|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 96 |
Feb 25 |
Comment |
Hi Bruce. I haven't made it to Australia - for photography or anything else, so I am envious. The beautiful blues of the water and sky are consistent with the images of Australia that I have in my head. And the opera house is an epic subject for Sydney.
Overall the image has a lot going on - buildings, the opera, boats, trees, the flag. I feel like there is too much. I enjoy exploring it all, but then I don't quite feel it fitting together. The flag is the prominent visual element because of the bold colors. But I'd expect to be looking up at a flag vs. down, and to have it high in the frame if it is such a dominant element.
The image is obviously important to you in that it reminds you of your visit there. Ultimately that is what is important. If I wanted to improve it, I'd suggest simplifying. I'd clone out the yellow windsock because it is bright and way down in the corner. I'd crop out some of the trees on the right and some of the sky - they are framing what is important, but you don't need as much to do that. Then to me I think the image could be warmer, consistent with what I think about when thinking about Australia. I did that in the attached.
Going further toward a "fine art" image requires decisions on what the image is about, and I think requires sacrificing some of the elements. Only you can make that call.
|
Feb 12th |
 |
| 96 |
Feb 25 |
Comment |
Hi Kenneth. There is a lot of beautiful country between Chicago and LA, and you've found some here. You also found a time where there was an interesting sky, with clouds that start to hint at a storm. The sloping line on the left leading up to the rock formations makes for a nice composition.
I think it is a pleasing image as is, and I am guessing accurately portrays what a viewer would have seen positioned next to you as you took the photo. I also think though that there is room to interpret the image beyond the literal. What were you feeling when you took this? What attracted you to this particular chunk of rock out of all that sit along the path of your journey? Your title suggests it might have been the rough texture of the rock, perhaps juxtaposed against the smooth clouds and sky, that compelled you to photography this.
For me I am drawn to the clouds beginning to suggest a storm. It makes me think what this might have looked like a bit later when that storm develops and brings dramatic lighting. I took a cut at editing it a little more dramatically with that in mind with the result below. I am not sure what the scene said to you, so my version may be well off of the mark. As the photographer Guy Tal would say, a rock is more than a rock. And so it's up to you to show what the rock means to you. |
Feb 12th |
 |
| 96 |
Feb 25 |
Comment |
Hi Viren. What comes across to me in this image is the old town sprawling across the landscape. It is too bad the mountain you were on was not yet a bit higher - I think that sprawling effect would have come through even stronger.
I think there are a few things I'd bring up with the image as is. First, there is a lot of blue sky in the upper left which is not that interesting, and I don't think helping in terms of being negative space. Second, I think perhaps because of the mid-day timing, and perhaps your editing to compensate for that, it is lacking a bit in contrast. Finally, there is not a strong focus. The town is obviously the subject, but the fact that it is "sprawling" leaves things without a focus. I think the nearer piece of the town in the lower left could be that focus, but then I'd perhaps try some things to enhance that and giving more 3D effect at the same time - rendering that closer piece of the town sharper and a bit more contrasty and saturated for example.
You might also try seeing how this works in B&W. That often helps deal with the mid-day conditions. I took a cut at a B&W version below. I've obviously done a bunch of stuff - cropping, dodging and burning, sharpening and blurring to give it depth, etc. It is a different depiction. You can decide whether there are ideas in it that help or not for your vision of this image.
|
Feb 12th |
 |
| 96 |
Feb 25 |
Comment |
Hi Rick. Beautiful shot as always. I think for me, the ripples in the water with their diagonal orientation is what really makes it. But I also like the texture in the clouds - different but complementing the water. And I like the moss on the rocks, echoing the greens on the distant shoreline. The color palette overall is also very harmonious.
I find three details a bit distracting. The bright clouds at the top edge tend to pull my eye to the edge there. The particularly bright green foliage at the right edge does the same. Finally, less so, but I am not sure I like the bright red and blue sign (Chevron?) near dead center. It is small but I am not sure it is keeping with everything else. All of these could be just toned down a bit and I think they'd be fine. I took my cut at that below.
Hey, a question. You shot this at f11, despite the 24mm where dof is usually less of a problem. Maybe you are closer to the rocks than it looks and that was needed. But my question is don't you see a noticeable diffraction loss of sharpness at f11? Guess it depends somewhat on how many megapixels and therefore the pixel size in your camera. But do you consider focus stacking the rocks so you could shoot at f8 or f5.6?
|
Feb 12th |
 |
| 96 |
Feb 25 |
Comment |
Hi Pinaki. Welcome again to the group. I look forward to lots of great images and discussion.
In your first image, you've found some of the nice color that Artist's Palette in Death Valley offers. I spent a few hours there in a DV trip a year ago, and couldn't find a composition that I liked. So great that you found one that resonated with you. It would be interesting to hear why you picked out this composition from the many that are possible there.
There is a lot of opinions out there that Artist's Palette is best at sunset after it has rained. The wet ground makes the colors stronger, and the low indirect light gives the place a soft glow. It's always hard to shoot landscapes in harsh light, so your image has that challenge going for it.
I would try to edit this to have a little more of a specific subject or focus point, and a little more drama. It is personal choice, but I don't know that the people add a lot to the image; they give it scale, but I think the shot is a little more of an abstract where that could either help or hurt. I took a cut at what I might do. I liked the middle of things as a "chalk bowl" and chose to make one "peak" a more dominant subject. Then I just largely cropped and dodged and burned to edit tonality.
These sorts of image lend themselves to many different processing directions. Hopefully others in the group will take their own cuts at how they might edit this.
|
Feb 12th |
 |
5 comments - 0 replies for Group 96
|
5 comments - 0 replies Total
|
