The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I was out to shoot birds, with a long tele on my mirrorless Canon EOS R6. And then I saw this. The only way to keep it as a memory was to pull out my smartphone. I bought it because of very positive photography reviews, but that hope was shattered when I looked at the first RAW-files. Still, in some conditions, it seems to work fine. Like that beautiful morning after a long spell of rain.
Specific Feedback
I specifically chose to put the horizon in the middle to catch the whole of the reflexion. I also kept the sharp airplane trails on the right, but they remain there with a large question mark. What do you think?
Technical Details
HUAWEI LYA-L29
Ć’/1,8
1/4132
5,58 mm
50 ISO
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I recognise this situation Xavier. Having to use a tiny phone camera when you have hundreds of pounds (money and weight!) of gear on your back.
I think that the Huawi has proved its worth here, I like the image a lot. I agree with the choice to put the horizon in the middle as it allows the reflections to create a wonderful mirror image. I’m not sure about the trails, they do sort of add to the image and almost compliment the clouds, but I think that it would probably still work well without them.
A lovely image. The complimentary colour palette is beautifully subdued and the lighting and reflections bring out a soft texturing that gives this picture a very painterly quality. But … my first thought was, if you’d be so inclined, lose the jet trails. For me, it ruins the mood - it’s like there’s this “x” that puts a bullseye on the silhouetted tree which, for me anyway, screams when everything about this photograph is a whisper.
Xavier: Sometimes putting the horizon in the center on a reflection works great and this is one of them. Marvelous scene that you have rendered very well. I much prefer the image without the contrails. They immediately grabbed my eye and took me away from the more interesting elements and colors. Necessity is the mother of invention and here you did well with what was available. >=))>
I’d say that your phone did an exceptional job of handling the shadows, the whites, and the colors. It appears to be tack sharp as well in this small file. I’m coming off a Google Pixel which was exceptional at some things and not so great at others. I now have an i-phone and it pretty much mirrors my pixel. Pretty good at some things and not so good at others. My dad has a Samsung and I’d say that it’s better than my i-phone but only marginally.
Back to your image…I can definitely do without the contrails in the image. They too easily pull the eye and @Kerry_Gordon nailed it when he said that it paints a bulls eye right at the tree which is the main focal point in the image. The other lines are wonderful and I think they actually make the image much better than it would have been without them. They add so much visual dimension and light as do the foreground grasses in the water. I like the horizon splitting the top and the bottom of the image 50%. Usually I don’t like that but it works very well here. I’d say you had the best camera that could get you this shot. I would not be disappointed in this.
Thank you all for your elaborate comments. I appreciate them very much, and of course your appreciation of my picture, actually what nature (and a few airplanes of course) unrolled before my eyes that morning.
