Posted by Jack Garrett on June 12, 2012 at 3:19 PM
I was out the other night searching for things different than my traditional vista landscapes and found this composition near some barley fields. The clouds in the background are actually from the large forest fire in northern Colorado. There were high winds so the sharpness is affected but I actually wanted the softness in this image.
I am trying to broaden my spectrum in finding images so honest feedback is important..I can't grow without it so let me know what's good, what isn't and any suggestions for improvement. If it looks good as is, then let me know that as well...thanks.
I like the general idea of the shot. These can be often iconic.
Here, I am a bit distracted by the slope in the image; it makes the image feel rotated and out of the symmetry set up by the two clumps of trees. The clouds reinforce that perception. And given the definition of the barley in the near field, I kinda felt they needed to be sharp - possibly some focus-stacking? Or maybe more uniformity in the near to bring the attention back to the clouds?
It is a pretty nice shot. Nice sky, good light, and interesting foreground detail. It doesn't feel balanced in the right places to me. The horizon is near center and then the trees are exactly opposite each other, so it seems sort of static. I would tend to think more rule of thirds, maybe with a crop of most of the blue sky, but still doesn't quite get there.. I know it is probably hard to go back and get the same nice light, but maybe a little closer to the trees and include only one? At least that is how my eyes would see it, though your eyes might have done better.
I like this Jack, it's a solid, simple, semi-abstract comp. The patterns in the barley move my eyes towards the trees, the near-symmetry is very cool, the sky has a touch of drama, and the blue-gold palette is very nice. My main nit would be the perceived tilt Karl pointed out, which messes up the elegance of the symmetry a bit. (Not saying your camera wasn't level, BTW; some landscapes just have a slope to them which doesn't necessarily work in the bounds of a frame, happens to me all the time despite my level.) I can't really judge the softness in the barley at this size: it looks fine to me here, but might come across differently in a print. But it's definitely a sweet image, good eye for this one!
What makes this image work for me is the symmetry in the trees. Without that, this would not work nearly as well.
I like the diagonal lines in the field, too. I agree with cropping about an inch of the blue sky. I don't mind the slope in the horizon at all.
I know you didn't solicit any processing tips, but I can't help myself.
Make a Selective Color adjustment layer, go to Whites and then move the Black slider left to taste to get some of the smokey effects from the skies below the clouds. Then go to Yellows and move the slider right to taste to subdue the barley field ever so slightly.
Finally, an image like this might benefit from a slight and subtle touch of the Orton effect as described by Chip Phillips.
I would pass a noise reduction filter over the sky portion. Otherwise, I like the glow in the barley and the symmetry in the comp. I'm not sure what your thoughts were here, but if harmony or symmetry was a goal, that message is conveyed better with a horizontal format. You may already know that, however, and also, the fact that a vertical image imparts a dynamic quality. Is this shot with a TS lens? It seems more square than a typical 35mm frame. That seems to me why Roger commented it was static to him.
Perhaps you can express what you felt, or what your thoughts were on selecting this to work on, beyond the softness you stated you wanted to convey.
One more thing on the comp would be that the dark lines in the barley take the eye off of the frame. But, I also know how hard it is to find leading lines in nature to take us where we want to go in an image. Those seem to be reserved mostly for Marc Adamus.
I hope some of this helps, Jack.
Posted by Jack Garrett on June 12, 2012 at 10:35 PM
Thanks for the comments so far everyone.
As far as the horizon, my camera was level to the best of my knowledge...I had a bubble level mounted in the hot shoe. Should I rotate the image to make it straight on the horizon?
Originally I wanted to isolate one of the two trees..this is actually a cropped vertical. The problem is that I'm using my new camera which is full frame and the 24-105 wouldn't give me the comp I wanted..it was already zoomed out to 105mm..the trees were pretty far out there. I had too much negative space in the sky, hence the crop. I agree the horizon line is too close to center.
Morris, this was my first trip to this spot and I wanted to convey a certain amount of simplicity. I like the colors in the field and the trees seemed to make for a nicer comp. I was actually looking for a place with a single tree but in this area I would have need to move in a lot closer to isolate it which meant walking into the fields and I didn't want to do that. I'm definitely aware that something isn't balanced here and that's why I'm glad you guys are commenting. I would have also preferred some billowing storm clouds but that wasn't to be. I will definitely go back there another day and try this again. I'm gonna try a couple of these suggestions and repost. I did try a horizontal format and didn't like what I saw.
Roger, I agree with the static part. Hopefully when I go back I can change a few things to make this pop and evoke some emotion.
Posted by Jack Garrett on June 12, 2012 at 11:43 PM
Here is a repost with:
Noise reduction in sky
Cropped sky
slight Orton effect
Lightening of clouds
lab color adjustment
vignette
Thanks
Posted by Jack Garrett on June 13, 2012 at 12:24 AM
For what my opinion is worth, I like the crop, but probably favor the more subtle color and contrast of the original. I've looked at the photo a few more times now and it's sort of grown on me. I like the simplicity.
Question to those who like the Orton, would it be better to shoot a slower shutterspeed, maybe with an ND filter?
This one comes down to personal taste Jack. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Orton here. Recommending the Orton, is recommending a personal taste IMO. I think its presence throughout the barely fields reduces the most interesting aspect of the image, the barely fields. Almost looks out of focus.
Posted by Rod Chandler on June 14, 2012 at 4:21 PM
Jack, just for giggles, try cropping the original image FROM THE BOTTOM. I like the sky and in the cropped version I felt the trees and barley looked cramped. I held up paper to the monitor at the bottom and liked that look. I don't care for the Orton but I am more simplistic when it comes to processing. We do all have opinions, eh?
Discussion
14 repliesI am trying to broaden my spectrum in finding images so honest feedback is important..I can't grow without it so let me know what's good, what isn't and any suggestions for improvement. If it looks good as is, then let me know that as well...thanks.
Here, I am a bit distracted by the slope in the image; it makes the image feel rotated and out of the symmetry set up by the two clumps of trees. The clouds reinforce that perception. And given the definition of the barley in the near field, I kinda felt they needed to be sharp - possibly some focus-stacking? Or maybe more uniformity in the near to bring the attention back to the clouds?
Thats my 2 pixels.
I like the diagonal lines in the field, too. I agree with cropping about an inch of the blue sky. I don't mind the slope in the horizon at all.
I know you didn't solicit any processing tips, but I can't help myself.
Make a Selective Color adjustment layer, go to Whites and then move the Black slider left to taste to get some of the smokey effects from the skies below the clouds. Then go to Yellows and move the slider right to taste to subdue the barley field ever so slightly.
Finally, an image like this might benefit from a slight and subtle touch of the Orton effect as described by Chip Phillips.
I think you're on a good track here.
Perhaps you can express what you felt, or what your thoughts were on selecting this to work on, beyond the softness you stated you wanted to convey.
One more thing on the comp would be that the dark lines in the barley take the eye off of the frame. But, I also know how hard it is to find leading lines in nature to take us where we want to go in an image. Those seem to be reserved mostly for Marc Adamus.
I hope some of this helps, Jack.
As far as the horizon, my camera was level to the best of my knowledge...I had a bubble level mounted in the hot shoe. Should I rotate the image to make it straight on the horizon?
Originally I wanted to isolate one of the two trees..this is actually a cropped vertical. The problem is that I'm using my new camera which is full frame and the 24-105 wouldn't give me the comp I wanted..it was already zoomed out to 105mm..the trees were pretty far out there. I had too much negative space in the sky, hence the crop. I agree the horizon line is too close to center.
Morris, this was my first trip to this spot and I wanted to convey a certain amount of simplicity. I like the colors in the field and the trees seemed to make for a nicer comp. I was actually looking for a place with a single tree but in this area I would have need to move in a lot closer to isolate it which meant walking into the fields and I didn't want to do that. I'm definitely aware that something isn't balanced here and that's why I'm glad you guys are commenting. I would have also preferred some billowing storm clouds but that wasn't to be. I will definitely go back there another day and try this again. I'm gonna try a couple of these suggestions and repost. I did try a horizontal format and didn't like what I saw.
Roger, I agree with the static part. Hopefully when I go back I can change a few things to make this pop and evoke some emotion.
Noise reduction in sky
Cropped sky
slight Orton effect
Lightening of clouds
lab color adjustment
vignette
Thanks
This one comes down to personal taste Jack. Personally, I'm not a fan of the Orton here. Recommending the Orton, is recommending a personal taste IMO. I think its presence throughout the barely fields reduces the most interesting aspect of the image, the barely fields. Almost looks out of focus.