Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: sdwilsonsct on November 11, 2016, 08:40:24 am

Title: Mountain meadow
Post by: sdwilsonsct on November 11, 2016, 08:40:24 am
Banff, Alberta.
Feedback welcome.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on November 11, 2016, 09:12:36 am
Very AA-esque :)
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: francois on November 11, 2016, 09:26:00 am
Simply stunning!
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on November 11, 2016, 09:33:26 am
Good image. To me, I would have preferred it if the moon was a bit higher the sky, as I find the amount of empty sky in the image a bit too much. Also, the meadow is a bit dark.

But a fine image it is.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: MattBurt on November 11, 2016, 09:38:06 am
I think the open sky is a valid point but I still really like the image.

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk

Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: churly on November 11, 2016, 09:46:30 am
I like the way the light is distributed.  I think this is a case where the near-foreground didn't have that much to contribute.  You are on a roll Scott.
Chuck
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on November 11, 2016, 09:58:08 am
Very AA-esque :)
Indeed. But it needs some clouds. How about cloning in some clouds from AA's "Moonrise Hernandez New Mexico?"  ;)
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Sean H on November 11, 2016, 01:34:10 pm
Scott - this is simply stunning. AA would have been proud.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Arlen on November 11, 2016, 03:26:32 pm
I like it a lot. Well done, Scott.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: luxborealis on November 11, 2016, 04:31:05 pm
I think the open sky is a valid point but I still really like the image.

+1

The shadows could be opened about ⅓ to ½ tone and the lit aspen(?) trunks could also be raised a bit (which might happen anyway depending on how you raise the shadowed foreground). This is nit-picking though, on an iPad Air screen, not from a print, which might look outstanding in comparison!
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: sdwilsonsct on November 12, 2016, 08:51:44 am
The shadows could be opened about ⅓ to ½ tone and the lit aspen(?) trunks could also be raised a bit

I'll look into this. I think the range of light is interesting and could be enhanced.

Yeah, Paulo, the moon is too low. But instead of waiting I foolishly ran off looking for a better composition. Never found it. Lesson learned. Maybe.

Yes, Eric, it needs clouds. Is there anything more heartbreaking than a perfectly clear sky?

Thanks for the comments, glad you liked it.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: sdwilsonsct on November 13, 2016, 12:54:28 pm
To me, I would have preferred it if the moon was a bit higher the sky, as I find the amount of empty sky in the image a bit too much. Also, the meadow is a bit dark.

Look what I found in the trash folder.

Several aspects of the light differ here. I have tried brightening the shadowed distant trees but too much looks unnatural for this particular file.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Arlen on November 13, 2016, 01:55:23 pm
If you are not philosophically opposed to such things, using Photoshop's Move tool to position the moon a little higher in the first image is easy to do. Your second image proves, after all, that you were in fact there when the moon was a little higher; you would just have to decide if your intention is more art or reportage.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on November 13, 2016, 04:57:27 pm
Overall, I think I like the second version even better than the first.
It's nice to be able to see the grasses in the meadow, and the moon is higher.

Cloning would let you move it even higher if you want, but I don't think the image needs it.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: graeme on November 13, 2016, 05:05:16 pm
Simply stunning!

+1
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: luxborealis on November 13, 2016, 05:31:15 pm
Look what I found in the trash folder.

Several aspects of the light differ here. I have tried brightening the shadowed distant trees but too much looks unnatural for this particular file.

Beautiful, Scott! This version is definitely "better" in every regard.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: sdwilsonsct on November 15, 2016, 08:12:07 am
Beautiful, Scott! This version is definitely "better" in every regard.

Thanks to all here for vastly improving my photography in general.

Arlen: good to know about this tool but I try to avoid moving things around.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Sean H on November 15, 2016, 09:38:04 am
Can't wait to go through the rest of your "trash"!
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: sdwilsonsct on November 15, 2016, 12:13:01 pm
Can't wait to go through the rest of your "trash"!

Yeah, it's scary what gets trashed sometimes. I think I kept the first version because I preferred the light on the land. But then I agreed that a higher moon would be nice.

Also, these B&W treatments are a lot more interesting than the out of camera images I looked at when initially culling.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: sarrasani on November 15, 2016, 02:45:37 pm
also for me.....very AA-esque  :)  (but I have seen some AA prints, and I never saw better prints than these one for my tastes...)

Excellent, with simple  but strong composition. I like also this neutral tone tuning, and the dark of the upper side of the sky.

All the best,
sandro

Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: RPark on November 15, 2016, 02:48:47 pm
Very nice, indeed. And the second interpretation is the winner in my books.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Chairman Bill on November 15, 2016, 03:08:07 pm
A stunning image, well worth printing big
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: churly on November 15, 2016, 05:34:37 pm
Well the higher moon is nice but I still prefer the darker foreground in the first.  Too me it offers a much more intimate view than opening everything up.
Chuck
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: Arlen on November 15, 2016, 06:03:47 pm
Well the higher moon is nice but I still prefer the darker foreground in the first.
Chuck

Me too, but I agree the second one also has its charms.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: James Clark on November 15, 2016, 06:34:17 pm
Both are excellent, but I think you got your crops reversed ;)  I'd do the first as a pano (no problem with the dark sky, but it would de-emphasize how close the moon is to the mountains) and the second as a more conventional crop, eliminating the empty rollout on the right and balancing the foreground tree and the moon nicely.
Title: Re: Mountain meadow
Post by: sdwilsonsct on November 16, 2016, 03:35:28 pm
Both are excellent, but I think you got your crops reversed ;)  I'd do the first as a pano (no problem with the dark sky, but it would de-emphasize how close the moon is to the mountains) and the second as a more conventional crop, eliminating the empty rollout on the right and balancing the foreground tree and the moon nicely.

Thanks, James. In #2, the tree and moon get pushed quite far to the edge in a 3:2 crop. I'll need to think about this if I print at a standard size.

Thanks to all for their encouragement. It's amazing how much and fast the light changes even when driven only by the sun's altitude.