Here are a couple of videos. Sorry they are so blown out. It’s the massive compression that’s killing them:
Critique Style Requested:Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I was on my return trip from the Tetons and Yellowstone this Fall when I decided to stop in at Zion for a night. I was pretty early for Fall colors but as I approached southern Utah, the skies grew ominous and moody and I thought I might catch a bit of a rain shower on this trip.
Well, the skies opened up and dumped, and I mean dumped torrential rain for about 35 minutes. Highway 9 in the upper section of the park after you go east through the tunnels had to close down because there was so much mud and debris in the roads. There were hundreds of ephemeral water falls everywhere you looked. I spent a few hours driving in the upper eastern section of the park after the rain subsided and thought that the next day might bring about some pretty nice mud patterns.
This is an image from the next day after the water has subsided in the creeks. I know these types of images with leaves in them feel cliche but the leaf was actually there and I didn’t move it, not that it matters much because nobody believes that anyway. :)))
Specific Feedback
I left lots of small debris in the image as I thought that cleaning it to the point of it being spotless didn’t seem real.
Do the small bits of debris bother you?
The right side of the image has a couple of dark areas that may not be ideal but I left them alone. Should I rework the URC and the dark area on the center right edge?
Anything else you notice?
Technical Details
Z8, 24-120mm lens, tripod, 2 images for depth of field
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Great story to go with a great image. I like the leaf and the way you placed it in the frame (without touching it physically, of course ). The tiny debris doesn’t bother me, in fact I like it because it emphasizes the reality of an otherwise other-wordly image. The dark spots on the right don’t bother me either. I like it just the way it is!
Very nice photograph! When I spotted the photograph my eye was drawn to the colors, patterns in the sand and the leaf. I saw the small bit’s that you describe… but it did not take away from the scene. Love the richness / deepness of the colors. Congratulations on a great photograph!
Cliche or not, placed or not, I love these type of photographs, the mud pattern photos. I mean you composed the photo with the leaf in that position in the frame, so whether you put the leaf “there” or not, it is “there” and not anywhere else in the frame.
This is unique in my opinion due to the varying colors in the mud itself along the borders of the scallops. The lighting is luscious and is just perfect for this subject. I do not mind the debris, as it attests to its reality. However, I would be inclined to clone out the one arc shaped detritus that is in the center of the frame, it is just a strong eye magnet that it even pulls my eye away from the leaf itself.
I don’t feel it’s cliche at all, David. Quite the opposite. I don’t remember seeing a photo with mud patterns quite like these. Well composed. The only piece of debris that sticks out a little is the light curved one right in the middle. I would probably clone that one out.
Hi David! I really like this image. It is very well composed, and the colors and lighting are excellent. Like others have said, the mud patterns and colors are quite unique. I agree with Youssef and Michael about cloning out the curved debris in the center, but the other debris add to the realism of the scene. I think this is very well done!
Hi David,
For my tastes I do not find this scene to be cliche as it is something that I personally will probably never see first hand. In fact I find this one to be a little unique as the versions I usually see the mud is dried out. I guess what I am saying is that I hope you have some more to post. I quite like the various shapes and graceful curves in the mud and the yellow leaf contrasts nicely against the chocolate colors. In fact the darker bands are making me think of my Chirardelli 72 % Intense Dark Chocolate. My only suggestion would be the already mentioned removal of the light colored debris in the center of the frame. Beautifully done!
The shapes and tonal values here are wonderful. The leaf is perfectly located in the frame and gives a nice sense of scale. I do agree with @Youssef_Ismail regarding that spot in the center; the other bits of debris do not bother me. I really like the color contrast between the leaf and the scallops.
David, as already outlined by others this is truly a very unique image in it’s natural design. If you had not mentioned what it was it could have gotten mixed reviews as to what it was overall. The debris of the one leaf is a plus for overall scale and a minor clue as to what we’re viewing here…Excellent !!
The image itself is luscious. What is it about chocolate that makes you want to plant your face directly into it and satisfy your wildest desires? In fact how does food affect your desires when looking at some paintings. That’s what I get out of this image. Hedonistic cravings. From that point of view I would like to see what moving the mud colors just a bit to the red spectrum would do. Actually I might experiment with the colors of the mud vs the yellow leaf. I might not be realistic but might be more beautiful to increase the color range.
I love this image David, beautifully seen! I don’t mind debris in the image, it makes it look more natural. I also don’t think you need to change anything in the dark areas you mentioned, I like the variation in the color of the mud. It would be a very cool abstract image without the leaf as well!
Rivers of Chocolate come to mind! This is stellar. All the tiny bits of debris don’t bother me at all, with the exception of that light filament to the left of the leaf. You must have been in seventh heaven here!
Spectacular @David_Haynes. I don’t think I’ve ever seen mud quite like this, so that must have been quite the mini-flash flood to curl the mud so beautifully.
I didn’t notice the debris bits until others mentioned them, and then the long central one bothered me as well, but only because I imagined it 6 feet wide on a wall, wherein that stray fiber would be 6 inches long.
I think this is beyond exceptional!! I’ve never seen mud look anything like this. It is gorgeous and elegant, and yes, brings up some needed corollary to @Kris_Smith’s lickable light! It is wonderfully 3D, with the overlapping layers. 15/10!
This is a stunner, David. I never find these types of images to be cliche. The basic elements may be the same but each image is so unique that I find them all to be original and interesting. Yours is a banger. The quality of that mud is exceptional and your processing of the image is spot-on. Beautifully captured!
Thank you very much @Cathy_Proenza, @stephen_rauch, @Youssef_Ismail, @Michael_Lowe, @Steve_Kennedy, @Ed_Lowe, @Preston_Birdwell, @Balan_Vinod, @Paul_Breitkreuz, @Igor_Doncov, @Scott_Fricke, @Bonnie_Lampley, @Marylynne_Diggs, @Diane_Miller, @Bret_Edge for your comments and suggestions.
It seems like maybe this is not cliche or if it is it doesn’t matter that much and that I should probably remove that one little central one that was mentioned by nearly everyone. Thanks for that.
I’ve shot many, many mud tiles before but not directly after a storm when the mud was so wet, shiny, and rich looking so this came as a first for me. That leaf was actually in the scene, unmoved, but like I said before, nobody probably believes that and I guess it really doesn’t matter.
I will try a redo with @Igor_Doncovs’ suggestion of taking the colors a slightly different direction.
I’m attaching a couple of videos I shot after the storm had passed and you can see the run off and even this is nothing compared to what it was like when it was pouring rain. It would not shock me if it rained a couple of inches in 20 minutes. Crazy! I had to downsize these a lot so I hope they turn out ok.
David, your videos show the amazing power of flash flooding events. The sandstone and rock formations heighten the amount and speed of the rain runoffs in those areas.
My wife and I were in Lower Antelope Canyon only 1 week prior to that flash flood disaster. Our draw as photographers to the best in natures art can be dangerous at times as well…
@Paul_Breitkreuz
I was actually hiking in the river channel in the upper portion of the eastern portion of the park when it started raining and I thought, I for sure don’t want to be stuck down in that channel if it starts dumping but I got back to my truck just before flood gates opened. I can really appreciate how people in slot canyons can get caught off guard when these events happen. Highway 9 that runs through the park east and west was a complete disaster with lots of debris, rocks and logs on the road butI have to say that they must be used to these events because it was cleaned up and usable within just a few hours.
Thanks for the videos. I really enjoyed seeing the water rip through the area I normally hike on foot. That helps me understand how those smooth slots were created.
). The tiny debris doesn’t bother me, in fact I like it because it emphasizes the reality of an otherwise other-wordly image. The dark spots on the right don’t bother me either. I like it just the way it is!
