Just a Pretty Picture?

I did a whirlwind swing through King's Canyon/Sequoia/Yosemite three days in late October. It went something like drive 5 minutes, see something cool, stop, shoot, zoom off, repeat. Shot this in King's Canyon fairly late in the morning and really liked the combination of elements but now a couple of months after the experience I'm looking at a lot of these images more dispassionately as technically good but not so sure about the emotional impact. This is the first of several I would like your opinion on. I have really thick skin so complete and brutal honesty is appreciated. >=))>

A little more color in the sky would have been nice. This might have been a good place to use a gradient ND filter. This shot would have benefited from a tilt-shift lens to keep the tops of the crags in perspective.

The above notwithstanding, I like the photo and appreciate your sharing it with us. As you say, it does not have lot of emotional impact, but that is not always a criteria.

For me it has more stock value than emotional. It is a very nice image, great light and I love the moon and clouds but I don't feel a emotional tug when i see it.

I like the moon in the notch and the texture of the rocks. However, the entire photo has a strong yellow cast, at least on my monitor. It might look completely different with this color cast removed. It doesn't look like a "morning light" effect... even the sky/clouds appear to have a yellow cast.

That said, images like this, with much fine detail, tend to look better in a larger version.

Bill It is a beautiful image and the moon really adds the drama. I think your response is normal, we go to these beautiful areas of the country and it is all kind of new and exciting for us to be there and experience it. We do feel that emotion when experiencing it, we take the shots thinking wow this is beautiful. Then a couple of months later look back at them and wonder where that emotion went. It just doesn't ALL come together perfectly very often for that emotional beautiful image.
That's my experience at least, hope it was helpful.

First of all, in my opinion the scene, conditions and general look of the image is strong with a natural power to it, which I like and is done well.
There does seem to be a color cast with it as John mentioned on the yellow side which tends to wash the color out of the green of the trees and blue of the sky and probably even the white of the clouds and moon. I like the composition for the most part but my eyes seem to keep being drawn down to the center when I feel like the power of this is from the rock face up to the edge and on to the moon. When I split the image vertically down the center making 2 seperate vertical shots, I like them both and my eyes are carried up into the sky nicely.
That my 2 cents worth Bill, if it's even worth that. It's always easy to be a critique. I believe the strength and beauty of any image is at the moment it is captured. Now conveying that to a viewing audience is a process that I find much more challenging.
Thanks for sharing.

I think maybe it would have benefited from some additonal depth to keep the eye interested. As it is, my eye stops at the moon. If you had a closer, foreground element in the opposite corner I think it might enhance the 3-d feeling and cause the viewer to scan other details.

Bill I like the overall feel, especially the moon and sky, but on my monitor the rocks, and even the trees have a strong yellow colour. In PS I think you need to back off the yellow more toward the blue to correct this. This would even make for a more beautiful sky. Just my 2cents worth tho. Would like to see a repost.

Certainily a pretty scene and well worth stopping for a few frames. There is a yellow color cast in the rock walls creating an unnatural coloration. It also lacks the foreground element necessary to create a sense of depth and draw the viewer in to the scene. That being said, I'd shot this myself every time.

Thanks for sharing.

Thanks everyone for the great feedback. I'm especially intrigued by the comments regarding the yellow cast. In the original capture I thought it was way too blue. Perhaps I went a bit too far. More to come. >=))>

I like the moon in the notch and the texture of the rocks. However, the entire photo has a strong yellow cast, at least on my monitor. It might look completely different with this color cast removed. It doesn't look like a "morning light" effect... even the sky/clouds appear to have a yellow cast.

That said, images like this, with much fine detail, tend to look better in a larger version.

As Wayne said, I would have shot this scene too. But I think your instincts are right... this is somehow lacking emotional impact. I look forward to seeing your other shots Bill.