The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Another shot from my visit to Arizona! My girlfriend and I visited the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon in one day, which was a lot of driving. We arrived right around sunset at Desert View, which just so happens to be the one place I didn’t get to my first time at the Grand Canyon last year.
I’m a sucker for layers, and this is one of the last shots I took right after the sun went down.
Specific Feedback
Anything - I know it’s a bit noisy and it would have been smarter to take it from my tripod. The high ISO and wide open (for this lens) aperture combine for make the layers not especially sharp. Feedback on colors, composition, or technical aspects (or anything else) welcome.
Technical Details
Settings: 1/500s, f/6.3, ISO 6400
Focal length: 198 mm
Camera and lens: Sony a6600, Sony E 70-350mm F4.5-6.3 G OSS
None, single exposure
Lightroom AI enhance/NR 25%, Adobe Landscape profile, tonal adjustments, big tweaks to white balance, slight tweaks to calibration
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I really like this picture. This is one that could hang on the wall. The noise is there and I would try to run the noise slider up to get rid of it. It may get softer but in this kind of shot that would be okay.
I love the layers and the gorgeous colors in this Matthew, both the bright corals and yellows of the top and the dark blues and purples of the bottom. I hope you don’t mind I ran this through Topaz denoise and think it comes out a bit less grainy in some of the middle sections.
Thanks @philrostad and @Ed_Williams ! I’ll have to play around with bumping up the noise reduction. I also should really just pull out my tripod!
Thanks Ed for mentioning Topaz, it does look a bit better. Have you compared Topaz vs Lightroom enhance? I researched it a little bit and the consensus seems to be that Topaz can be marginally better especially for wildlife but I’m not sure that’s enough to justify spending $200 on it.
This is a beautiful image with the blue layers complementing the oranges and pinks of the sky. The Grand Canyon is a wonderful playground for the photographer, particularly in creating emotion in the image. I’ve spent some time there and can’t wait to get back. You’ve done a nice job here.
Great use of layers and light. The noise is a little distracting. But really until I read your note, it was the layers and colors that were important. With that in mind, instead of working about the noise, embrace it and go even more abstract with it. Just something fun and different to try. Also, nicely framed up and cropped with the lights and darks. Well done.
Matthew, this is really spectacular! The layers and tones of blue against the sunset sky is just fantastic. Your re-pose takes this to the highest level.
Congrats on a very fine EP!
Matthew,
I am loving the combination of warm and cool colors along with the layering in this scene. I do like what @Ed_Williams did with the noise in his rework. Congrats on the EP!
Gorgeous sense of recession into the background with multiple density layers as it steps back to the horizon. I like the twin use of opposing hues in the landscape from deep purple through to “banana” light.
What a beautiful photo! I too love layers. I hink that if you use a denoise softwer to its outmost possibilities you could have layers soft and clean. I use Topaz and I am glad of it. Congrats for the very well deserved EP.
