Weld County Sunset

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

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Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.

Questions to guide your feedback

Looking for general feedback on composition.

Other Information

Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.

Image Description

Living in the country or near there, our town has an open space that I have been to a few times. This image was taken back in 2019 on one my evening trips to the wetlands for a sunset shoot. I composed the image to include some of the grass and tall bulrush in the foreground with the fence that helped to transition to the background and the setting sun behind the mountains with Longs Peak and Mt. Meeker as well as the Twin Sisters just to the left of the sun. The Crepuscular (God Rays) were the added touch to the image and the subtle light in the foreground adds to the composition and depth of field as well.

Technical Details

Equipment: Canon EOS Rebel T3, ISO 800, Tv 1/640, f/8, 23 mm focal length with Canon 18-55 mm (Kit lens).
image

Specific Feedback

Looking for feedback on composition, aesthetics, technical.

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:
2

Todd, this is a very inviting sunset view. I like the foreground grasses and the shrub silhouettes along the left as well as the crepuscular rays. The standard view feels vertically compressed, but any crop leaves out something good. The larger views work much better as the foreground details show add interest there.

3

Lovely light and view and the processing looks great Todd. The rays are a nice bonus and the clouds add some drama to the scene, but what I like the most is the soft light on some of the grasses. Did you happen to capture any images by moving more to the right? I ask because those really tall grasses on the left that poke up into the sky bother me a little bit. I wouldn’t want to crop them off as it would throw the balance off. If this were mine I would try to use the remove tool in PS to get rid ot them. Just my opinion of course.

4

Thanks so much Mark. I have been a little amiss in getting back in on NPN. I appreciate the feedback! This was a submission to our town’s annual calendar, so hoping it makes it.
I agree about the compression, whether it’s vertical or horizontal, something does get missed and changes the composition. I’ve noticed that a lot of my work is focused on having everything “centered” in the middle of the frame (like the sun) in this image. Too much foreground or sky before the crop, I felt took away from the overall “feel” or “vision” I was looking for.

5

Hi Ed. Thank you for the feedback. I looked through my sunset album and don’t see that I did move to the right, OR I could have deleted some images since they may not have been in focus…