Sunset, sheep and Stanley

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

The long shadows stretched across the paddock of sheep, the sun setting behind the buildings and bathing the sky in a deep orange hues. The air was still and the only sound was that of the sheep grazing in the meadow. It was a tranquil and beautiful sight, one that was unique to Stanley, Tasmania. Nature and man had come together to create a scene of wonder, a moment that will linger in my mind for years to come. It was a moment of perfect peace, a reminder of the beauty of the world and a reminder of the beauty of life.

Technical Details

16mm 1/200 sec f8 ISO100

1 Like

You describe such a wonderful moment, and the light here sure matches the mood you describe. That’s beautiful golden light. On my monitor, the shadows are almost black and pretty dominant. You could open them a little, or crop them back some to focus more on that wonderful light.

What a wonderful description of what you saw while taking this image. I agree with @John_Williams about opening the shadows as they are dominating the scene and are almost pure black. I’m also seeing a potential crop to a landscape version removing much of the open area in the sky (where all the blue is) and much of the foreground which is also mostly just black, although I’m at work and can’t really play around with this in LR or PS until I get home. I did go for a spin with it in the photo app that comes with the basic Window’s 10 program where you can crop, and play with shadows and highlights but it’s not a great tool. Anyway, This is what I was talking about. Not sure if it fits the mood you’re describing but I thought I would share with you anyway.

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I loved the story as well as the image you captured as it put me right there, Don. The foremost sheep making eye contact with the viewer is a real plus IMO. I have to say that I like @David_Haynes tweaks to the image as it addresses the dark shadows and makes the right side not as heavy. Thanks for sharing your thought process.

Don,

Terrific image and even more so your writing and thoughts on the moment. Most every time for me, it’s about “moments in time” and you’ve captured that both in image and words.

I like David’s edit, but I think the darkness and high contrast in your original actually contributes more to the thought of this being a nature event - and a human event. The darkness on the right obscures/hides the barbed wire… :slight_smile:

Speaking of the man and nature aspect, something to think about for future posts. I think this is better suited in either Human and Fauna or perhaps even non-Nature. We’re quite a loose group here and I’m not inclined to do anything like move your image, it’s not warranted. So please, no worries here. Thanks!