I took these shots a few months ago in the Alabama Hills near Mt Whitney. They are nearly identical (although I processed them slightly different ) but I can’t decide which is stronger. I’d love to hear your opinions and why you prefer one over the other plus any other feed back about the images.
Thanks!
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
The verticle is shot with a Nikon D850 with the Tamron 70-210 f4 and the horizontal is shot with a Sony A7RIII and the 100-400 GM. Both at f11 on a tripod base ISO’s of 64 and 100
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Wow, that is some dramatic and beautiful light that you caught. I have a preference for the vertical shot because it helps narrow the focus plus the foreground and background seem a little lighter. I like being able to see a little more of both and would maybe lighten the mountain in the background just a little more. Very lovely, as is, though.
Thanks Kathy. Originally when I posted this image around I preferred the vertical too for some of the same reasons, so that was my first instinct. But lately i’ve been drawn to the horizontal.
that’s a really tough call. whenever i was about to write “go with the vertical” i suddenly thought “nah, the horizontal is better” and vice versa. i prefer the light on the background in the horizontal. also the colour palette is a bit more pleasing to my eyes. if you decide to go with the horizontal you might want to play around with cropping out the sunlit rock in the far right.
John, these are both really nice! I prefer the horizontal for the same reasons that @Joerg_Bonner stated. I particularly like the background light in the horizontal.
This one is easy for me - without a doubt the horizontal. I think the sun barely kissing the background is just SO amazing. Additionally, I feel the composition is stronger in the second in that the entire background cliff is capture and doesnt end abruptly on the right side and the layers are more defined (also thanks to the subtle light on the background).
Glad to see another person using and love the 100-400 GM!
Thanks @Joerg_Bonner@Alan_Kreyger@Minhaz_Sarker for the input. It’s funny that my original leaning was toward the verticle but lately has been with the horizontal too. I like the processing on the horizontal better but I just updated to TK actions 7 and I think I am going to start over and see what I can come up with. The light that morning was awesome and I feel like maybe I can get more out of both of these images. The rock on the far right now bothers me so I’m going to see about that too. I’ll post an update when I re-work them. Thanks!
@Minhaz_Sarker Yea I love that 100-400 - I actually sold ALL my Nikon gear and am now entirely a Sony shooter because of the Sony lenses - in particular that one. I’m going to the Dolomites in about a month and I am taking 3 lenses and 2 bodies with a range of 16-400mm! Last year when I made the same trip I had 2 systems and more than twice the weight. This is so much better!
Great image and post title. Who can resist the age old question.
My first impression was that I like the horizontal best. The vertical gets closer to the central formation, but the formation is just as pleasing from a distance.
For me, it’s about the top third. In the vertical, it’s undifferentiated clouds, but in the horizontal, we get a sense of the mysterious.
Definitely the horizontal version for me, John. Both images are lovely, but the vertical seems to tight to me whereas the horizontal opens everything up and spreads out that marvelous light in the FG and BG. This is dripping with drama and I love the mystery with the clouds partially obscuring the BG peaks. Beautifully done!
@Marylynne_Diggs@Ed_Lowe Thank you both for taking the time to comment. It seems that the votes are adding up for the horizontal I’m working on a new version of it at the moment to see what more I can do with it. I’ll post an update soon.
My vote is for the horizontal for the same reasons as Marylynne, that background is killer !!
Obviously the strong spotlight effect of the warm light on the rocks makes either of these two images a winner. But as with most things in life its the subtle, little things that separate great from good, and for me it is that mysterious looking background. I also think @Minhaz_Sarker has a good point about the rock on the right. I think the second image might also be enhanced by a slight crop from the top, which will make the rock formations appear larger in the horizontal frame. something like this…
Let the subject dictate the format. Strong horizontal lines should be emphasized with a horizontal format while strong vertical compositions (say Lon’s trees) are best displayed with a vertical format. It’s a no brainer here - horizontal.
Have you considered a square crop of the bottom of the vertical?
For me, there’s no doubt the horizontal is the better of the two. Not only does the landscape format fit the scene better and more comfortably, but that light gracing the bottom of the hills in the bg is something else. I can’t think of anything I would do to improve this one.
The vertical is still dramatic enough with that light. I just feel like the light is cut off on either side and I’m left wondering how much more of it there is on the landscape. (of course influenced because we have the answer with the horizontal view…) In the vertical version, the only thing I can suggest might be to shave off a little from the top as the upper dark clouds aren’t adding anything.
What a special morning this must have been! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for all the good feedback and advice. I have been playing around with the horizontal version in PS and subtlely changing the light and tones… not sure if it’s worth it because I think I still like the original edit. I did crop it several ways and I think that definitely makes it a stronger image. I’ve attached the edits with crops - I might still tweak it though.
I think the last 2 posts are the best of the lot - at least for me. I really like the warmer light in both and the slight crop of the horizontal simplifies just enough and I think strengthens the light. The light on the rock is also accentuated beautifully in the square crop.
Thanks for taking the time! I understand why you still like your original… as you should! Great imagery.
@Lon_Overacker Thanks for all your input! It’s a continual process… at times I want to scrap all my edited images and restart with the original RAW files… maybe if I ever find myself with nothing to do
With your best shots that usually is a smart thing to do, especially if you start with some specific processing goals in mind. That way you are not boxed into how you processed it previously.
I’m working on a new version of it at the moment to see what more I can do with it. I’ll post an update soon.
