The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
The wind howled across the Montana plains as I made my way toward the edge of this ancient buffalo jump, my fascination with Native history drawing me closer. The cliffs stood rugged and timeless, a silent witness to the past. The biting December gusts stung my face, making it hard to steady my camera, but the moment was too powerful to miss. As I framed the shot, I felt a deep sense of awe—at the land, the history, and the echoes of the buffalo that once thundered across this very place.
Specific Feedback
I’m curious what you think of the processing? I don’t do black and white all that often (I was going for a somber mood) but I tried my best. Is there anything that jumps out at you?
Is the composition captivating enough? Or is it too safe? I really wanted to show the cliffs of the buffalo jump to allow the viewer to imagine what it must have been like when the bison were falling over the edge.
I’m no processing expert, but I know what I like. I think the B&W conversion is just fine. The composition captivates me. All you needed was Crazy Horse up there atop his horse, pointing out across the plain.
Tom, this looks like a familiar landscape (along the Madison river?) with the high cliffs and the big wide valley. I think your processing looks very good. The cliff stands out well. As something to try, you might burn-in the dark bushes in the middle to separate the cliff even more and darken the valley also to make the cliff the main area of interest. I gave those ideas a quick try using midtone masks…
Mark, this was shot a bit further north than the Madison River - it was just west of Great Falls. Also, I really like your version with the burning down of the plains a the dodging of the sky on the right. I think it really makes the cliff stand out even more which is great.
Tom I like the photo and the Mark Seaver version. This image must be seen enlarged for the many nice details and theinteresting stratification of rocks.
Very nice, Tom! You b&w processing looks quite fine to me. I like Mark’s idea of burning down those bushes and the valley. Since you said you wanted a somber mood, I thought about darkening the whole image except for the cliffs. Here’s my 2 cents. BTW, I’m enjoying your expanded descriptions of your photo experiences.
Hi Tom,
This is a wonderful story reliving your experience while shooting this expansive scene. I felt like I was there with you. I do like the small tweak made by@Mark_Seaver as it does focus more attention on the cliff. I do find the image captivating and you should try B&W more often.
First, I have to say how much I love your very descriptive intro to your photo shoot and how you were feeling while on location. Terrific stuff. It makes me feel more connected to why you shot this and for the buffalo that were basically forced over the edge to their deaths.
Your B&W processing seems fine to me but I really like what @Bonnie_Lampley did to make this an even better image. It has more depth and clarity and the cliff really stands out against everything else in the scene. The sky has just enough cloud cover to provide great light particularly on that cliff face. Wonderful execution on this, Tom.