Standing Below Giants

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

Layers-6.jpg
Layers-6.jpg1362×2048 2.58 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Smoke is not a common experience in Montana during the month of May. Wildfire smoke from fires in Canada had blown down over us, making some landscapes more difficult to capture. Instead, I was wondering around photographing early wildflowers. At one point the trail I was on intersected this old, unused road, and my eyes followed it up to what I realized right away I would need to photograph!

Specific Feedback

I tried a shorter focal length, but in the end decided it was more important to pull that little island of trees in that to worry about cutting the trees off at the edges. What do you think? I am always open to all feedback.

Technical Details

Nikon D850
Nikon 70-300mm f4.5-5.6
ISO 64, f/8, 1/160th sec
6 images stacked in Helicon focus for sharp focus throughout.

2

I like it, but oh I wish you were closer - ahead of that clump on the left so we can see more of the trees in the middle distance. That’s the slice I want - the nearer trees and the far trees and then nothing. The way it is makes me want to walk through to get there.

3

I see what you’re saying. I should have played with that some more. Being a naturalist, I rarely include signs of humanity in my photos so the road was already a stretch. When I walked up there I realized it was an old gravel pit from when they made the main road behind me. It became apparent that the little trees on the hill were actually on an pile of excavated dirt and I lost heart a little bit! It’s interesting though that some of my more popular images, are those with roads or trails in them! It’s that age old balance between what I like, and what I know others will like😉

4

Well think of it as humans not vanquishing nature altogether. Besides, animals make paths, too, not just us.

2 Likes
5

I really like this, Paul! :slight_smile:

The smoke isn’t exactly the environmental conditions we hope for but it does provide us with a sort of “Simulated” fog look and it’s there so why not take advantage of it! :slight_smile:

I like the fact that the road isn’t in use and that it provides us with a nice lead-in line into the scene.
A river or a stream would have been more pleasing than an abandoned road but it doesn’t always work out the way we want as photographers.

Personally, I like trails whether they are manmade or animal made and I think the reason is that it provides me with an easy mental way to travel through the scene on foot.
I like images of nature without trails as well but in the end, shoot what “You” like!
Don’t be too concerned about what others seem to want, it’s your vision and your experience, I’ll be happy to go along for the ride either way (so to speak)! :slight_smile:

The only thing that bothers me about this image is the tree on the left that’s leaning inward, it probably is that way in real life but for me, I like to straighten them up as long as it doesn’t distort the main part of the scene much.

I like to use the Warp tool in Ps (Transform>Warp), then use the top corner points to adjust the tree orientation, then use the associated handles to adjust the central portions. This method greatly reduces the effects on the main or lower portion of the image.

Transform-Warp - to Strighten Trees
Transform-Warp - to Strighten Trees1141×1246 292 KB

I also like the idea of replacing the muddy and rocky looking area in the lower left portion of the image next to the old road just to clean it up a bit and that part is also very much subjective.
That part wasn’t a distraction at all, it just seemed like a good idea to me since I was already in Ps.

For my own images I like to refer to such edits and adjustments as: “Artistic Fine Tuning”
If I were an actual artist that uses paint and canvas, this is the way I would have painted it.
I’m not an artist so the best I can do is use the tools I have access to so I can come as close as I can to my vision while still maintaining as much of the original scene as possible.

I hope that made sense and I hope you don’t mind that I imposed my thoughts on your image.

Very nice image and I must add that it is very inviting even with the smoke.

Well done, Paul!! :slight_smile:

Layers-6 - Straightened trees using Transform-Warp - Replaced mud area with grass
Layers-6 - Straightened trees using Transform-Warp - Replaced mud area with grass1362×2048 911 KB

6

I really like this image, Paul. The multiple layers of trees disappearing into the smoke appeal to me. and the composition works well. The bit of dirt in the foreground that @Merv repaired didn’t bother me, but that leaning tree on the left did and I really like the way he straightened it.

1 Like
7

Thanks for all this @Merv ! I love the edits and will have to play around with that. Thanks also @Dennis_Plank!