At the end of July of this year I had planned to hike the Timberline Trail around Mt. Hood with a couple of friends. We hoped to do it in three long-mileage days, and unfortunately I developed some pain in my right knee just prior. Literally the night before I decided that I shouldn’t risk that many miles on the knee, and instead took the dog backpacking to Goat Rocks. That’s a long winded way to say that I had to clone my dog out of this image…
I wrestled with the balance of lighting in this image. I liked the foggy background, but found if I let it get too bright it seemed to distract from the foreground. I’ve tried to tame it without getting a muddy look, but would love your impression. All other thoughts welcome as well.
FUJIFILM X-T30
FUJIFILM XF 10-24mm F4 at 10 mm (15 mm equivalent)
3 images at 1/125 sec. (Depth of Field) and 1 at 1/500 sec. (Dynamic Range)
All at f/13 and ISO 800
I transformed the background a little to reduce some of the wide-angle background shrinking, and puppet warped the trees a bit to keep them from leaning too far.
2 Likes
Here’s the scalawag demonstrating his photo bombing behavior…
4 Likes
John, these are gorgeous and as much as I like your first image, the second picture has stolen my heart. He looks so handsome in the flower field.
As for your first image, I do agree with your assessment about the background being a little bit of an eye magnet. But I think it’s only that darker “peak” on the ULC that pulls my eyes. If you dodge it a little, it might solve your problem. I think the pine trees in the back and hint of snow on the ground really anchor the BG for me.
I like the natural look in this image, especially after working on my New Growth image.
Smart dog. He knows the rule of thirds composition rule.
I like it. I wouldn’t tame the background any further as, to me, that’s where my interest is. Without my eye being drawn back, it’s just a field of (albeit pretty) flowers.
John,
This is wonderful! What I find somewhat unique is the mix of foggy/rainy/wintery conditions of the bg vs. the spring/summery vibrant and cheery alpine wildflowers. It’s as if the two moods don’t belong together - however, this works beautifully.
No nits or suggestions. Love this. Oh, and the pooch too!
Lon
This is beautiful, John. Wonderful depth. Without reading your description my first reaction was that the background brightness was pulled down a bit too much. To me this is all about the foggy atmosphere and I think I’d prefer a more high key bright look.
Beautiful scene with great depth. I really like slowly working my way front to back and arriving at a dreamy place. I am also thinking that bringing up the clouds a bit and going a little high key would enhance the dreamy mood of the image. Either way, real nice John.
This is beautiful, John. The dew on the lupine really adds a lot to the image. The background mountains add just enough context to the scene. I could see brightening the luminosity in the fog just a little more, but I’m not sure I would have thought about that if you hadn’t mentioned it.
Thanks for the comments all! @Adhika_Lie, it’s funny how tunnel vision keeps one from seeing things. As soon as I read your comment about that hill on the left I could see how it sticks out. Thanks!
