New to the forum. Advice please

[Aluk]

Hello.
This is my first post on the forum.
I am just starting to teach myself lightroom. The attached image - I used mostly some of the automated features, but want to understand how to improve so that I can edit manually. The image was 2 shots bracketed then combined. I think ti is a bit unsubtle, so would appreciate some feedback.
Thanks all.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

Hi Aluk,

A couple of tips from an 'old hand' 

Firstly upload your pictures to the site rather than just providing a link to them, this way we get to see your image(s) straight away, as some of the old duffers on here (I include myself in this category btw) will not want to take the time to click on a link and then select or save it onto their computer to view it, as it is too much effort and so they will probably just wander off into another thread - in other words, make it the easy and standard way of doing it and they will look and maybe comment, make it hard or non-standard and they probably will not.

Save your images for viewing on Lula as JPGs under the sRGB colour space, which isn't the best colour space by any stretch of the imagination, but is a standard that everyone no matter what system they are using, will be able to see on their screens.

Make your images around 1200ppi for horizontals/landscapes and around 900ppi for verticals/portraits, which means they will be big enough to allow the viewer to zoom into the shot for some good ol' pixel peeping, but not so big you are giving your work away to the Internet - also a compression rate of around 9 or 10 should work fine.

So to your shot, which I did bother to download and look at - yes that is indeed a fine image, a little too enthusiastic in the saturation department for my tastes, but well composed and executed none the less and it also catches the mood very nicely, so yes I am looking forward to seeing more of your work on here 

So welcome aboard Aluk..

Dave

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Welcome!

+1 to what Dave said.

[sdwilsonsct]

Nice to see some colourful lichens set in an interesting landscape. Good work.

[Aluk]

Thanks very much for the comments. Much appreciated. I agree re the saturation. I will have a second go at editing it. When I came back to it with fresh eyes, that was very apparent.

I am not sure what I was doing wrong with the image upload. I clicked on the "attachments and other options" link and uploaded it there, so I am not sure why it was not displaying!??

I've never been to Skye, Dave, but it looks stunning!

Thanks, Al

[guido]

It looks like your attachment is a .tif file which might be the issue... a .jpg would be more universally visible...

[RSL]

I think Guido's right, Aluk. If you can produce a .jpeg you can go back to our original post, delete the .tif and replace it with the .jpeg.

[Aluk]

You were right about the file type. It works now! Newbie error.

Thanks for the feedback! Great.

[Jeremy Roussak]

Welcome!

If you post images in a "please comment" forum, such as User Critiques, you're likely to get feedback. Some will be helpful; some will not. Just like life, really. I've learned a lot over the last 15 years or so from the comments people have made, and I like to think that I'm a better photographer than I was then. Maybe I'm just illustrating Man's capacity for self-delusion.

Anyway, I think your image is strong and attractive. In my view, the foreground is too bright, though, particularly the lower right. A gradient mask in LR would provide an easy initial fix.

Jeremy

[armand]

Welcome!
While the image as a whole is appealing I find the right foreground to be too blurry/not sharp. I helps to have the foreground sharper than the background, if you have to choose one. Or you can focus stack but that's for a different day.

[nirpat89]

Welcome!

If you post images in a "please comment" forum, such as User Critiques, you're likely to get feedback. Some will be helpful; some will not. Just like life, really. I've learned a lot over the last 15 years or so from the comments people have made, and I like to think that I'm a better photographer than I was then. Maybe I'm just illustrating Man's capacity for self-delusion.

Anyway, I think your image is strong and attractive. In my view, the foreground is too bright, though, particularly the lower right. A gradient mask in LR would provide an easy initial fix.

Jeremy

I have always been confused about these various forums.  For example, this one is called Landscape Showcase.  I always thought this is the place for people to post their landscape photos and have them critiqued and commented upon.  Then there is the User Critiques.  How is that different?  Is it open to non-landscape photos as well?  I see photos of buildings, pets etc. there.

Then there is the About Site and Article Discussions which seem to have overlapping subjects.  But that is an another matter. 

[rabanito]

I have always been confused about these various forums.  For example, this one is called Landscape Showcase.  I always thought this is the place for people to post their landscape photos and have them critiqued and commented upon.  Then there is the User Critiques.  How is that different? 

When I put my photos in User Critiques actually ia am ASKING for comments, for whatever reason.
When I put put them in the Showcase I am not asking. Critiques are still welcome - don't take me wrong - and more than once I have had an aha! (or whoops!) experience.
A subtle difference IMO

[guido]

If only all members followed the no critiques in the showcase rule...

[RSL]

That wouldn't be any fun, Guido.

[guido]

But it would be a reason not to participate...

[rabanito]

But it would be a reason not to participate...

Why? In an exhibition you could be around listening to the comments other people make about your work among themselves without your being noticed.
Of course if you exhibit your pictures then you are convinced that they are "perfect", the best you can produce.
So why care?
You can do it just out of curiosity. To be out of the bubble.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

When I put my photos in User Critiques actually ia am ASKING for comments, for whatever reason.
When I put put them in the Showcase I am not asking. Critiques are still welcome - don't take me wrong - and more than once I have had an aha! (or whoops!) experience.
A subtle difference IMO

That agrees with my interpretation of the forums:
User Critiques:     As the name suggests, critiques are welcomed.
Without Prejudice:   Detailed critiques are NOT welcome. Post any photo you find interesting, but don't expect comments beyond "like."
Landscape Showcase:   Specifically to show landscape photos (broadly interpreted), critiques are optional.

And, of course, YMMV.

[brandtb]

Very nice/interesting composition and the vantage point you chose. Especially with those lichens in the foreground - nice. There is a minor  halo along the ridge on right side that could fixed pretty easily. Leaving issues of color/saturation/contrast aside - one of things I definitely wished was in the image -  is more sharpness in the foreground. The near elements are so strong and graphic - "they want to be seen" if you will - but they simply are not sharp.