Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: NikoJorj on February 18, 2009, 03:22:21 am

Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: NikoJorj on February 18, 2009, 03:22:21 am
Roche Cline from Les Graus, near Allos (Alpes de Haute Provence), Haut-Verdon, France, end of July 08.

Many afternoon clouds in the southern Alps in summer, the light was a bit subdued...
Which one do you prefer? Or perhaps just another treatment?
Comments, critiques and suggestions needed!
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: kal on February 18, 2009, 12:28:14 pm
Quote from: NikoJorj
Roche Cline from Les Graus, near Allos (Alpes de Haute Provence), Haut-Verdon, France, end of July 08.

Many afternoon clouds in the southern Alps in summer, the light was a bit subdued...
Which one do you prefer? Or perhaps just another treatment?
Comments, critiques and suggestions needed!

What about this?

[attachment=11590:RocheCline2_1.jpg]

I'm not so sure about composition... there are so many things touching or crossing the borders of the image...
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: wolfnowl on February 18, 2009, 01:35:34 pm
Quote from: kal
I'm not so sure about composition... there are so many things touching or crossing the borders of the image...

Personally I would have shot this in landscape rather than portrait mode.  The image as it is cuts off so many of the lines - the clouds, the mountain range in the background, etc.  To me, with such strong horizontal elements the vertical alignment of the image doesn't work.  My $0.02


Mike.
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: NikoJorj on February 19, 2009, 04:10:27 pm
Thanks for your remarks!

Yes, the framing was a bit loose... One of the numerous advantages to have an old and cheap 300d : I can blame the 95% viewfinder for the not-that-clean borders. Variant N°2.

I also got a landscape oriented image of that place : variant N°1. Doesn't seem dynamic to me though, there seems less relation between foreground and background to my taste.

Meanwhile, both have seen their colors and tonalities tweaked rel. to the first batch.
C&C always as welcome!
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 19, 2009, 04:25:57 pm
I vote for the horizontal shot. It gives me room to breathe and wander in the mountains. The vertical makes me feel cramped. Just my .0002 cents.

Nice photo!

Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: BernardLanguillier on February 19, 2009, 08:24:27 pm
On the original question, the problem is the difference of local contrast between the sky and the foreground, that makes the image look unnatural.

You should also work on the foreground.

Cheers,
Bernard
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: bob mccarthy on February 19, 2009, 08:42:28 pm
[attachment=11620:RocheCline2_1_JRM.jpg]a 5 minute tweek
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 19, 2009, 11:49:35 pm
That looks overcooked to me.
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: NikoJorj on February 20, 2009, 12:25:41 am
Quote from: BernardLanguillier
On the original question, the problem is the difference of local contrast between the sky and the foreground, that makes the image look unnatural.

Even if I liked the shapes of the vertical shot more, you helped me realize that the light on the foreground is better on the horizontal shot.
Light was a bit fleeing (clouds passing) and I didn't quite succeed to capture the best one each shot...

I also trimmed the grass at the borders - and last but not least realized there was a bug in the way the LUT of my screen was altered at startup, negating much of the effects of the profiling (but that's another story), leading to another tone alteration.

Reloaded version...
Thans to all so far!
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 20, 2009, 10:26:47 am
That works very well now. Don't change anything else!

-Eric

Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: Roy Money on February 20, 2009, 11:29:13 am
Quote from: EricM
That works very well now. Don't change anything else!

-Eric

Fantastic view and the change in format is dramatic - I like the flowers now in the corner.
The foreground is still a bit dark for me, but monitors and lighting conditions can vary.
-Roy
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: button on February 20, 2009, 12:19:57 pm
Good work- the horizontal creates a stronger impact.  You might want to emphasize the light rays beaming down from the clouds to see if that adds even more strength.

John
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: NikoJorj on February 20, 2009, 03:56:01 pm
Thanks to all for your very sensible advices!

I still couldn't resist to make the return of the retaliation   : tried to work a bit on the light rays, and tweaked the crop...
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on February 20, 2009, 04:06:10 pm
That one's good too. Now if you'll just send me a nice big print of it, I'll hang it on my wall for a few years and then tell you how well it passes the test of time.  
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: Roy Money on February 20, 2009, 04:45:25 pm
Quote from: NikoJorj
Thanks to all for your very sensible advices!

I still couldn't resist to make the return of the retaliation   : tried to work a bit on the light rays, and tweaked the crop...
very nice
though I don't really celebrate Easter it makes me think of Easter Sunday
a glorious moment!
-Roy
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: John R on February 20, 2009, 06:16:31 pm
Very appealing landscape. Glorious light as one poster said. I love when the clouds move so quickly that the landscape gets lit in different ways and to different degrees. I am sure you had to move fast.

JMR
Title: Alpine landscape with clouds
Post by: button on February 20, 2009, 06:24:24 pm
Quote from: NikoJorj
Thanks to all for your very sensible advices!

I still couldn't resist to make the return of the retaliation   : tried to work a bit on the light rays, and tweaked the crop...

I like it... you added just enough of the light rays to create a subtle but powerful effect.

John