Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: James Clark on February 09, 2020, 06:34:44 pm

Title: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: James Clark on February 09, 2020, 06:34:44 pm
So many desert textures and ridges!  Does anyone think it could lose a little off the top?  Or maybe the moon could be moved up a hair?

Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on February 09, 2020, 06:51:55 pm
Nothing wrong with the top or the position of the moon. However, I find the contrast (crunchiness, clarity?) in the foreground unnatural and distracting.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: brandtb on February 09, 2020, 07:02:16 pm
Interesting image, the tones/subjects. I think your idea of moving the moon upward a bit is a good one - at least as an option. There appears to be a really strong halo along the ridgeline - I would take a look at that.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: James Clark on February 09, 2020, 07:48:37 pm
I’ll go back and look at the foreground and the halo on a bigger screen - thanks for the feedback.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: francois on February 10, 2020, 02:30:38 am
I like it a lot. For me, the moon is very well placed in the frame and my only tiny issue is with the lower, very dark part. I can also see the halo but I guess that it's easy to correct.

Bravo, James.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: LesPalenik on February 10, 2020, 02:34:57 am
Remarkable image. Fine as it is, I wouldn't change anything.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on February 10, 2020, 03:56:20 am
Remarkable image. Fine as it is, I wouldn't change anything.

Apart from the halo (and I've seen, and produced myself, a lot worse), I agree. Why move the moon?

Jeremy
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: kers on February 10, 2020, 07:15:41 am
I like it it seems shot on the moon while looking at it...
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: stamper on February 10, 2020, 08:20:02 am
Remarkable image. Fine as it is, I wouldn't change anything.

Agreed.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: RSL on February 10, 2020, 09:09:09 am
Why move the moon?

Because unless you were very sure of your framing at the time you made the shot you always have second thoughts. This is especially true in street photography, where you often barely have time to get the camera up, drop a frame around what you think is the right collection of reality, and push the button. Which makes HCB's constantly correct framing something on the order of a miracle.
Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: James Clark on February 10, 2020, 09:46:02 am
Thanks for everyone's continued feedback - and I appreciate the compliments too :)

On the dark bottom - I *think* that's a high-frequency area of dark green scrub (As opposed to the smoother and lighter red rock) in the original (which is not in front of me at the moment) and you can see a similar area in the top/middle left.

On the moon position, the reason I ask is that its close to even with the top of the hill, leaving a bunch of empty space at the top. My thinking is/was that if I pulled it up and to the right a (little) bit, it might better complete the "z" pattern of the image starting lower right to left with the lighter rock, mid left to mid right with they Ridgeline, the the moon would pull the viewer through the frame to the upper left.

Or perhaps I'm just overthinking the framing as Russ suggested :)

Title: Re: Moon over Death Valley
Post by: John R on February 10, 2020, 10:37:08 am
I suppose you try different positions, but I like it the way it is. Good tonal variation, helps the eye move through the landscape.

JR