Sunrise Masai Mara

Critique Style: Initial Reaction

Please share your first response before reading the hidden notes below. The photographer is looking for an unbiased initial impression.

Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical

Questions for Viewers

Any reactions are welcome!

About This Image

Goodmorning!

Hello Ingrid, seeing this image here (again) is a treat. You definitely know all the tricks of the trade. Thank you for sharing. Xavier

Hi Ingrid
Gorgeous colours and scene

The only thing I can think of you might do is to make it more cinematic by going for 16:9 crop or whatever seems right - loosing a little of the top of the sky?

We are all used to seeing movies in widescreen mode so making an image in that format plugs in to our image interpretation .. to add even more wow

Regards

Huw

As is or cropped to 16:9, either one is beautiful.

Visual Notes

[Crop] I’d suggest cropping to this area. The rest of the image doesn’t add much IMHO.

Thanks very much all for your nice comments. I will consider the crop. Grt, Ingrid.

I wouldn’t crop this as I see the sun’s rays faintly piercing to the top, and the dark space makes me expectant for imminent change to light. The tree speaks Africa - and I even imagine a giraffe in the LRC!

@Huw_Thomas @John_Williams @Jim_Gavin - I had a look at this photo on my big screen again and indeed, as @Mike_Friel rightly says, the ray of sunlight goes all the way up to the TLC and I don’t want to limit the extent of those sunrays. And on the right, the light slowly fades into dark. So I love how you made me look at my image critically again, but I am going to stick with the original, a scene which I stopped for as I thought it so special the way it showed itself. :folded_hands:

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It is special! I think it would be good to fix the faint halo around the tree, but maybe it is a JPEG artifact.

I like this image as is - in my opinion it conveys the feeling of the place, of the morning, of the air, of the infinite space… Ages ago, I saw an exhibit in Tate Modern (London). In the huge hall of that former factory, it was built a ceiling made of mirrors, with a vertical luminous semi-circle representing the sun and reflecting in the mirrors, and little spirals of mist emerging from the columns of the hall. The feeling was incredible, and this image possesses a similar evocative nature…

I really love the minimalist nature of this capture. I can see how many have suggested crops but I see a single tree on a VAST and flat landscape in very early morning light with a tremendous sky. It’s so simplistic and I think you need the full frame to convey that felling. However, I do see how this image can be a two for. with the suggestions of cropping and I would even go further and say to crop out about 35% off the top to give it that ultra wide and dramatic look. Here’s what I mean. Just a different look at a tremendous scene giving off a different vibe.

In any case, this is simply gorgeous. So peaceful.

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