The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
have waffled on sharing this photograph for a couple of weeks now. Not exactly sure about it. On the one hand when I first look at it, I do get excited, just like when I first made the photo. But after looking at for a bit, the excitement fades as I feel there is not much there.
The composition was the last I made on the night when I photographed the Lemmon comet with @Paul_Dileanis in the Pinnacles National Park. The moon had risen and lit the ridgeline below where the comet was in the sky. As we stood there, suddenly some shadows appeared at the top of the ridge and I turned to see what was casting the shadows. The wind had picked up considerably and these very fast moving clouds were passing through. Within a few minutes we were completely under cloud cover and that ended the night.
As the clouds moved past the moon, I exposed when it seemed like the moon was nearly covered, knowing that the clouds would act as a ND filter of sorts to hold back the moon. I took about 6 frames, all overexposed the moon except for this one which still retained an inkling of detail in the moon.
Specific Feedback
Does the photo garner any attention?
Is the moon to bright? I could muster a bit more detail from it but I do not want it to look artificially too dark.
Technical Details
Nikon D850, Nikon 50mm f/1.8 MF lens set at f8, for 30 sec at ISO 800.
Processed in ACR and PS, just standard adjustments to bring in some of the shadow detail and retain some of the highlight detail.
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:
Wow I LOVE this! The spooky moon and the wind in the spooky trees – what more could anyone want! (Well, maybe a tram ride down. Especially in the dark…) The trees are fascinating. I can see a twofer with a crop for just the smaller tree and moon!
This is really different Youssef, and special because of it. Well done. I really like it large, because that subtle shadow detail adds so much. Motion blur often bugs me, here here I think it really adds to the mystical mood this has. Glad you shared it; sometimes out of our comfort zone is where the best stuff is.
This is an interesting image, Youssef. There’s a lot I like about it and only one minor nit. I love that rather than the trees being tack sharp, they are blurred from the wind and that gives the image some dynamism. The moon looks good to me. My only wish is that the top half of the sky on left was a little lighter to contrast better with the silhouetted tree.
Hi Youssef,
Well, I for one am glad that you decided to share it with the rest of us as this is very intriguing and moody IMO. Usually I do not care for all that motion in the trees, but here I think it only reinforces the air of mystery and suspense in the moment. For my tastes the moon looks just fine as is. Very nicely done.
This is a different kind of image for sure but I am really liking it. I love moody images and this one is very moody. I also love the curve of the foreground and that it falls off on the right side. The movement in the trees is what I’m really liking about this image. The moon looks like it’s moving fast and blowing through the trees creating the turbulence. Perfect positioning of the moon with at least a little bit of detail in it and in an area of the sky that’s open. I think the weakest part of the image is the upper left portion of the frame but it’s a very minor nit and all I can come up with.
I love the idea that @Diane_Miller came up with about cropping for only the smaller tree and the moon.
Glad you posted this image. It really captured the mood of the night. The softness of the clouds and trees from the long exposure create an ethereal effect enhancing the mystery of the moonlit night. Here is my image from that night with the 100mm (15mm would have been way too wide). @Diane_Miller had a good suggestion for cropping the image, made me wish I had changed my camera position. I did manage to pick up some detail in the moon.
Two very beautiful images in one thread. The mood, the colors, the movement in the trees… Great.
The images are different, but in the same family. Like them both.
I don’t share the opinion about the ULC being a bit too dark. If it were lighter, it wouldn’t fit in the composition with the moon as the only light source IMO.
Thanks for sharing.
