Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Ed Blagden on July 29, 2010, 04:06:57 pm

Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Ed Blagden on July 29, 2010, 04:06:57 pm
Did I go too far?

[attachment=23396:EB_2748.jpg]

Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: walter.sk on July 29, 2010, 04:47:13 pm

Depends on what you want.  It certainly is not a "traditional" photograph, but if you were looking to accentuate the surrealistic and graphic qualities of the scene, it works just fine (for me).  I also think it would make a stunning black & white.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: John R on July 29, 2010, 04:47:35 pm
Note sure what you mean by, "Did I go too far?" Do you mean that you made the colours pop, or enhanced them? I have seen colours like this before, but it is difficult to capture them and still hold some foreground detail without a split-neutral density filter. A lovely image, which looks familiar. Is it one you posted before?

JMR
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Dick Roadnight on July 29, 2010, 04:49:33 pm
Quote from: Ed Blagden
Did I go too far?
I like it.

¿Where was it? ... the lakes I came across in Kenya were full of birds! (20 or 30 species in a glance).

In a timeless picture like that you could have cheated and included a silhouette of a pterodactyl!
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Chairman Bill on July 29, 2010, 05:00:18 pm
It looks over-cooked to me. Could you tone the colours down a bit? A little less saturation? Understated is generally good, IMO
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Phil Indeblanc on July 29, 2010, 05:14:51 pm
Quote from: walter.sk
Depends on what you want.  It certainly is not a "traditional" photograph, but if you were looking to accentuate the surrealistic and graphic qualities of the scene, it works just fine (for me).  I also think it would make a stunning black & white.


If you were to make a Duratran of this for some specific reason where it fits the color spectrum, I would say that is great....Othwise too much of a rainbow for me, vibrance/sat.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: jasonrandolph on July 29, 2010, 05:14:52 pm
While I usually prefer monochrome photography, I literally was singing "America the Beautiful" ("...for purple mountains' majesties") in my head as I looked at it, even though it's probably NOT in America.  I don't think it's overdone at all.  I think you captured a majestic moment beautifully!
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: AndrewKulin on July 29, 2010, 07:41:34 pm
I like the lower 2/3 but I think you overdid the sky, at the point where it transitions into magenta then blue - comes across to me as over-torqued on the saturation slider.  There also appears to me to be a bit of a tonal disconnect between the colour of the sky and its reflection in the water as if you applied the saturation adjustments only to the sky and mountains.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on July 30, 2010, 12:16:11 am
I'm with the minority that feel it is somewhat overcooked. My first thought was "I need to put on my sunglasses!"

It's a lovely scene and would still be lovely with lower saturation, IMHO.

Eric

Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Chairman Bill on July 30, 2010, 04:59:28 am
I'm glad it's not just me!

I think it's a nice composition, & I'd really like to see a softer, more 'pastel' version
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Justan on July 30, 2010, 09:50:28 am
I like it. The neon-like colors are good - like nature on steroids. How does it look in print?

It’s one of the few images I've seen here recently that isn't like every other one.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Ed Blagden on July 30, 2010, 10:40:30 am
Thanks all for your comments.  The actual scene didn't quite look like this in real life (a bit more muted) but I was kind of fascinated to see how the colours came out in Lightroom when I applied the Camera Landscape calibration profile (a bit of the develop module which I have only recently noticed).  Apart from that, all I did was pump the contrast a bit and the vibrance a little bit more (OK, quite a lot more).  

The scene is Lake Baringo, in Northern Kenya.  A great place to take photos if you like doing landscape and wildlife.

Quote from: walter.sk
Depends on what you want.  It certainly is not a "traditional" photograph, but if you were looking to accentuate the surrealistic and graphic qualities of the scene, it works just fine (for me).  I also think it would make a stunning black & white.

Yes, surreal is what I was after... I'm excited by your B&W idea, honestly that thought hadn't even considered the possibility of crossing my mind.  I'll give it a go and post if it works.

Quote from: John R
Note sure what you mean by, "Did I go too far?" Do you mean that you made the colours pop, or enhanced them? I have seen colours like this before, but it is difficult to capture them and still hold some foreground detail without a split-neutral density filter. A lovely image, which looks familiar. Is it one you posted before?

JMR

Thanks John.  No, I have not posted this one before but I did put up a similar one from the same shoot a month or so ago.

Quote from: Chairman Bill
It looks over-cooked to me. Could you tone the colours down a bit? A little less saturation? Understated is generally good, IMO


Quote from: jasonrandolph
While I usually prefer monochrome photography, I literally was singing "America the Beautiful" ("...for purple mountains' majesties") in my head as I looked at it, even though it's probably NOT in America.  I don't think it's overdone at all.  I think you captured a majestic moment beautifully!

Yes, well I think these two comments illustrate that this is a Marmite* photo.  You are not going to get a neutral response to it!  I don't think any of my photos have inspired anyone to song before, so that is a first!

*  For the benefit of non-English readers, Marmite is a revolting substance derived from yeast which is spread on toast.  Some people love it.  Others hate it.  What you never find is indifference.

Quote from: Justan
I like it. The neon-like colors are good - like nature on steroids. How does it look in print?

It’s one of the few images I've seen here recently that isn't like every other one.

Thanks - that is a nice compliment.  In print, it looks a little more muted but still very striking.  In fact when I first developed the photo I kept myself in check and it looked OK on screen but slightly dull in print.  So I went bonkers with the vibrance slider, and liked the rather surreal result on the screen.  
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Dick Roadnight on July 30, 2010, 11:13:22 am
Quote from: Ed Blagden
The scene is Lake Baringo, in Northern Kenya.  A great place to take photos if you like doing landscape and wildlife.
I thought that there was only one lake in Northern Kenya (Lake Rudolf, which they now call Lake Turkana, mostly famous for Flamingos and Crocodiles)... and, according to Google, Lake Barinro is normally dry, and is in central Kenya. ...I wish I could find the pictures I took there in 1975!

I suppose that many people think that Northern England starts at Watford!
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Ed Blagden on July 30, 2010, 11:50:36 am
Quote from: Dick Roadnight
I thought that there was only one lake in Northern Kenya (Lake Rudolf, which they now call Lake Turkana, mostly famous for Flamingos and Crocodiles)... and, according to Google, Lake Barinro is normally dry, and is in central Kenya. ...I wish I could find the pictures I took there in 1975!

I suppose that many people think that Northern England starts at Watford!

Yes, not seriously north - about 100km or so North of the Equator though, and by then you are getting into the dry and remote area of the Rift Valley.  Turkana is a lot further north.

Google has it wrong about the lake being dry - I have visited Baringo many times over the last 15 years and I can assure you that it is permanently wet!  The lake level goes up and down a bit according to rainfall but it never dries out.  It is a fresh water lake (as opposed to a soda lake such as Nakuru, Bogoria, Magadi etc) and so supports hippos and crocs, but not flamingos.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: shutterpup on August 01, 2010, 12:54:19 pm
When I saw the thumbnail, I thought it too cooked. Then I looked at the enlarged version and thought "just beautiful!" Can't imagine it in black and white though since it is the color that makes this image perfect. Great image and I think you're right about it being Marmite
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Ed Blagden on August 01, 2010, 03:07:15 pm
Quote from: shutterpup
When I saw the thumbnail, I thought it too cooked. Then I looked at the enlarged version and thought "just beautiful!" Can't imagine it in black and white though since it is the color that makes this image perfect. Great image and I think you're right about it being Marmite
Thanks.

I tried it in B&W - this is the best I could do although I'm sure others could do better.  I still prefer my Technicolor version.

Ed

[attachment=23431:EB_2748_2.jpg]
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on August 01, 2010, 04:37:04 pm
Quote from: Ed Blagden
Thanks.

I tried it in B&W - this is the best I could do although I'm sure others could do better.  I still prefer my Technicolor version.

Ed

[attachment=23431:EB_2748_2.jpg]
Both versions are nice. But I wouldn't put them both up in the same room!


Eric

Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: ivokwee on August 01, 2010, 05:56:38 pm
I like the color version a lot. However to me the left tree is somehow too much. A crop with just mountains a the right tree feels much less crowded. Beautiful shot in any case.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: shutterpup on August 02, 2010, 01:56:45 pm
Quote from: Ed Blagden
Thanks.

I tried it in B&W - this is the best I could do although I'm sure others could do better.  I still prefer my Technicolor version.

Ed

[attachment=23431:EB_2748_2.jpg]


Ed,
Although I love black and white, and here it is very pleasant, I still prefer the technicolor version.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on August 02, 2010, 02:47:16 pm
Quote from: Ed Blagden
Thanks.

I tried it in B&W - this is the best I could do although I'm sure others could do better.  I still prefer my Technicolor version.

Ed

[attachment=23431:EB_2748_2.jpg]
My vote goes to the b&w. The colour version hurts my eyes but I could stare at this for ages. I think it might have looked better if you'd been a little further to your right when you took it but maybe there was a crocodile in the way.

Jeremy
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Chairman Bill on August 02, 2010, 04:19:06 pm
I much prefer the B&W
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: Phil Indeblanc on August 02, 2010, 04:51:23 pm
Quote from: ivokwee
I like the color version a lot. However to me the left tree is somehow too much. A crop with just mountains a the right tree feels much less crowded. Beautiful shot in any case.



That left tree anchors the image, you don't want to remove it and create a shift imbalance.
It is just right the way it is.

Im just not a fan of the rainbow tech color..as one mentioned the point it goes purpleish blue...But, this image makes that perspective a little more pleasing.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: ivokwee on August 02, 2010, 05:35:26 pm
Quote from: Phil Indeblanc
That left tree anchors the image, you don't want to remove it and create a shift imbalance.
It is just right the way it is.

Im just not a fan of the rainbow tech color..as one mentioned the point it goes purpleish blue...But, this image makes that perspective a little more pleasing.

No need to "anchor" this image. The whole point is a floating tree(s) in the water. The left tree is ugly anyway, no fine branches. But more importantly, the two trees tear the image apart. My eyes go from left to right, back and forth and I can't easily explore the other parts (mountain, grass), even focussing on one tree is difficult because the other tree distracts. Of course it's maybe personal but I would like to create more rest in this image because there are many beautiful elements. The mountains will return the balance to the right tree if you're afraid of shift balance. Just my opinion.
Title: Dawn Shot
Post by: DarkPenguin on August 02, 2010, 11:21:06 pm
I like the b+w version.  As to the color one the upper right bugs me a lot.  That blue is just a little too crayola.  If it wasn't for that the color version would crush.