What are your thoughts on the composition and post processing?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
This is a blend of about 5 frames, all shot at different shutter speeds and blended using masks in PS.
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Welcome to NPN Michael, this is an outstanding first post, very well done
I hope to see more of your work here at NPN in the future.
I think the composition is very strong, the curved leading lines in the foreground and mid-ground are very effective in moving my eye through the scene. I think you have included just the right amount of sky, and of the cliff in the upper right corner (URC). My only nitpick would be to re-compose, crop or clone away the little nub at the top of the rock on the left edge, it’s a minor distraction.
I think the processing looks good (especially color), and I think your blend of shutter speed brackets for the water flow looks realistic, and creates a very dynamic look. You are obviously a very accomplished photographer, the composition and processing looks great overall. At this level, critique becomes fairly subjective, and on great images like this our suggestions often come down to subtle nuances that may help. My tweaks here would be to very gently darken the sky and clouds to bring more attention back to the center of the image. And I would dodge the lighter tones in the water in the LLC, to create some tonal balancing. I hope you don’t mind, but here is a rework reflecting my comments. I used a TK Lights 1 Luminosity Mask to dodge the LLC. And I cloned the nub. Small subtle changes, but I think helpful.
Welcome to the club. You have some great light here with a fine sky to go with this seascape. From my point of view the sunlit rock on the lrc corner is not optimal. You could burn it in but it would still be an issue. The other suggestion would be to dodge the rock on the left to show just a bit more detail. Otherwise you have a nice leading line composition that takes you to the distant horizon in a winding manner that explores the entire image. A square crop of the to section would give a fine composition as well.
Welcome, Michael! I’m new here too and have found it to be a wonderful place to share and learn.
The blending looks wonderful, both technically and as a concept. I think the suggestions above will provide some finishing to a stunning image. I don’t mind the rock in the LR, but I would burn it a bit. The reddish-orange is a nice complement to the blue of the adjacent shaded water.
Welcome to the community! Great light and the colours look good. I’d be inclined to crop out the rock in the lower right hand corner and feature more of the waterfall and light in the frame.
What a legendary response this is! One of the best critiques I’ve had of my own work… I might just have to stick around I totally agree with you about that rock on the left hand side. Ill update my master file.
Blending the sky was a total pain as the clouds moved in between bracketed frames. Is there any way around this? Or are we just stuck with bumping things around in PS until they line up? Cheers mate!
Welcome aboard and fine first post. I am in the camp of not quite liking the rock in the LRC. I would favor cropping up from the bottom and going to a square. You could also try burning and desaturating the rock, but I am not sure how well it would work as it might getting that funky look? You have a fine image to play with, all part of the fun of photography and processing. The blend looks quite good at web size. Looking forward to seeing more of your work and reading your insights into the work of others.
Hi Michael…welcome aboard. I think you’ll enjoy the community here.
I’m also in the camp where the LRC is challenging for me. While I do think there is implied continuity with the distant cliff on the right, it has distinction ( or contrast) in all three elements (luminance, texture, and color) that strongly distinguishes it from the remainder of the scene and for my eye serves as an eye-magnet. There are several ways to try and address this including burning, and harmonizing color with the rest of the image. The texture is difficult to manage but you get my point.
Regardless, its a really cool scene and i love rocky seascapes, so keep 'em coming!
I love this one. The composition is very strong, and great job on handling that dynamic range. I know how hard it can be to shoot straight into the sun.
With great shots like these, personal preference does become a strong influence. I like what lab curves do for these images with subtle color variation. It’s not for everyone, but I enjoy it. As for that lower right corner, I would consider editing it to match the rock it joins at the bottom center; even though it has nice sunlight it does tend to pull the eye. Here’s a version playing with those thoughts. I also added just a touch of vignette and shadow detail.
I totally agree with you about that rock on the left hand side. Ill update my master file.