Remains of the day

[sdwilsonsct]

Suggestions welcome.

[luxborealis]

Very compelling photograph. Nicely seen. Great lines and a perspective different that what we are used to seeing.

Suggestions:

• De-emphasize/darken/crop the top left bright area on the rock. To my eyes, the photo becomes a "tennis match" composition with my eye going back and forth between it and the cloud.
• Try raising slightly the values of the dark area near the edge of the rock. While there is a great edge to the black, offering a tiny glimpse into more of the black areas would perhaps give the photo additional depth
• Taking a little off the bottom would put the cloud even further off-centre. It's not in the centre, but it seems close enough to appear "lost" or "floating" (or perhaps that's your intention, it being a cloud and all!).

Great photograph to work with!

[brandtb]

very nice Scott

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

It's gorgeous, and I think Terry's suggestions are right on the nose.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Very well seen! I too agree with Terry's suggestions.

Jeremy

[sdwilsonsct]

Many thanks, Terry, Bob, Eric and Jeremy.

I appreciate the editorial suggestions, Terry, because I was uncertain what to do with this, it being different from a regular landscape. Here's a revised version.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Many thanks, Terry, Bob, Eric and Jeremy.

I appreciate the editorial suggestions, Terry, because I was uncertain what to do with this, it being different from a regular landscape. Here's a revised version.

If I'd seen that version first, Scott, I'd have liked it; but I think it's nowhere near as good as your first attempt. Why not give Terry's suggestions a try?

Jeremy

[sdwilsonsct]

Why not give Terry's suggestions a try?

I did! 1, 2, 3. 
Too subtle, I guess.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Very compelling photograph. Nicely seen. Great lines and a perspective different that what we are used to seeing.

Suggestions:

• De-emphasize/darken/crop the top left bright area on the rock. To my eyes, the photo becomes a "tennis match" composition with my eye going back and forth between it and the cloud.
• Try raising slightly the values of the dark area near the edge of the rock. While there is a great edge to the black, offering a tiny glimpse into more of the black areas would perhaps give the photo additional depth
• Taking a little off the bottom would put the cloud even further off-centre. It's not in the centre, but it seems close enough to appear "lost" or "floating" (or perhaps that's your intention, it being a cloud and all!).

Great photograph to work with!

Of Terry's first suggestion you chose the easy way out: to crop. I would prefer to see those lighter rocks simply darkened, and save the cropping for the bottom.

Here's my (quick) interpretation of what Terry suggested:

[Rand47]

Of Terry's first suggestion you chose the easy way out: to crop. I would prefer to see those lighter rocks simply darkened, and save the cropping for the bottom.

Here's my (quick) interpretation of what Terry suggested:

Eric,

I agree.  Much stronger. 

Scott, lovely photo.  Love the submerged rocks below the cloud - that "makes" the composition for me. 

Rand

[wolfnowl]

Great image, Scott.  I also wanted to see the TL darkened a bit to reduce competition, but I wanted to keep the blue in there as much as possible.  Since everyone gets an opinion and trusting you wouldn't mind, I popped it into LR and did a 30-second edit.  I added a graduated filter to the top, dropping exposure way down but increasing saturation.  I cropped it to 16x9, removing some of the foreground rocks, and I added a second GF to the bottom, reducing exposure by 0.5 stops to 'anchor' the bottom.

Mike.

[Jeremy Roussak]

I did! 1, 2, 3.  
Too subtle, I guess.

My apologies: I'd not remembered when I posted that Terry had included cropping in his suggestions of how to deal with the top. I think, with due respect to him, that that's a mistake: it's much better, if a little trickier, to darken the bright area, so it doesn't attract attention. If you crop it, his suggestion (which I do like) of a small crop at the bottom to bring the cloud lower in the photo is defeated.

Eric's and Mike's versions are more what I had in mind. FWIW, I find Mike's a little too dark.

Jeremy

[sdwilsonsct]

If you crop it, his suggestion (which I do like) of a small crop at the bottom to bring the cloud lower in the photo is defeated.

OK -- I get it now, and agree.

FWIW I did try darkening instead of cropping even before posting the first version. I appreciate all the feedback and examples, and will keep thinking.

[Paulo Bizarro]

Well seen and photographed.