Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
My hopes for an evening of Milky Way photography did not look promising, as the forecast for increasing cloud cover towards nightfall looked to be accurate. So I decided to get some shots during the twilight and hope for the best as the darkness set in. Although there was a brief clearing which enabled me to get this image, the clouds thickened and my evening adventure was done. Just another example of letting go of expectations when doing landscape photography, and going with whatever nature gives you.
Specific Feedback
Post processing these kinds of images seems to always be tricky, as deciding how much to either lighten or darken the land and sky to create a proper balance is very subjective. But then again, isn’t processing an image always subjective. What looks good to one person might not fit someone else’s vision. I would like to hear back with your thoughts regarding the processing of this image. Thanks for taking the time to look.
Technical Details
This image is a composite blend of two separate images taken at different times during the evening. The image for the land was shot at f/4.0, 30 sec at ISO 6400, and the sky at f/4, 10 sec at ISO 3200. Blended in Photoshop using luminosity masks, with further processing in Lightroom for exposure and white balance changes.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
- Vision and Purpose:
- Conceptual:
- Emotional Impact and Mood:
- Composition:
- Balance and Visual Weight:
- Depth and Dimension:
- Color:
- Lighting:
- Processing:
- Technical:
Ted, I think the sky and the mid-ground with cloud deck and mountains look great.
You might consider a crop from the left to draw the mountains off of dead center, and also perhaps add a bit of light to the foreground; not much, but enough to give it a little more definition.
What mountains are those?
You certainly made a good pasta out of dry noodles.
-P
Ted,
I agree with @Preston_Birdwell about giving the FG a little more light so that there is some recognition as what the FG is. I don’t know about cropping from the left, as I like the softer warm glow coming in. I think I could live with the centered mountain.
Thank you @Preston_Birdwell and @Youssef_Ismail for your suggestions. I went back and lightened the foreground to bring out more details in the land. This is a volcanic landscape from ancient lava flows. Much of Central Oregon is like this. The mountains in the distance are the Sisters group in the Central Cascade range.
That is a wild FG Ted. The whole photo is just wild! Glad you made what you could, and yes landscape photography is all about taking what the land, sea, and sky gives.
Absolutely true Youssef. It’s an exciting world out there.
A unique and interesting image! I do prefer the lighter FG version but the blacks give the impression of being crushed. It may be just the strong light, but worth exploring if the left toe of the histogram can be recovered. Any resulting noise can usually be dealt with these days.
My personal preference would be for the mountain to be less centered, both vertically and horizontally, but I can see the quandary of which area would I sacrifice. The sky is very nice with good stars and the clouds add interest. It looks like the trails (probably satellites these days) could be removed easily.
You don’t say if the FG was shot from the same position, but the blend looks good. The halo in the left half might be from the low-lying clouds, but is a bit attention-getting. I think I would moderate it.
WB with night shots is tricky because with any moonlight the sky will have the same blue as in the day and the land will have the same warmth as in the day, because moonlight is the same color temp as sunlight. But artistic license can certainly be allowed. All in all, a successful Plan B given the difficult conditions.
Thank you Diane for your comments and suggestions. When I originally processed this image I left the foreground somewhat dark because I remembered it being that way when I was there taking the photo. I then lightened it a bit after some suggestions, but not too much. I did take the foreground and sky images at the same location, without moving the camera. Like you said, these astrophotography images can be tricky to process as there are several ways to go with it. I’m glad you found it interesting.
