azemon Loc: Saint Charles, MO, USA

I have usually tended strongly toward highly detailed, clear-as-possible photos. Last week, I grabbed this shot northeast of Arches National Park. It isn't super sharp (probably because I shot at 1/13 from a moving Amtrak ) but I like it. I'm trying to decide whether it's actually artistic or whether I'm just getting senile or something else entirely. What do you think?

I'm open to any critique, including on the artsy-ness and on the post-processing technique.

Shot with a Nikon Z 7ii and the Nikkor Z 24-120 F4 at 1/13, F22, ISO 100. Postprocessing in RawTherapee to cut the haze a bit and crank the saturation and contrast.

-- Art Z.

Artistic or Blurry?

(Download)

NEF original, converted to JPEG and downsize (no other processing)

(Download)

R.G. Loc: Scotland

#2 looks more natural because it's had the least processing. #1 looks surprisingly natural considering the amount of processing it's had. One of the things that makes haze so difficult to deal with is that it obscures what's behind it. When you get rid of the haze you expose the lack of detail, colour and contrast. That's not a good starting point if you want to end up with something that looks convincingly natural. Your edit is probably about as good as it's going to get. Any attempts to make it less hazy will probably result in darks that are too solid and highlights that are too suppressed. Haze is most noticeable in the highlights and upper mid tones, and if you remove them you remove much of the contrast. Haze is also predominantly blue and if you remove the blue, what's left behind will be mostly colourless.

10MPlayer Loc: California

I kind of like it. Those rock structures in the center certainly come out more in the processed image. At first glance I thought you might have added those in the give the feeling of the ruins of some ancient civilization in the distance. That small mystery is what drew me into the photo.

I can't say I like the movement blur in the foreground [#2]. It's distracting and gives away the fact that you were in a moving vehicle. I suppose shooting through a layer of glass from a moving train is going to give unavoidable blur. It is what it is. Your idea of cropping all that out definitely improved the image. Overall I think it's an interesting shot.