Rainy days on a long-planned trip can be a downer, except for when the storm clears shortly before sunset and you are north of the Arctic Circle, where golden hour lasts about three hours! Lofoten gets so much of the attention, but nearly all of coastal Norway is amazing. This is a reasonable well-known hike farther north, and while there were a few others on the trail on this evening, it was for the most part a gloriously lonely walk.
Specific Feedback Requested
All feedback appreciated; particularly interested in critiques on the tonal characteristics of the image.
Technical Details
This is actually a 5-image panorama; each image at 70 mm in vertical orientation, mounted on a leveling base with nodal plate. Each image was taken at f11 for 1/100 sec at ISO 64. Images were stitched in LR, converted to B&W in Nik Silver Efex Pro 3, with final tonal processing (lots of local curves adjustments!) in PS. Final version run through Topaz DeNoise AI.
My objectives in making tonal adjustments were to bring out the light beam working through the mist on the left side of the scene, and the emphasize the contrast between the bright cloud reflections and darker areas in the water along the bottom of the frame. I do worry that the dramatic contrast in the clouds is too overpowering. Not much subtlety there.
Hey Jeff! What I really love about this photo is how dramatic and moody it is. I love the deep black tones, as well as the brighter highlights in the photo. I might suggest darkening the mountains, a little bit more to make them match the small islands down in the foreground, that way your eye is drawn to them, because it creates more contrast between them and the sky behind them thus making them stand out more. Again love the shot.
Hey, @David_Johnston. Thanks very much for sharing your thoughts. I’ve posted a version above with some darkening of the middle and far-distance mountains per your suggestion. What do you think of this effect?
Hi @Matt_Payne. I had been giving it some thought actually. I’ve posted a cropped version per your suggestion (with @David_Johnston’s suggested edit). Do you prefer this version or do you think something is lost?
Yeah like that edit quite a bit more (the one you posted in regards to my comment), but its because it reduces the image down to more of what it is about. Nice!
Appreciate the additional feedback, @Matt_Payne and @David_Bostock. At first I wasn’t as pleased with the cropped version, because I think the upward sweep of the clouds and the brightest cloud reflection in the water help give the scene the expansiveness that was my intent in doing the panorama in the first place. However, as I’ve stared and stared at this over the past week, I see the uncropped version being more and more out of balance since the dark islets on the right are not up the task of competing with the mountains on the left two thirds. Thanks for giving me something to thing about with this (and other) composition(s).
