The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I was drawn to the soft light of the sun and cloud on this fall day in Denali National Park. It felt dreamy to me, like a Romantic landscape painting.
Specific Feedback
Does it feel painterly to you? What edits would you suggest to accentuate that feel? All other comments welcome too, thank you!
Technical Details
Canon R5 + RF24-105 @105 mm
1/125 s, f/16, ISO 200
Cropped by about a third to emphasize the light in the high mountain valley.
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Yes, I think the BG does certainly have a painterly effect. The FG is clearly a photograph but one that highlights the details in both the grasses and trees. It portrays the environment very well.
If you would like to extend the painterly effect to the whole photo, I added an light Orton effect to the photo. You might or might not like it, but its just an idea.
Hi, Cathy - This is a lovely scene and image. I agree with Youssef’s comments and his suggestion to add a light Orton effect for a more painterly appearance. I would probably settle for an Orton somewhere between your original and Youssef’s version, and I would suggest limiting it more to the highlights and maybe brighter midtones, but leave it out of shadows altogether. I also think darkening the brightest portions of the sky and mountains with a linear gradient might do well to keep the viewers eye from drifting out of the frame at the top. Hope to see views like this on a trip to Alaska someday myself!
Cathy, your photo makes me want to be there. (Well, maybe not until summer.)
Youssef and Bret’s suggestions are good ones. Another way to push the image in a painterly direction is to reduce the local contrast by reducing texture, clarity or both. Here I’d limit any change of that sort to the foreground. The atmosphere has already softened the background enough. I think you might also consider brightening the foreground here a bit. I don’t recommend this rework, just showing you what you might consider.
I’ll diverge from the others! I love it just the way it is. It might not hurt to bring the highlights down just a bit. It’s a lovely image. It’s tough with bright snow on one part and muted colors on the rest. I think you’ve done a great job.
Cathy: This brings back so many good memories of my one trip to Denali in the Fall several years ago. These are marvelous conditions as well. I’m not totally enamored with the comp, especially the prominent FG trees that are competing with the wonderful mountain and foothills scene. @Don_Peters lightening the FG helps but faced with the same scene I would have been tempted to walk forward and get the trees out of the shot. Of course I see that you were shooting at 105mm so you must have been some distance away from the trees and perhaps couldn’t get closer. From what I recall wandering too far away from the road could be tough and perhaps discouraged so I’m just speculating. Hope you have more from this beautiful area. >=))>
@Youssef_Ismail@Bret_Edge, @Don_Peters , @Paul_Holdorf , @Bill_Fach Thank you all for your kind comments and great suggestions! I’ve done a few edits but I now I can’t decide what I like best so I’m going to sit on it to let it age for a day or two before reposting.
I am so fortunate to have spent the entire summer touring around Alaska with my dog, camera, and hiking boots! I finally got to do my dream trip now that I’ve retired! Many more Alaska images to come! And likely another trip there for me next year – it’s not possible to see everything in a single season.
So much to love here Cathy! The rich foreground sprinkled with attractive trees and the wonderful snow capped ridges are sooo attractive.
This may be tilted CCW? I played with rotating it, and decided to toss in a couple other changes. Easier to show than to tell, but maybe some ideas to play with.
Yummy! What an exceptionally beautiful image of the Denali region in Fall. The distant mountains are simply gorgeous with light that is off the charts and mood to match. The near foreground and mid-ground tell us what time of the year this is and provide some wonderful Fall colors against that white, snowy backdrop. And painterly, OH MY, YES!!
I must admit that I like @John_Williams version the best.
I was in Alaska twice this summer and regret not doing the Denali side trip that was offered as part of our cruise package with Lindblad Expeditions. Now I have to go back and I must do so in the Fall. Thanks for giving me another beautiful reason to return.
Beautifully handled, I like the subtle tones and that you didn’t try to saturate the colors in the foreground. It looks like the image could be rotated slightly clockwise. Try nice composition as well, nothing I would change there.
Bill, I agree with you about the foreground trees competing with the mountains & foothills. I looked at the other images I collected of this scene but I could not find any to improve the comp. I should have done a bit more bushwacking! But you’re right, it’s often difficult to walk there, especially if you hope to keep your feet dry. I spent about 10 amazing days in the park and have many more images to share.
David, thanks for your comments. I like John’s version best too! I spent the whole summer in Alaska in my truck camper. So many amazing and different areas in the state, but Denali in the fall was really special. The colors! The wildlife! Even the people I met at the campgrounds were interesting.
Scott, well, I guess I ended up with a bit more saturation in the edited version. I tried some less saturated ones too, which were also interesting, but more somber in mood and I ended up liking the happier one better.
Hi Cathy,
I am a little late to the conversation, but the light on those BG snow covered peaks is flat out gorgeous as is the comp. I think the tweaks by @John_Williams pretty much nailed it and made an already wonderful image even better. I am looking forward to seeing what else you captured on your trip.
Hi Ed, thanks for your comments, glad you liked it. My jaw literally dropped when I saw the light on the snowy mountain ridges. I didn’t have much time to capture it before it changed. I have many more images from my trip. So many that I’m struggling to organize, rank and edit them in a systematic way, but I’m slowly making progress.
