The Four Stones

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
1

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Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

I found this group of stones in Deadman’s Creek near Sonora Pass one August morning. There was a bit of golden light reflected from the granite peaks that I think complimented the rocks.

Specific Feedback

I thought about using Content Aware Fill in PS to remove the chunk of basalt in LLC, but I wasn’t sure it would work, so I left in. Is that rock too distracting?

Any thoughts regarding color and tonality are always appreciated.
-P

Technical Details

Nikon D 7100
Nikkor 70-200 @ 122mm
F22 @ 1/3s. ISO 100

ACR
PSCC 2024
Neat Image NR

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  • Vision and Purpose:
  • Conceptual:
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2

Preston, I like tight images of natural objects like this one. The main grouping of rocks is balanced in composition and tonality. The flowing water shows your slow shutter speed - I tend to favor 1/4 sec, but that’s purely up to the photographer’s creative intent. The golden hues complement the lighter rocks. To your question about the dark rock in the LLC, have you tried dodging it up somewhat to more closely match the main grouping? I think if you cloned it out the whole image might be thrown off balance, unless perhaps you tightened the crop from all four corners. This is a very nice image.

3

Preston, a neat scene here. Kind of gave me the feeling of seeing a pod of Pilot Whales bobbing in the water a bit. I might be tempted to CA or clone the dark rock out for another look. May not work but just a thought there. A nice find overall.

4

Preston,

The warm light wonderfully softens the hard nature of the granite, and it works so well. Shutter speed is perfect giving just the right amount of dynamic movement to otherwise real stationary subjects. I think you should leave the black basalt in the frame. It balances everything out. From LRC to ULC you have rusty colored corners and then from LLC to URC you go from black to bright, to the heaviness of the black LLC pulling the eye in the same way that the water is moving. It all works perfectly. Very well seen and captured Preston!