This is a view of Mt. Adams from the Tatoosh Ridge Trail #161 in the shadow of Mt. Rainier. I’m looking for any suggestions or comments. My process has been to use ColorEfex 4 to add a layer of Brilliance/warmth and adjust to the opacity level to bring out the light of the setting sun.
What technical feedback would you like if any? Any
What artistic feedback would you like if any? How does the light in this image strike you?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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@jtanaturephoto
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Hi James, what a pretty sight and I love the contrast between the left side and the right side of the ridge. I do think the blue has been pushed a little too much especially on the distant land in the BG and on the sky. After that, I would also consider bringing down the contrast in the sky a little. I think you have a good composition!
Beautiful composition. I love the warm light on the right side of the ridge and the cool light on the shadow side. I agree with Adhika that the blues in the sky look over saturated and it would look more compatible with the rest of the image if that was toned down. I can imagine it was a wonderful time hiking up to that spot to get that image.
Welcome to NPN! A terrific first post. Like the other comments, I’m really enjoying the warm/cool contrasts here. This is a somewhat unique and unconventional composition. What I mean is that the right side of the mountain with all the warm beautiful light is pushed a little tight against the frame while the shadowed side gets more room. At first glance this seems a bit out of balance, but I think this turns out to be very strong. the left side of the mountain has great interest with the snow, open slope; this has a leeward/windward effective presentation that is intriguing and engaging.
As far as the color/sat, I would also agree the saturation is a little strong, especially in the upper blue sky. But also if you look at the green grassy areas on the left slopes, those are a little saturated too. Ironically though, I like the color sat on the light side of the mountain.
Hi JT! - I think this composition is great and overall it’s a nice image.
My issue, like the others, relates to the colours and processing. I’m going to go out on a limb here so please correct me if im wrong. I think that you have made quite a few ‘global’ adjustments to the image including pulling down the highlights significantly. The reason I say this is that you have inky dark sections of the clouds in a relatively bright sky and also the snow has taken on a grey colour. I would suggest controlling the highlights and other adjustments more locally in order to preserve some of the brighter tones.
The colurs in the highlights and to a lesser extent, the shadows, appear over saturated. It is most noticable in the sky but also on the light side of the peak.
JT, this is a wonderful first post, and I’d like to say welcome to NPN !!!
I agree with @Lon_Overacker comments about the composition, it is a little unusual, but the overall effect is very dramatic. The way the mountain is presented gives it a strong feeling of towering dominance. The shadowed snow creates a nice leading line, again in a sort of unconventional way that is very effective. I also like your use of repeated triangle shapes as compositional elements, they have a lot of impact. The main peak on the right also reminds me of the prow of a very large ship.
Saturation and color are probably the most subjective part of landscape photography. I would say that many NPN members follow the philosophy of pushing saturation/color for creative effect, but keeping it “natural looking”. I think @Eugene_Theron makes some good comments about thinking of processing adjustments on a localized basis instead of just globally. Blue skies are the most common thing that people end up over-saturating. In real life, blue skies are lighter in tonality, and less saturated. Nik Color Efex is primarily designed to create global rather than localized adjustments. Many members here use processing software that offer more local control, such as Lightroom with its HSL sliders (affect saturation with in specific color ranges), or its adjustment brushes that let you increase or decrease saturation on a local basis. These types of tools are worth experimenting with if you want to make the type of local adjustments that are being suggested in the replies to this post.
Thanks for all your comments. I think you nailed my post-processing issue. I’m going to re-examine my workflow and try again on this image. I’ll re-post. Thanks for all your help and feedback!
JT: A marvelous scene superbly captured. I won’t add to the processing suggestions but am enjoying your comp especially. Great to have you aboard and looking forward to more.>=))>
