The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive
About This Image
This was taken a little later on the same morning as my last post. The Yosemite friends we had been photographing with had told us you could catch a reflection of Yosemite Falls from the Swinging Bridge area, so @Steve_Kennedy and I wandered there after enjoying our morning coffee at Tunnel View.
The fog was thick as we drove back and arrived, but as we began to wander and photograph the fog began to thin and the sun began to shine through. Steve’s photos from that time are magical, and this was one of my efforts to capture that moment when the fog was transitioning to the bright sunny day that followed. I have images of this with thicker fog (you can barely see the waterfall), and some taken when the fog was completely gone, but I preferred this one from that moment just as the fog was clearing away.
After this we headed back to camp, to pack up and say our goodbyes. We headed towards home under bright sunshine, with the clouds and fog now only a memory.
Feedback Requested
I’d love your feedback on the mood of the image, and if it captures that special transition from fog to sunshine? Any thoughts are always welcome, it’s the answers to questions that I don’t know to ask that are often the most helpful.
Technical Details
Camera: NIKON Z 7_2
Lens: NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR
Focal length: 34mm
Shutter speed: 1/50s
Aperture: f/10
ISO: 64
The composition is lovely - bottom half still , glorious reflections and then just above half way the sun has its influence - the fog is rendered very well and the narrative that the fog will soon be burned off is really enhanced by the lateral light you have captured with the magnificent rocks in the background
Yes it does capture the transition moment well
No suggestions - it’s lovely as is. I might play with burning a tiny amount to see if darkening the left hand rocks in the mist layer to see if bringing out some detail by so doing might give you another layer betwixt the fog and the waterfall at the back - but I would only play very gently as any fiddling might spoil this beautify capture.
I had a play but I suspect I have been so conservative that you may not be able to see any difference
John, this is a lovely, inviting view of Yosemite. I really like the framing and how the reflections and grasses lead back to the bright fog, the partially obscurred mountains and the falls. My initial reaction was that the fog was too bright, but that quickly went away as burning-in the fog would reduce it’s presence, obviating the reason for the photo. I did try some mid-tone dodging in the grasses and reflection. For me that improves the front to back viewing, but may reduce the mystical mist feeling that you’re going for. This looks like a wall hanger to me.
There is lots of mood in the image, and the transition from fog to shunshine is very well captured. Lovely image!
The trees add to the image and create a natural frame for the main subjects.
I like the small changes that @Mark_Seaver made.
Where are you going to find all of the wall space to hang these gorgeous scenes you captured while visiting Yosemite? All joking aside this is a wonderful scene filled with some lovely atmospherics and soft light. The reflection is as good as it gets and I am loving the serene peaceful vibe emanating from this wonderful scene. My only suggestion has already been mentioned by @Mark_Seaver and his rework. This looks like something straight out of a fairytale! I hope you have some more still to share.
Another gorgeous trophy!! This is the kind of image where you can make subtle tweaks but it would be hard to decide on the best one because the basic image is so strong. So my only suggestion is that you need to add on a large room for a gallery!
Wow John! This is a fantastic image! The comp and the light are amazing. It’s also amazing that we were standing just a couple feet apart and came up with dramatically different images. Mine was this. I don’t have any suggestions to add, and I’m not sure which version I like best. All are incredible.
Have you been holding out on us? This is a stunning trophy of a photo of Yosemite. I think @Mark_Seaver’s suggestion is a good one. It just needs to be printed and enjoyed.
Definitely a magical image, John. You captured the feel of the lifting fog beautifully. I do think the third version works slightly the best, but all three are delightful wall hangers.
John, I really like this image. It manages to be a beautiful composition, and also to convey a mood, which can be hard to do together. Of the various suggestions for tweaks, I think I prefer Mark’s.
You’re just now posting this? Didn’t you already? I swear I’ve commented on this one already. I guess not, and now I’m a few days behind… sheesh.
All I can say is that this is an Epic capture and image from Yosemite Valley. Does it capture the mood of those moments when the fog is transition to sunshine? Absolutely! This is a stunning capture. And I think those couple of minor tweaks were good calls by Huw and Mark - elevating this from stunning to, well I dunno a better or higher praised word…
It’s a very lovely shot, love the vertical cliffs shrouded in that intensely bright mist, you could possibly brighten the reflected mist just a fraction more, but it still looks pretty natural to me. A bit of a wall hanger in fact. I don’t tend to read other folks thoughts before giving my own but interesting someone else has echoed my thoughts namely, "wall hanger " as well.
Wonderful image John. I love how the brightest part of the image draws your attention to the fog and that hint of the falls. Expertly framed by the trees on either side. I really can’t see much of a difference between your original image and the other versions you have included.
Hi John, lovely image. The framing is . I like Mark’s idea about brightening the midground slightly, but I would be a little more selective about it and only subtly dodge the brightest highlights in the midground (the flat plane, the zig-zag of brights in the water, the fog, and maybe the waterfall, for example). This will allow for the eye to travel through the darker parts of the foreground into the midground and beyond.
All joking aside this is a wonderful scene filled with some lovely atmospherics and soft light. The reflection is as good as it gets and I am loving the serene peaceful vibe emanating from this wonderful scene. My only suggestion has already been mentioned by 
. I like Mark’s idea about brightening the midground slightly, but I would be a little more selective about it and only subtly dodge the brightest highlights in the midground (the flat plane, the zig-zag of brights in the water, the fog, and maybe the waterfall, for example). This will allow for the eye to travel through the darker parts of the foreground into the midground and beyond.