Had a 10 year or so hiatus from photography and recently purchased a new camera. Took this image about a week after the purchase. Any feedback and tips is welcome
I just returned from a trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is a beautiful scene with the light in the sky and either the spring or early fall color (they actually look pretty similar). The foreground rock doesn’t hold my interest as much. Also, I would recommend a crop from the bottom to remove the bit of ground and vegetation showing in front of the rock.
1 Like
This image is pretty nice, with a number of very pleasing aspects. Your processing looks great, the sky looks awesome, and the the exposure and contrast in the rest of the image look very realistic and natural for a twilight post-sunset shot. There are a number of very appealing elements within the scene. The sky is simply marvelous, you captured the twilight tones and colors perfectly. The spring foliage and the distant mountains are also nice secondary elements. I assume you exposure blended this image, and you did a good job, it’s very natural looking.
My biggest suggestion would be about the rock, and the aspect ratio of this image. The rock has a very high amount of visual weight, given it’s size, it’s brightness, and it’s placement in the foreground. I just think the rock is the least interesting part of this image, and does not justify having this much visual weight. I think using a 5:7 aspect ratio instead of 3:2 would accomplish 3 things. It would minimize the visual weight of the rock. It would establish a stronger connection between the land elements and the sky. It would make the colorful trees more prominent in the composition. Here is a rework as a 5:7, no other tweaks made.
1 Like
I agree. Lovely image, way too much rock.
1 Like
Thanks everyone. Yeah way too much rock. I was unsure about it as well and glad for the feedback. Thank you on the processing compliments. I setup my camera to do a 2 stop exposure bracket like what I used to do 10 years ago. The image is exposure blended in Photoshop using luminosity mask. I had to watch a lot of youtube tutorials for that.
The contours of the clouds are just right. They help lead the eye through the frame. I was drawn by that and the nice mix of soft colors.
Completely agree about cropping from the bottom, as the dark patch in the bottom left (and even that small light spot on the right) was a distraction. I think Ed’s crop suggestion is spot on.
Max