Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: sdwilsonsct on July 17, 2015, 05:38:29 pm

Title: July skies
Post by: sdwilsonsct on July 17, 2015, 05:38:29 pm
Feedback welcome.

I spent last week in the Rockies, driving a thousand miles, walking 60, spending money on gas and travel and fancy lightweight gear. Photographic results: not so great. The attached images are all from one evening, a mile from home.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: MattBurt on July 17, 2015, 06:02:55 pm
I like the first and last. The middle one is a nice example of clouds but the foreground looks like it was pushed too hard and that kills the detail.

The other ones have much more interesting foregrounds. I especially like the tractor in the grass. Are these HDR? They have that look but it might just be how you managed your shadow areas in processing.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: Mike Brown on July 17, 2015, 06:23:23 pm
I think my favourite is the first. I find it quite interesting having the road lined up centre with the change in cloud lighting.

I would be interested in seeing it with more of the top cropped off. Perhaps that just speaks to my love of wide panoramic aspect ratios though.

Title: Re: July skies
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on July 17, 2015, 06:28:36 pm
... a mile from home.

It is said that most car accidents happen a few miles from home. What that has to do with your photos? I have no idea, it is just something that crossed my wandering mind :)

Beautiful photographs, all three.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: sdwilsonsct on July 18, 2015, 03:42:28 pm
Thanks for the comments.
Matt - not sure what "pushed" means here, but I think the foreground would be more realistic if it was lighter. The tractor shot is HDR, and the tractor could be darker.
Mike, I do have tighter shots of the bright front, but am a sucker for context and all that surrounding structure.
Slobodan: thanks. Most accidents happen at home, so perhaps we can expect some successes there too?
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: JohnBrew on July 18, 2015, 03:54:10 pm
 I like them all, but the tractor shot is especially nice.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: Arlen on July 18, 2015, 08:38:15 pm
Too bad about the Rockies trip, Scott, but you've captured some beautiful scenes right in your own neighborhood. I think the one with tractor looks quite stunning when the overall exposure is brought down a bit, and the foreground just a bit more, to move towards a little more of the natural balance that one expects from backlighting.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on July 19, 2015, 04:39:23 am
All three are good, but I particularly love the sky in the second; I think I'd crop off a bit of the uninteresting foreground, though.

Jeremy
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: pollarda on July 19, 2015, 12:43:37 pm
I think the first one is excellent.  You may want to try a black and white treatment too, I think the first (and perhaps last) have great potential as B&W as well as color.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: MattBurt on July 19, 2015, 08:44:02 pm
Thanks for the comments.
Matt - not sure what "pushed" means here, but I think the foreground would be more realistic if it was lighter. The tractor shot is HDR, and the tractor could be darker.
Mike, I do have tighter shots of the bright front, but am a sucker for context and all that surrounding structure.
Slobodan: thanks. Most accidents happen at home, so perhaps we can expect some successes there too?


I was thinking there was some aggressive shadow recovery going on and maybe not that much detail to get out of those shadows.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: langier on July 19, 2015, 08:58:49 pm
This is the "world" in your back yard. No. 1 has perfect balance with the road headed to the wall in the clouds. It is striking.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: sdwilsonsct on July 19, 2015, 11:56:13 pm
Thanks for the feedback, very helpful. I have added a couple of revisions to #1.

John -- I have many of this tractor but that night the stars aligned (in the form of clouds). Great stuff on your home page.
Arlen -- Yes. I have complaints about the grass seed heads being distracting, too.
Jeremy, Matt -- There isn't much detail in the foreground, a crop might help. It could be a little greener and brighter.
Pollarda -- a crunchy Reichman sky might work here, I'll see...
Larry -- that balance lasted just a few seconds, the front was miles away but moved very fast.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on July 20, 2015, 03:18:36 pm
That works for me in monochrome.

Jeremy
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: MattBurt on July 20, 2015, 04:08:32 pm
That one is pretty great in color or B&W, but I'm starting to lean toward B&W now.
Title: Re: July skies
Post by: Paulo Bizarro on July 21, 2015, 09:04:01 am
Wonderful shots.