Took this at the summit of Cloud's rest in Yosemite. Up front is Half Dome, to the right is El Cap, surrounding the valley 5k feet below... best view in the park! contrast, levels, and saturation in PSCS. Enjoy
Statistics
Place: 31 out of 60 Avg (all users): 5.6737 Avg (commenters): 6.0000 Avg (participants): 5.4872 Avg (non-participants): 5.8036 Views since voting: 450 Views during voting: 189 Votes: 95 Comments: 3 Favorites: 0
Hello and greetings from the Critique Club-
This is a great place for a shot, but I think what held back your score came from a few different things.
Firstly, the lighting on the scene is relatively flat, particularly in contrast to the plethora of images most viewers have seen of this area. Really, you're up against some pretty amazing photos of the area, and mentally, people compare your image to all the others they have seen of this area. Some dodge/burn can help this (though given editing rules that wasn't an option this time), adding some additional drama to the scene, but the actual light for the area is the biggest part of it. Early morning or evening would likely improve things, just because you'd get more interesting shadowplay.
Regarding composition, I like the interesting take on the valley, it's a nice change of pace, but it also means that the normal visual anchor that the viewer has is changed, and in this case, is largely absent. There is no clear direction in the scene for where the viewer ought to look. Should we prefer the mountains, or the valley? What is your intended focus?
Ultimately, however, simply spending more time in a location in the mountains will bring you improved material. My photos of the mountains have vastly improved simply by virtue of having spent more time there, knowing how and when the light falls how I want it to. Another tool that might be of aid to you is The Photographer's Ephemeris. Ultimately, getting to the location is often the hardest part, and then it becomes dedication and waiting. You've captured a great scene, now you need to determine how you want us to see it.
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