Witness to Time

[Tom_Nevesely]

Critique Style: Standard

The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.

Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical

About This Image

Sometimes when I’m out shooting landscapes, especially when I’m by myself, I catch myself thinking about how little some places change over time. If I had stood in this exact spot a hundred years ago, or even a thousand years ago, the view in front of me would probably have looked pretty much the same. The light would have been different, of course. It always is. But the mountains, the trees, and the shape of the land would likely have been much as they are today.

If I go back far enough, though, the story changes completely. During the last Ice Age, roughly 10,000 years ago, this landscape would have been unrecognizable. Instead of standing where I am now, I would have been buried beneath a thousand metres of solid ice.
It also makes me wonder what this place will look like in the future. Will these trees still be standing? Will this valley become part of a sprawling metropolis, or will it return to an even wilder state than it is today?

This is an image I shot exactly a year ago. I processed and posted another version of the scene here then, but I just now processed this raw file. It was a moody morning, with low clouds swirling through the mountains. Every so often, they would part just enough to perfectly frame the peak, creating one of those fleeting moments that makes being out there worthwhile.

Feedback Requested

I’d welcome thoughts on what would most strengthen this image, either artistically or technically.

Also, more specifically, how do you feel about the lighter parts of the water near the bottom of the image. Should I lighten it up a bit more or would that draw too much attention away from the mountain peak?

Technical Details

Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Lens: TS-E45mm f/2.8
Focal length: 45mm
Shutter speed: 3.2s
Aperture: f/11
ISO: 100

[Preston_Birdwell]

Tom, this is simply marvelous!

I think the water looks just fine tonality-wise and I like how its sweep mimics the cloud on the mountain. My eye does want just bit more light in the dark ridges on both sides, but that’s minor.

Just a wonderful image that to me speaks to the flow of time.
-P

[Bill_Fach]

Tom: What @Preston_Birdwell said. I agree that the water is just right or could even be scaled back a touch more as for me it’s right on the borderline of being distracting. Any brighter definitely would be more of an eye grabber. The subtle spotlighting of the trees in the center is very nice but I could see brightening the trees on the edges just a smidge. I think this captures the mood of the morning exceptionally well. Most excellent. >=))>

[Igor_Doncov]

I knew this was yours the moment I saw it by the subject matter and also the composition. I agree that it is a moody interpretation. I actually thought this was a dusk image. The enshrouded snow peak is really amazing and is really the heart of the matter. I, too, debated whether the white water was detracting or adding to the peak. So I started experimenting… I also decided this might make a good b&w. I came up with the following. At first I tried to darken the white streaks in the water but wasn’t satisfied. I raised the luminosity of the greens because that central tree seemed like a good counterpoint to the peak and clouds. I also raised the white point to bring a greater tonal range to the clouds. The result is a very different emotional image. Now that I compare it to yours I don’t think I’ve improved anything. It’s lost some of the moodiness yours has. If there is anything of value that came from my work it’s that you brought attention to the tree and shoreline with color. You could have done it by altering the tones to be lighter. I would experiment with bring up the luminosity in the greens while diminishing the saturation.

[james7 (James Hendon)]

Tom, I’m jealous – of the shot, and the experience. The main thing I have to say is that for me, the foreground makes the shot. Didn’t realize it until I saw Igor’s crop, which is a crop I might have made myself given the pull of that terrific mountain. But the foreground takes me there and serves as a platform for the geologic wonder floating on the clouds. I guess the trees left and right seem a bit too dark, but being dark, they enhance the green tree at center.

[Youssef_Ismail]

Tom,
My eye immediately goes to the mountain peak. The way the clouds frame it really helps with that. While the trees right and left of center are somewhat dark but lightening them I think would drag the eye down away from the peak. I really did not pay any attention to the water at first, but I do not think it is a distraction. I like the center tree’s brightness as it breaks up the darkness of the other trees and also gives a hint to similar trees behind the main line of trees. Its brightness also matches that of the river bank and I think that ties everything together very well. I honestly would not change a thing about this photo.

[David_Haynes]

This is going to be easy, Tom. I wouldn’t change a thing on this image. I admit that when I first saw this, I thought the foreground water was too bright and a little bit of an eye catcher but after viewing this for a few minutes I have to say that I think you’ve done everything you could to make this just about right. The snowy mountain peak catches the eye at first glance as it should. The clouds are very moody giving this scene a clearing storm kind of vibe. I love the low sweeping cloud formation that frames up the upper portion of the mountaintop just above the tree tops. I also love the green tree in the center of the image. Well done, Tom. I usually find something to nit pick but not on this one.

[santhru (Santhru Natarajan)]

Hi Tom,
Wonderful landscape. Love the fine capture of the mountain and the trees below it.

[Dave_Douglass]

Nice, moody shot. Well done. No nits from me.

[Ed_Lowe]

Hi Tom,
This scene is flat out gorgeous. I have to totally agree with everything that @David_Haynes already mentioned about this image. The water looks just fine to me; in fact I think it somewhat mirrors the snow on the mountain. I do not know how long you waited for the clouds to part, but your timing was perfect. You captured a wonderful mood here and the accompanying story was very thought provoking. Beautifully done!

[Kerry_Gordon]

Yep, this is a total winner and I will go with the crowd in not changing a thing. For me, this image is very cinematic in the way the mountain seems to be floating giving it an almost ominous mood. The colour palette and tone below is perfect - very darkly subdued in accordance with what is going on above. As for the light on the water; for me it is just right and beautifully mirrors what’s going on in the clouds above. The dark greens below and blues above are a nice compliment and contributes to the moodiness.
On another note. In the years especially when my wife and I were doing month long wilderness paddling, I often had the very same thoughts as you - if I were to blink my eyes and find myself four hundred years in the past, would I know the difference. Sadly, global climate change is putting that fantasy to bed but I always found it stirring.

[Marylynne_Diggs]

Hi Tom,
This is fantastic. I love everything about it, including that mysterious swirl of water. To me, that actually makes the image. There are many images to be had from this frame, and I think it would work wonderfully in black and white, with the white wash of water in the foreground especially. To me though, the colors in this are so deep and natural in a way that feels magical at the time and place. For that reason, I’m liking the idea of staying in color.

Nicely done.
ML

[Tom_Nevesely]

Thank you for your comments @Preston_Birdwell , @Bill_Fach , @Igor_Doncov , @james7 , @Youssef_Ismail , @David_Haynes , @santhru , @Dave_Douglass , @Ed_Lowe , @Kerry_Gordon and @Marylynne_Diggs !!!

I spent quite bit of time editing this, going back and forth on a number of elements so I’m really glad that the final result worked out as well as it did.

Initially, I had the water much darker so I dodged it a fair bit. Later on, I thought it was too bright so I reduced the opacity of that layer back down. Sometimes it’s hard to find just the right balance.

Igor, thanks for taking the time to do the edit you did! In all honesty I hadn’t thought of making this a B&W image but I think it definitely has merit. I’m not sure if it will be better or not but at least I’ll have another version of the image and it will allow me to practice my B&W processing which still isn’t second nature to me.