Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: sdwilsonsct on August 11, 2013, 04:17:58 am

Title: Remains of the day
Post by: sdwilsonsct on August 11, 2013, 04:17:58 am
Suggestions welcome.
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: luxborealis on August 11, 2013, 08:39:24 am
Very compelling photograph. Nicely seen. Great lines and a perspective different that what we are used to seeing.

Suggestions:

Great photograph to work with!
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: brandtb on August 11, 2013, 09:03:05 am
very nice Scott
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on August 11, 2013, 12:39:17 pm
It's gorgeous, and I think Terry's suggestions are right on the nose.
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on August 11, 2013, 02:01:04 pm
Very well seen! I too agree with Terry's suggestions.

Jeremy
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: sdwilsonsct on August 11, 2013, 02:58:50 pm
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.
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on August 11, 2013, 05:04:36 pm
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
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: sdwilsonsct on August 11, 2013, 05:13:53 pm
Why not give Terry's suggestions a try?

I did! 1, 2, 3.  :D
Too subtle, I guess.
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on August 11, 2013, 06:59:12 pm
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:

Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Rand47 on August 11, 2013, 07:58:12 pm
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
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: wolfnowl on August 12, 2013, 01:31:19 am
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.
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on August 12, 2013, 03:54:44 am
I did! 1, 2, 3.  :D
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
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: sdwilsonsct on August 12, 2013, 04:58:28 am
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.
Title: Re: Remains of the day
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on August 12, 2013, 05:15:30 am
Well seen and photographed.