B&W version of “Witch’s Trail” over West Millers Cove, TN
Critique Style Requested:Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Tennessee skies west of Gatlinburg, August 4, 2022. The clouds there are great nearly all the time with rain squalls coming through too. I did have to faithfully watch the scenes unfolding as it was a consistently great location. We were in a large rental estate for a family gathering and the views were incredible. The only problem was 22 out of 34 people contracted Covid while we were there even though we didn’t even do any sightseeing in the area. Thankfully, no one was seriously ill and we all recovered quickly.
Specific Feedback
I’m mostly wondering if this is better as a B&W or a color photograph. I’m leaning toward color but it does have some interesting shapes and tones. I didn’t take an ultra-wide lens on this trip. I had no idea the location would be so photogenic. That won’t happen again.
Technical Details
Handheld, Canon R5, RF 24-105 @ 24mm, f/8 @ various, ISO 100. I did process this in Affinity HDR but tried hard to avoid the HDR look. Finished it off in ACR and Photoshop CC. The version I did in Dx0 PL9 looked a lot crunchier but I’m learning how to avoid that now.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
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Composition:
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Fred, the sky in B/W is very fitting, but to my eyes the landscape comes off a bit drab, so I would go with the color version . I might be tempted to tame some of the green highlights in the foreground trees through . The sky is stunning in color.
Fred: Color version for me by a mile. So much more color contrast accentuating the cloud formation which is cool in the B&W but nowhere near as impactful. Marvelous scene superbly captured. >=))>
@Ryan_H@Stephen_Stanton@Bill_Fach Thank you again for your comments. Stephen’s suggestion made sense so here is a later version of the photograph. The foreground was a bit too much in the first round.
I think the color version has some potential but the landscape has a very pronounced green/cyan cast to it. It also looks a little on the HDR side and I know you like that look so take that with a grain of salt. The sky is better and in this image, and it’s all about that dramatic sky. Some of the clouds have gone almost completely black just under the yellow clouds on the left side and they stick out. Maybe back off a bit on the contrast but I love that funnel cloud looming large and ready to do some damage. Very dramatic sky indeed.
I prefer the black and white version because it feels way more cohesive to my eye. In the color version there is a bit of a disconnect for me between the sky and the foreground but I don’t get that feeling with the black and white image. The foreground let’s the sky do the talking without any interruptions.
I would have loved to have been there witnessing this with your family, Fred. Glad none of you were seriously ill from Covid. Looks like a great location to photograph too.
I much prefer the bnw image as the focus is the sky feature. In the colour version I feel the foreground competes with the sky. It is a beautifully composed image.
