The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Couldn’t pass up this storytelling opportunity in Joshua Tree National Park, a boulder lover’s paradise. Unlike Yosemite, where most of the big boulders sitting atop the polished granite domes are glacial erratics, the Joshua Tree boulders weather in place out of unstable source rock.
Specific Feedback
General thoughts on the image. I had to enhance the sky, as it was washed out. There is always a temptation to hit the saturation bar with Joshua Tree NP shots, which can be fairly drab tans and browns. I restrained myself here, perhaps at the expense of the main subject. With shadows and odd shapes, I have had good luck converting Joshua Tree landscapes to B/W.
Technical Details
Olympus EM1, F7.1, 1/200th, ISO 200, 18MM.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Good Morning James,
I do so love Joshua Tree NP. And great idea on the B&W renderings for there! Thanks for that tip. I have to say I’ve never seen boulders like that there - fascinating. I do love how the color of them as the subject stands out from the underlying boulder. This image really does tell the story of erosion in one of its crazy permutations. To further enhance them as the subject, you might try decreasing the contrast in the distant background boulders and even perhaps the sky, to allow the eye to rest more fully with the foreground. Lovely boulders!
Technically this is a very good photograph - sharp from foreground to background. A n interesting sky to complement the background. But what makes this photograph memorable and maybe exceptional is the title. You have proven once again how important it is to guide the viewer with words in addition to the image. Well done.
Many thanks Ken. Fun to tell a geological story with a photo.
I’d like to go back and shoot it again – no doubt changed a bit – but the guy who took me out there isn’t mobile any more, and I doubt if I could find my way. Joshua Tree can be quite dangerous that way.
