It’s been a bit busy since my last post. The holidays, busy work schedule and cold weather have dampened my enthusiasm lately.
I’m looking for some feedback/help on this image. I posted it on Facebook and actually got a little feedback rather than just a like. Stunning, I know. I posted the original color version and this b/w version and asked which people preferred. Most preferred the b/w, but several commented that the arch seems to get lost. What I need are suggestions on how to fix that.
I post-processed this by using an HDR filter in Perfect Effects 8. I really like this HDR program as I can tweak and the end result looks pretty natural. After I did that, I converted to b/w using Nik Silver Efex and for the life of me, I can’t remember which pre-set I used. This step created some haloing around the edges of the rock formations. (I re-processed through the HDR step and the halos did not appear there, so whatever preset I used in Nik apparently did that.) I tried some dodging/burning but don’t know that it really solved the problem of the arch “disappearing.” I’d like to print this photo for my next group print meeting next week and would like to solve my problems before I print. Any ideas? I’m sure you all are full of them, and thanks in advance.
This is such a powerful image. I love the way the sky and the land seem to mirror each other (an effect that seems to be further enhanced as a result of the B&W conversion). The overall composition is unique and provides a fresh looks at this location.
I don’t see this as an image of Turret Arch per-se. It is actually more than that. It shows off the desert in much better fashion that any single arch could.
Angela, I love the drama that you have in this image. I agree with @Anil_Rao that I don’t see this as Turret Arch image per-se, but that does not diminish it’s appeal to me. To me this image is about winter in the desert, and how the radial flow of the clouds is mimicked in the land itself.
I also agree with @Dan_Kearl about the crop, it retains the interesting part of the clouds without them become overwhelming. If you want to make the formation stand out more, I might consider darkening the blue part of the sky even further (but not the clouds). And I think this image could also benefit from adding a vignette, which will also help draw attention to the center of the image.
Angela, This is a really lovely image. I think it has mostly been processed very well. Much better than I would have done. I think the tones and shadows in the foreground have been done well and the composition suits it really well.
I don’t agree with @Dan_Kearl and @Igor_Doncov with cropping the sky. I feels that it balances the image and helps pull the eye in towards the rock cluster. Creates two diagonals; one in the sky and one on the ground. To be honest I didn’ notice the arch at first. Not something you could fix in post but if you had lined up the bottom of the clouds on the left with the rocks that may have accentuated a bit.
I don’t know much about NIK products but I see what you mean with the haloing issue. Is it possible to mask out the sky in PS from this HDR tool you used and just apply it to the foreground. I would then suggest going back to some selective dodging and burning on the sky. I think that may give you a more even effect. I would concentrate on bringing the darks up in the left of the sky and the whites up on the right.
Hope all that made sense and helps. Feel free to give me a shout if you need me to clarify anything
I like the composition as is. Too bad the clouds did not extend behind the arch. They could help highlight the arch. Maybe lightening the sky slightly may help.
You may like the HDR effect, but I don’t agree that the results look natural. The shadows under the bushes are retained, but overall there is very little variation in tonality as if it was shot mid-day with the exposure reduced. There is a lot of tonal variation in the sky, however.
I think you made a good choice going b&w here. As most others have mentioned, it’s not really an image about “Turret Arch”, although naming it this way does provide location context…
I’m torn about a crop. I do think though that even with a crop, the sky is still effective and actually the more pano crop also accentuates the length and layers of the horizontal bands of clouds above the horizon, which I think works well. I’d consider the crop to be an alternate view, not necessarily a better one.
I wouldn’t have guessed any HDR type processing (not that I’m an expert…) although I do think you could work on some of the subtle haloing if you decide to print this.
