Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: RoyHubbard on July 09, 2010, 12:55:07 am

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: RoyHubbard on July 09, 2010, 12:55:07 am

At the Massapequa Nature Preserve on Long Island, NY.

Thoughts always welcome!

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: Ed Blagden on July 09, 2010, 02:23:16 am

Roy

Mixed feelings about this one.  On the one hand, the composition (apart from the tilted horizon) is good and the reflection of the sky in the water works well.  On the other hand I don't much like the post-processing - it has a strong HDR look and I'm not sure that is necessary for a scene like this.  

Ed

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on July 09, 2010, 03:27:27 am

Quote from: Ed Blagden

Roy

Mixed feelings about this one.  On the one hand, the composition (apart from the tilted horizon) is good and the reflection of the sky in the water works well.  On the other hand I don't much like the post-processing - it has a strong HDR look and I'm not sure that is necessary for a scene like this.  

Ed

I agree. The composition is good but the sky has a horribly artificial look about it, particularly towards the right. I winced when I clicked on the thumbnail and a full-sized image appeared.

FWIW

Jeremy

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: Chairman Bill on July 09, 2010, 04:31:20 am

I agree with the above, and would add that for a shot taken just before sunset, there's an awful lot of brightness about, almost to the point of making it look a little washed out.

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: Hans Kruse on July 09, 2010, 08:08:50 am

Quote from: RoyHubbard

At the Massapequa Nature Preserve on Long Island, NY.

Thoughts always welcome!

I agree with the others that the tilted horizonline draws pretty much (unwanted) attention. The colors are not to my liking   and I think a different crop could be useful too. The sky is pretty much washed out.

Maybe something like this instead?
 

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: RoyHubbard on July 09, 2010, 08:16:54 am

So, I read most of these comments last night before leaving work and had no idea what any of you were talking about. I'm back home now and the difference is painfully obvious. Ouch. This calls for a redo when I get up.

Hkruse, your retouch is great. A little different from my vision, but I really like it.

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: RoyHubbard on July 12, 2010, 06:49:15 pm

Ran off to an unplanned weekend in the Poconos, so came home to redo this along with a bunch of new photos.

Here's the new version:

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on July 13, 2010, 03:18:22 am

Quote from: RoyHubbard

Ran off to an unplanned weekend in the Poconos, so came home to redo this along with a bunch of new photos.

Here's the new version:

It's better, Roy, but the sky still has what seems to me to be a very unnatural tint. It just looks wrong.

Jeremy

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: RoyHubbard on July 13, 2010, 09:25:02 am

Thanks, Jeremy. I actually didn't make any local adjustments to the sky at all, either in this or the original. The tint was stronger in the original because of a global contrast enhancement I didn't use at all in the second. If the sky looks wrong, I'm afraid it'll have to be taken up with a higher authority.

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on July 13, 2010, 01:12:16 pm

Quote from: RoyHubbard

Thanks, Jeremy. I actually didn't make any local adjustments to the sky at all, either in this or the original. The tint was stronger in the original because of a global contrast enhancement I didn't use at all in the second. If the sky looks wrong, I'm afraid it'll have to be taken up with a higher authority.

I'll leave that to you. I have enough on my plate arguing in the course of my job.

Jeremy

Title: Just before sunset on the lake
Post by: shutterpup on July 13, 2010, 11:25:09 pm

I don't care for the color version of either image at all. If I had not been told it was around sunset, I would have thought noon instead. I just don't like the greens at all.

On the other hand, I really like the black and white version that HKruse offered up.