This image was shot near Darwin Falls, Death Valley. I passed it up on the way to the falls and found it somewhat interesting but kept going. There was a old pipe that ran from the creek to somewhere. It was rusty and either the water or the rust had leaked and leached the rock below. After about an hour of shooting the falls my mind had opened up and I was more receptive to the scene. I crouched in front of it and made 2 compositions (with and without the mud cracks). This was next to the trail and so people were walking by. One said, āWhatās he doing?ā. The response, āHeās experimentingā.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Emotional: Feedback on the emotional impact and artistic value of the image.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Most of my time was spent on the colors. I felt it should be warm with the oranges pronounced by not too dominating.
As a followup I want to post a picture of Darwin Falls because it was actually the purpose of the trip. Iām also doing it because it will otherwise never see the light of day again. Unless there is a change of heart. As you can see, itās a very different type of image.
What an interesting find this is!
I love the concept here - showcasing the subtle mix of colors and textures. My only thing is some of the coloration of the wall looks a little warm but could just be meā¦ I also have no idea what the RAW was like. All in all a really interesting image!
The thumb nail reminded me of of ancient cave wall paintings. I think the cracked mud adds to the image. The warm color looks pleasing to me. And I do like your Darwin Falls image too. The turquoise on the left is interesting.
Igor, if you had not mentioned the rusted water pipe I would have assumed that the color was from an iron vein in the rock, either just above or one that had flaked off at some point.
The cracked mud adds context for me and the colors are very realistic considering the ambient lighting.
Love the cracks and the texture in the rock face as well!
Iām not sure what to feel about the waterfall image, I may have to come back later to comment more on that one. It does seem to show evidence of some type of harsh mineral(s) just under the area where the water is striking the dome shaped rock, not bad harsh, just concentrated? Not sure at this point.
I like the presence of the green grass and fern type leaves. The colors are wonderful as well, itās just that the almost painted looking area seems out of place for me at this point.
The flaking green looks as though it was covering some sort of soil erosion treatment?
Both of these images work for me because they evoke curiosity in my mind, they make me want to investigate and research the elements (mostly the waterfall image).
I think this is a sensational image. The warmth you added is not overdone and makes the image more inviting to meander through. I think the mud definitely adds to the composition and the interest of the image. It gives me a little more sense of scale but also adds tremendous texture and depth. Iād say your āExperimentingā went well.
I very much like the Darwin Falls image as well. Itās a bit of a Yin and Yang for me. A really nice juxtaposition between the left and right halves of the image. I find the two halves so completely different that it makes this image work for me. Out of context, and not knowing where this shot was taken, this would be an average waterfall scene. But, knowing the location of where the image was taken, in the driest, hottest, and lowest place in the United States, makes this a way more interesting and compelling image. This could easily find itās way into an art gallery for and of Death Valley. I would sit on this one and hope that one day it speaks more to you than it does now. I love it.
I had the very same first impression as Eva. Pictographs/Petroglyphs immediately came to mind. Certainly recognize the color as ārustā but Iāll prefer to imagine some other sourceā¦ Itās a terrific find and the cracked mud adds a positive, story-telling element to this intimate scene.
Gotta love it when passers by ask what youāre shooting, or make a comment. Itās most always pretty innocent, but almost always they seem perplexed at what our cameras are pointed at.
Not sure why youāre a bit dismissive of the Darwin falls image. I think itās fantastic! Ok, cascading water on rocks isnāt original, but wow, the colors of the rock to the left and more so, I love the spreading fingers of the water at the bottom - in fact, it was reminding me of something that took a minute to registerā¦ then I got it. You know those ālightning ballsā where electrical archs jump between to points, or around a globe? The water coming out the bottom reminds me of that kind of electric energy.
Sure glad you posted and it got to see the light of day here on NPN!
I couldnāt find any specific information on Darwin Falls concerning erosion but when I zoomed in real close on a section in the center left portion of the image, there is a clear pattern of woven burlap.
Iāve used soil erosion matting with embedded grass seed in my career and the idea is to hold the soil in place by intertwining grass roots as the grass grows, the nearly vertical wall would call for a grass type with long and robust roots, the aqua green coating or outer shell is biodegradable, meaning it will eventually dissolve as the grass starts taking hold. even the burlap will eventually rot away leaving just the grass roots to hold the substrate together.
That woven pattern is also visible in the aqua green coating (outer shell).
Itās pretty clear in the section on the right that itās not solid rock as I imagined it would be.
Iām not 100% sure that the above is the case but I am at least 99% sure.
Iād love to know what the substrate actually is. Maybe soft rock? Some sort of clay?
Iām not a geologist but to me the bluish green rock looked like Serpentine rock. There were several places near the trail where the water flowed over this type of rock and plunged into pools below. It had striations of white. It was so beautiful that I tried creating close up compositions of blurred water over the wet rock. The rock was smooth and had no bumps as seen in your image. Could those bumps be an artifact of extreme magnification? Or maybe sharpening? I took the white mottled pattern to be lichen at the time but now Iām leaning towards another mineral infused in the rock. There was a deep pool between me and the falls so I couldnāt get any closer. Usually intrusions look like stretched lines like those I saw below. I donāt think the aqua rock was very soft. There was a lot of other metamorphic rock in the area as well. Places in the area were mined fir gold. Isnāt gold usually found in metamorphic rock areas? I no longer remember.
To my eye the colors are processed in a pleasing way. I like the comments you received while working on composing this. Experimentation is so much a part of it. I also like the geometry/patterns created by the cracks in both the mud and rockāwell composed.
Here is an unprocessed image of the falls again. Notice the rocks on the right side of the falls. They seem to be of the same nature as the brown areas on the left side. Iām wondering if these two types of rocks got squished together and then the cascading water washed off the brown rocks that were on top of the green rocks. I usually donāt think about this sort of thing when shooting.
What a wonderful image!! I could see spending hours there trying to find a favorite composition and finally giving up. But you achieved a very interesting balance between the two disparate elements. The color feels spot-on to me.
The falls is interesting ā Iām glad you put it up. I donāt remember if you ever do B/W but I think it might be an interesting way to go with it. If it were me (and no way it should beā¦) Iād think about some crop from the left. I like the original orientation.
I love the tension this image imparts Igor. Itās subtle and dramatic all at the same time. The mud contrasts with the rock; it almost feels like two images merged. There is the overall warmth of the image color, but then there is just enough cool color in that rock trying to work its way out. The dark orange color on the rock hints just enough at structure to be like a Rorschach Test; my mind tries to create aliens trying to emerge. Well done to see and capture such a fascinating image.
The colors, texture, and jagged mud cracks speak to your title - Turmoil. I donāt think the colors are overdone; they look realistic to me.
Since I am a geologist, Iāll weigh in on that discussion. It looks like the brown colored stuff on the right is dirt thatās been washed down the slope and/or the weathering rind of the fresher rock. Where the water rushes over the rock, it cleans it off.
Yes, I see that as well. In truth the mud was separately processed by adding contrast. That was done because I felt that the reds above were too dominant. However, there is this schism now. I wonder if it had always existed or artificially created by the processing. No, it appears to be a natural boundary. Maybe I should change the title to āTwo Worldsā or some such thing.
Wow, this is fascinating, Igor. I would have to say this is one of your best IMHO. A gorgeous abstract and many surprises when you really look hard at it and explore the tiny details. Iām looking at this on my laptop so the coloration Iām viewing may not be very accurate, but it appears there are bits of blue/green among the tans & browns and that works so well. I love the textures of the tans and the rust stains as they complement the cracked mud very well. This is just lovely!
Iām glad you like it Bill. I just made one here in Baja that Iām pretty excited about. Itās an abstract consisting of a close up of a wall so Iām not sure which category to add it to.
Itās a terrific find and the cracked mud adds a positive, story-telling element to this intimate scene.
