Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I am cheating a little as this is not yet a wall hanger but I am about to send it to friends to be a wall hanger at their house so I thought it might be a good opportunity to see if there is anything I could do to improve it. This was taken a couple of weeks ago in San Diego in a really cloudy day but that an amazing show of sun rays that were so beautiful . There were really nice rock cliffs that I liked as foreground.
Specific Feedback
Any and all is welcome but especially I was wondering if the small boat in the background is more a distraction than an added feature and I should take it out and if the colors in the sky look right or I should try to improve it. I played with it a little in lightroom but maybe more can be done.
Technical Details
Sony a7c 70-300 lens, 81mm, f/14, 1/40 sec, iso 50 on a tripod. Did some lightroom edits, mostly added masks to emphasize the direction of the light.
Tamar, the crepuscular rays look great and I like how you’ve framed them with the rock formation. The cargo ship (small boat… 
), speaks to your location, but that might be lost on many viewers. (It’s all about what story do you wish the picture to tell.) I do think that processing for more contrast in the rocks of the lower half and along the bottom would help push attention to the crepuscular rays even as it would add interest to the rocks. Those rocks feel a bit flat to me.
Thank you. I have tried to implement your suggestion as shown but I feel like the rocks now are more a distraction to the rays than a way to push attention to the rays. That is part of the reason I darkened them at first - to focus on the rays. Do you have a suggestion how to balance the two? Thanks
Tamar, I agree that the new version has too much contrast and darkness in the rocks. On my monitor the rocks also have a slight yellowish cast that competes with the yellow rays. Here’s a version where I burned in the darkest tone in the lower rocks, then I used the blue
tone curve to pull down the blue slightly through a midtone mask and finally used the luminosity (white) button on the tone curve menu to raise slightly the entire curve. I did all of that in Photoshop. In Lightroom, I think you can try these using masks. Use the Range button and luminosity slider to select which luminosity values you want to work on and then make your adjustment (e.g. exposure, blue curve, luminosity curve). In the long run, this is your photo and your vision…not mine, so think of these as ideas to try.
Thanks again. I think the yellow cast is a result of trying to warm the rocks (with a mask in lightroom). I hope that now it looks better. I agree that bringing out the shapes in the rock mimicking the waves adds depth and interest to the picture. Thanks
