Well, my postable images from the Sonora Pass trip are dwindling. This one has been sitting unprocessed until tonight.
I almost always stop at this spot along Sonora Pass - there is much to see. Preston had previously posted an image looking down canyon from this spot. (where the tripod took a header on the granite as well - no harm) But I’ve always been enamored with this slope and on this day the clouds were pillowy and moving fast, creating changing dappled light and shadows as the sun moved lower in the west.
Admittedly, this doesn’t really have a strong presence and I’m unsure of this overall. I thought I would play with this to try and emphasize the light/shadow as well as practice keeping the colors real. Some cloning around the edges and this is cropped slightly top/right. Some burning and a couple saturation layers dealing with the yellows and greens.
As always comments, critiques and suggestions welcome.
Good crop suggestions. Here’s a more pano view, + a little more warmth:
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Processing, color, sat, etc.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Do anything for you? Kinda empty in the middle and not sure if this holds together edge to edge.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Nikon D800E, 28-300mm @48mm, f/11 1/60th iso 200
I know this spot well and these are real nice conditions. I find the big empty area in the middle throws me off on this comp. To my eye, this is two images, the right 60% and the left 60%. I experimented with both. Both work nicely for me. I really like the rich greens and the trees against the grayish mountainside.
Thanks Harley - that pretty much my take on it too. I even thought how could I transform and squeeze the middle… 
Nice, Lon. Beautiful light, rich greens and those snow patches are very intriguing. However, I agree with @Harley_Goldman on the composition. I think the right half has greater potential for pictures within a picture with the three snow patches, the expanse of green and that one tree. If you’re so inclined I would just give that tree a bit of dodging.
I know this spot very well also. My 4 year old son and I climbed up that talus to where the snow is now. I remember it like yesterday. I tied a red superman cape around his neck and he threw rocks from up there.
I found that if I warmed up this image it looked sunnier somehow. I prefer the left side of the image but I know you don’t like major crops to your images (they change the point of the image) so I didn’t bring it up. There’s also a nice panoramic aspect of the top above the green grass that works for me. I don’t particularly like the green on the right that much.
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Thanks guys for your comments. I agree with the emptiness in the middle and the kind of disjointed comp. I figured that going in. The only redeeming factor might be the streak of shadow across the middle sorta connection the two more interesting areas; but I agree with your comments.
I agree that the left portion and right portion cropped would make for better comps. I also like Igor’s pano crop. Reposting above. I kinda like it.
It’s quite possible I said something in the past (memory not what it used to be…) but I don’t have a problem with anyone cropping up or modifying my images. After all, that’s a big part of this gallery, I think. I understand and respect those who prefer not to alter someone else’s work. On the flip side, I see it more about learning and finding new ways to see things, We each have our outlooks and philosophies.
Thanks @Harley_Goldman, @Dave_Dillemuth, and @Igor_Doncov for your comments.
Heading to the central CA coast for a few days… back next week.
Lon
Interesting image Lon. I like how the trees keep the scale grounded, otherwise I would likely have thought it a small scene. I think I like your original best.
Are the long thin horizontal shadows from clouds?
Hey Lon,
I’m not familiar with this area and so my comments are probably not worth much in the way of trying to capture the sense of the place. But I can say, @Igor_Doncov’s crop seems to have completely changes the sense of the place. I mean as it is without a crop, I still don’t get a sense of place, but I at least know its some mountainous region. With that deep of a crop suggested, it could be anywhere in the world, and no sense of place at all.
Hi Lon, it’s been a while but good to be back. One of the things I like about the original is that it has depth. I think it’s hard to portray depth without sky. I have never been to Sonoran Pass, so I don’t have any preconceived idea of how big it is. This image, with the light sweeping across the hillside gives me that feeling of an expansive view , and I like that.
The late afternoon light we had that day was very nice, and the racing cloud shadows made the whole place feel different moment-to-moment.
As Harley mentioned, this does feel like two images, and my eye bounces back and forth. Given that, I prefer the original frame. The willows and grasses add nice context, and I love the light on the trees.
-P
I would love to see this scene for myself simply because nothing like this exists in Florida or the southeast. Of your two crops, I prefer the larger crop, but the image itself still doesn’t thrill me in and of itself, but because I like to explore the tiny details on the ground. I like Igor’s crop as an overall image, but what I would really love to see is a whole new set of images taken from below, especially in the rocky, barren area amongst the trees on the left. That area looks like an amazing area in which to play and shoot. In fact, so does the lower and middle right side where the grass and rocky area merge.
Lon,
I agree with most of the comments here. I cropped it and converted to B&W. IMO the left side has more interest in the landslides and trees. The way the rocks at the top lead down to the landslides which lead down to the trees is pretty cool.
The little bit of color was distracting to me and drew my eye to the right side where there’s not a lot of detail. The crop only has one snow drift in it, and since highlights draw attention, there is now only one highlight in the center of the frame.
