Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Another shot from home. This is the Wind Tower in Eldorado Canyon State Park, a feature I walk past 100s of times a year, in all seasons. I think the rare hoarfrost days can’t be beat, in part because there are no people, for some reason I am unable to understand.
Specific Feedback
That triangle of white snow in the lower left… is it a problem? Suggestions to fix? I tried to remove in PS but I could still see it, so that didn’t work.
Do you get a sense of motion from the falling snow?
Technical Details
Sony RX100m6
1/20 s, f/9.0, ISO 400
4 Likes
Cathy, this is really nice. As soon as I saw it I was drawn to it. The composition is quite well done - I really like the juxtaposition of the tree and the rock face. I also like your use of color. This could easily be a black & white image - but your subtle use of color is very effective.
From my own experience, I know you want substantial feedback. Sometimes all you’re going to get are small matters here or there - because the big stuff is just right. I think that’s the case here.
The triangle of snow doesn’t bother me. I might want just a bit more ground to provide a foundation - but if this is all you have then maybe a little more shadow in that left corner might help. My only other thing is the sky might be just a bit glare-y. I’d be tempted to bring it down a bit, and maybe cool it down. You should trust your judgement and vision on that.
Well done! I like it!
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Thanks @Bill_Lathrop for your kind and thoughtful comments! I do have more ground on the bottom in the original image, but it also includes more of the white snowy road, so I cropped to cut the difference. Lemme revisit that idea. And now that you point it out, I agree that the sky is glare-y. I will play with that too. Thank you for your thoughts!
Cathy, this is a very beatiful play of color and textures. I do not get a sense of motion and can’t idetify fallling snow. I wonder if that is a function of posting a smaller jpg. I agree with @Bill_Lathrop about the sky. I tried to see what content-aware-fill would do to that patch. Here is what I got. PS dose a good job with out much effort on our part. I think B&W would loose much of the charm of this scene.
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I really like the mood and textures of this fine scene and I like the little change here in the lower left corner. I think you really have a keeper here.
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I really love the overall feel of the image and the contrast of the hoar frost against the rocks and branches is lovely.
Personally, I think the sky is a bit of a distraction. I might suggest trying a panoramic crop and exclude the sky, which can help make the viewer wonder how tall the rock face is. I also agree with maybe including more of the ground so the image feels a bit more grounded.
But besides those critiques, I love the overall feel is this image. Wish I could have these conditions more often!
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Hi Cathy, this is an outstanding picture. I love the tonality you chose, B/W would not have done justice in my opinion.
You brought up the triangle in the lower left, I will tell you my eyes were dawn to it. Maybe using a radial gradient and just lowering the highlight might help, if not leave it as is. The only other thing I would try is a linear gradient from the top, just a tad lowering the exposure. It is truly an outstanding capture. Bravo
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@Barbara_Djordjevic
Thanks for your comments and edits! The content aware fill worked much better than remove, for the white triangle! Thanks so much for that suggestion.
@Dave_Douglass thank you! Barbara has saved the day with the corner.
@Jason_Ray_Photography Oh! Interesting idea for a panorama crop! I will try that. I agree that the gray sky doesn’t add anything. Yeah, the hoarfroat is magical!
@Mozzam_Hosein thanks for your kind words and feedback on the LLC eye draw.
I am traveling now but I will post an edit incorporating all these great comments when I get home.
This is an image of 2 halves. It would be nice if each half contained a bit more of its other half, that they were more melded together. I think that would have provided a stronger composition.
Suggestion?
(1)I would simply crop off that small bit of snow rather than try to replace it.
(2) Bring out the reds in the cliff and see what that adds to the image. If that works then try to cool wb of the image to play off the reds.
1 Like
Hi Cathy! This is a very nice image. I really like the composition and the contrast between the cliff and the frosted trees. I also think Igor’s suggestions are excellent. Perhaps cooling the wb will take care of the “glare” others have mentioned, but that doesn’t bother me much. Well done!
Igor, thanks for your insights! I was trying to talk about the orange-red and blue-greens so I really appreciate your tips on how to emphasize that.
Thanks Steve! I like the idea that the WB might also address the glare.
@Bill_Lathrop @Barbara_Djordjevic @Dave_Douglass @Jason_Ray_Photography @Mozzam_Hosein @Igor_Doncov @Steve_Kennedy Thank you for your comments!Just posted an edit incorporating all the suggestions except the crops, which didn’t work well for me.
This one caught my eye several times lately, but I’m only now getting around to kibitzing. It’s an arresting scene, for sure. I agree with you on the crop - cropping off the bottom just doesn’t work; it ruins the balance.
That triangle of snow in the LLC does catch the eye, though. I think it’s particularly prominent because of the warm grasses poking up through it. Darkening + cooling might do the trick to make it less noticeable.
Igor’s idea was interesting, to bring the two halves more together by incorporating something from each half into the other. Considering the main features of each side (dark, warm rock vs. cool, light snow), I thought perhaps warming up the tree trunks on the left and bringing out the lighter bits on the rock might work.
Anyway you work it, though, it’s a beautiful photo.
Here’s my try:
I did most of it in ACR; here’s the edits if you’re interested in the details:
Grass LLC
Lightened/warmed rock (also dodged lights in PS)
Brightened/cooled snowy half
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I think it turned out great Cathy - well done.
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Bonnie, thanks so much for your ideas and your detailed account of what you did. Very helpful to see your techniques! I especially like the darkening & cooling of the LLC grasses. I’ll revisit it when I get a chance and try some of your approaches.
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