around this one. When I first opened it, the dark foreground disappeared into the gray of the website background-it took me awhile to even realize it was there.

A very dramatic sky and a gorgeous image.

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This is quite dramatic, Lon. I really like what’s going on with the downburst.

I do agree with Dennis regarding the darkness on the left and the bottom. If you could pull a little. more detail there, I think that wuld add to overall tonal spectrum.

St. Ansel remarked several times in his writings that ‘Photographs are a departure from reality’, and like his work, this image certainly reflects that sentiment, which in my opinion is a good thing.

This is a fine image, sir, and certainly worth some tweaking for a different, yet dramatic interpretation.
-p

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I never did address your question. I feel quite a bit more license to go dramatic in B&W, since the format in its definition is a departure from reality. In my color work, I don’t worry if my image looks like the scene looked when I made the image, but I do strive to make it look realistic. Those chains come off when processing B&W.

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I love the visible air currents in this image, Lon. What great drama you captured. The composition tells wonderful story of intense weather overwhelming the land.
ML

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Lon, the drama in the right 2/3rd is terrific. The bright strip of land, lower left, adds a bit of balance, but it’s the flow and movement in the clouds that really grabs my attention here. I’d be curious to see how a version with the left 1/5 cropped would look. I that with the overall darkness in the image, the frame let it stand out nicely.

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The repost is spot on. Outstanding image!!!

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The repost nails it, Lon. The left side being opened up a bit gives the image a much better balance.

Beautiful image!
–P

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I love the repost, Lon. Beautiful work.

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I love the drama in this photo! It’s a very powerful image. My only nit is that I would add yet more lightness to the highlights in the left third.

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Very impressive and moody. Although I lived in the Bay Area for over 10 years, I never saw anything this dramatic other than a waterspout on San Francisco Bay while I was out in the sailboat within a few miles of the turbulence. Incredible tonal qualities in this image. Is that a body of water in the immediate foreground?

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Hey @David_Schoen, thanks for the comment. To answer your question, it’s not a body of water, but simply a pasture, ranch land. I’m standing next to a fence to grab the shot.

Thanks again everyone for your comments and suggestions!

Lon

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Stunning, superlative, I agree with everyone!