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03/08/2012 09:32:46 AM · #1 |
In my quest to improve, I would love any feedback/comment/improvement/critical review that anyone would like to provide. Be as harsh as you want to be, I can take it.
How can it be improved? I had one critical comment that said the clouds seemed a bit over-processed. I did one light burn pass on the darkest bit of clouds, but overall, that's the way they were. I think the slight burn helped even out the image a little more.
I'm guessing this scene suffers from my Achilles heel? No clear subject?
Thanks for your opinions! |
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03/08/2012 09:42:51 AM · #2 |
Main critique would be, that it's not very interesting, and the low sat / vib doesn't help in that regard. Either bump them or go B/W imo. The sky is also quite bland. Perhaps a ND filter and longer SS is an idea. Also, the title doesn't really connect with the photo - not much golden going on.
I like the photo though - nicely cropped and great lines across. As you say, it could use a "subject" or at least something in the foreground. There's not much depth to let your eyes wander around to... |
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03/08/2012 10:25:58 AM · #3 |
| Sorry, James. I cannot help you much with critical advice. This was one of my favorite images of the free study -- I gave it a 9. I love the contrast of colors and the light on the hillside. I am surprised to learn that it did not score higher. It did average a 7.5 from the 7 folks that commented. So, I guess it resonated with some folks. |
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03/08/2012 10:33:06 AM · #4 |
| Have you requested that this image be critiqued by a member of the Critique Club? |
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03/08/2012 10:43:44 AM · #5 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
Have you requested that this image be critiqued by a member of the Critique Club? |
Maybe I do not understand how this works. There have been a few times that I have checked the box for: Check this box if you're interested in having your image critiqued by a member of the DPC Critique Club. I have never gotten a reply. Is there a step I am missing? |
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03/08/2012 10:47:58 AM · #6 |
I would run it through HDR and try to bring out the light and color, the contrast of blue and orange, and the drama in the sky. Something like this:
(you could do much better with the original)
Cropping out most of the trees could help too. |
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03/08/2012 10:48:42 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by markwiley:
Originally posted by snaffles:
Have you requested that this image be critiqued by a member of the Critique Club? |
Maybe I do not understand how this works. There have been a few times that I have checked the box for: Check this box if you're interested in having your image critiqued by a member of the DPC Critique Club. I have never gotten a reply. Is there a step I am missing? |
No, but although there are officially 401 members of the CC, right now there is only one active member - me! And I only began writing critiques again this January. I try to write a couple of critiques a day. But each time there is a rollover, more requests are added to the queue, and any from previous challenges that didn't get done join the huge backlog of unfulfilled requests. I did manage to clear the queue recently and had 3 waiting to be written, but today there could well be another 15 requests. And so it goes.
ETA Just checked and there are currently 16 requests pending. The images are presented to the CC members at random, I can't sift through and request anyone in particular. But I'll try and make a dent.
Message edited by author 2012-03-08 10:51:12. |
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03/08/2012 10:55:38 AM · #8 |
Originally posted by snaffles:
Originally posted by markwiley:
Originally posted by snaffles:
Have you requested that this image be critiqued by a member of the Critique Club? |
Maybe I do not understand how this works. There have been a few times that I have checked the box for: Check this box if you're interested in having your image critiqued by a member of the DPC Critique Club. I have never gotten a reply. Is there a step I am missing? |
No, but although there are officially 401 members of the CC, right now there is only one active member - me! And I only began writing critiques again this January. I try to write a couple of critiques a day. But each time there is a rollover, more requests are added to the queue, and any from previous challenges that didn't get done join the huge backlog of unfulfilled requests. I did manage to clear the queue recently and had 3 waiting to be written, but today there could well be another 15 requests. And so it goes.
ETA Just checked and there are currently 16 requests pending. The images are presented to the CC members at random, I can't sift through and request anyone in particular. But I'll try and make a dent. |
Wow. I appreciate the information, and I appreciate your hard work on trying to keep up with things. |
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03/08/2012 11:00:50 AM · #9 |
| For me it's the lack of detail in the bottom third, where the trees are. Perhaps an HDR of the scene would have improved it, or processing that portion of the image separately, or as Margaret suggested, crop it. |
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03/08/2012 11:05:39 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by JamesDowning:
In my quest to improve, I would love any feedback/comment/improvement/critical review that anyone would like to provide. Be as harsh as you want to be, I can take it.
How can it be improved? I had one critical comment that said the clouds seemed a bit over-processed. I did one light burn pass on the darkest bit of clouds, but overall, that's the way they were. I think the slight burn helped even out the image a little more.
I'm guessing this scene suffers from my Achilles heel? No clear subject?
Thanks for your opinions! |
I like the natural look of this image (HDR is not always the best route to take). What is missing is a focal point to the composition. Once you get past the colors/contrast of the sky and grass, there is nothing to hold the viewer very long. Some animals grazing or a house on the top of the hill might have helped (Not in your control I realize)
Tim |
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03/08/2012 11:15:38 AM · #11 |
Or B&W focusing just on the light:
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03/08/2012 11:16:49 AM · #12 |
I think there are unlimited opportunities for PP depending on what you like and what mood you would like to convey.
PS I think the light and the color could be subjects in their own right, no need to have an object in the foreground, although that single tree in the field could be great with a closer crop.
Message edited by author 2012-03-08 11:20:25. |
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03/08/2012 11:26:18 AM · #13 |
Originally posted by atupdate:
I like the natural look of this image (HDR is not always the best route to take). |
You can make HDR as natural as you want. It is a personal choice depending on what you want to emphasize. To me the original is too evenly processed, no drama or interest and therefore needing the animals! ;) |
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03/08/2012 11:33:47 AM · #14 |
I'll start with a declaration about myself: i'm a hobby photographer and still require a lot of assistance and critiquing of my own work to come on par with many of the members here, but i'll provide you my thoughts on the image and hope that something I say will be helpful.
I'd personally crop out some of the higher clouds, cut the image down to about 2/3 the existing size. I'd keep the hill with the light/dark contrast as taking up 50-60% of the overall picture with some ominous clouds overhead, but not so much that it overtakes the image.
As you said, you have no clear subject, so make the subject the bright spot at the top of the hill, contrasted by dark clouds above and a darker bit of hill below.
I asked a few coworkers their thoughts when looking between the original and the cropped, most preferred the cropped look in terms of a "would look nice as a picture on the wall" style of photograph.
If you had a focal point you wanted to contrast on top of the hill that could match the scale of sky to land that you're showing i think it would be good to keep that much sky (windmill/tower/ruins, et al).
I think it's a good image overall, just too many 'gloomy clouds' without the contrasting focal object to stand against them.
Message edited by author 2012-03-08 11:37:21. |
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03/08/2012 11:35:45 AM · #15 |
| For me, my monitor is a little short and I had to scroll down a bit to see the whole picture. I played a bit with the scroll and found that when I cut off some of the sky, the hill jumped out a lot more. The sky kind of takes over in your original and takes away from the texture and contrast of the light on the hill. |
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03/08/2012 11:38:49 AM · #16 |
Yes I do see what you're saying, especially with the B&W Margaret.
Before I saw your edits, it felt like there was enough drama. I even thought that I had pushed up the vibrance/sat a good bit (the original was pretty grey).
But now that I see what you've done with the image, I can see what you mean. I especially like that B&W. Not only the color editing, but the crop is stronger I think.
I was also thinking along similar lines of some of the other people here before... I think an old barn or stable on the top of the hill could have been really strong, but alas, this particular mountain was the only bald one in the area that I could see. There were some good barns a little ways down the road in the valley though. I didn't feel like the pictures from that area carried enough punch though:
As a general rule from critiques I've had, I think I need to crop/zoom in more - as this may remove some of the "grandeur" of the images, but will bring a subject to the surface.
Keep em coming! Love the different opinions and viewpoints!
Message edited by author 2012-03-08 11:42:00. |
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03/08/2012 11:43:10 AM · #17 |
I think it could work without a subject but like Margaret says the drama could be brought in other ways.
Message edited by author 2012-03-08 11:47:44. |
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03/08/2012 11:51:15 AM · #18 |
I think what you said with regard to "removing some grandeur from (your) images" is true of a lot of people once you get past the P&S cameras - there's so much more you can do and you have more of a drive to go out and find some great pictures that sometimes the real beauty that drew your eye to wanting to take a picture of "this" gets lost in having too much in the camera's field of view.
I waited a long time and worked on my own skills before i'd even thought about offering advice to people here (i've been coming here for over a year and just became a 'full' member recently when i thought i had improved enough to step up). A lot of my early photos when I got my SLR are the same as the two you have linked in this thread - too much detail in the foreground or background that takes away from the subject; or too much filler in the absence of a focal subject, and the essence of what you saw before you snapped the picture gets lost to the viewer.
It's hard to cut things out sometimes as early lessons on photography teach you about framing your shot and using natural landmarks for framing. At the point i'm at, and it looks like some of your work is similar, realizing what works as framing, and what doesn't, is the hardest part. |
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