PoppieJ Loc: North Georgia

I thought that I would post these and see what kind of opinions I could get on them. One is from Canyonlands, one is from the Grand Canyon and the third is from North Georgia mountains. Anything that you see that I could do to make the presentation better would be welcome.

Early morning on the Esplanade

(Download)

Canyonlands Needles District

(Download)

Bear Creek Subway

(Download)

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I really like the first and last photographs. The second one I think is poorly composed.
--Bob

northsidejoe Loc: pittsburgh

Hello and welcome to the forum saying hello from Pittsburgh.

PoppieJ Loc: North Georgia

Thanks for the comment Bob. Care to expand on how I could have composed better? Composition is something that I struggle with, i think maybe because it is subjective.

hoola

Composition is to a degree subjective . Myself re 2nd image I would have gotten closer so as gnarled branches framed "mountain " in background . Would be more dramatic . Would leave some breathing room outside of branches too . Just my subjective opinion . Just like other factors with making an image I think we should do variations when it comes to composition . Near, far, vertical, horizontle, centered, off center, etc.

cameraf4 Loc: Delaware

Technically, I see nothing wrong with any of the three. They all appeal to me. The second one that Bob doesn't care for actually reminds me of a shot I once saw by Galen Rowell, so I personally wouldn't knock it. For me, ya got three winners here, John.

10MPlayer Loc: California

I have to agree with Bob but I would have used more tactful language. While everything in the second image is nicely exposed the composition does seem a bit contrived. I admit, I like to use something in the foreground to give some scale and depth to a scene. In this case the snag in the foreground feels, to me, as if it's obscuring the background more than framing it or giving it depth. This stuff is hard to put into words for me because it's more of a feeling I come away with than something measurable. Of course there are guidelines like the rule of thirds etc. but I'm not conversant enough to offer any knowledge. The first image is stunning. It would be better without the cairne but it's there and it's part of the scene so you have to live with it. The subway is interesting and has nice leading lines that draw one into the shot. The 'soft' water is a nice touch also.

Oh, welcome to the forum, Poppie.

UTMike Loc: South Jordan, UT

Welcome to the forum, the other commenters are better photographers than me, so I have nothing technical to add. There are two other sites here that you can use for critique - For Your Consideration and Landscapes.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

I suggest taking a moment for all three of these images, and your work in general, and looking at the 1:1 pixel-level details over the entire image. As you consider the grain in the sky of images 1 and 2, consider a bit more noise processing of these images. You'll want to smooth out this grain before printing either of these two images onto a large canvas. Consider the ideas in this post for additional processing of these images: Basics of noise processing

On the final image (3), there's a hot pixel in the lower center in the water. See the red dot and a few white / green dots nearby in the water, just above the bottom of the frame. These come from long exposures in hot / humid environments. My experience is you need to turn off the camera and let it sit for about 5 minutes after say 5 long exposures (10+ seconds) in the summer time. These three or four dots / pixels all take just a second to clone-out in post, but the longer you go without letting the sensor cool, the more of these spots will occur in your images. There's one or two more hot pixels higher in the water too when you go over the entire image at a 100% zoom.

Image 2 is kind of a question of what is your favorite ice cream? Some are going to like chocolate, others strawberry. I like the interesting tree or the interesting land feature, I don't like both together in the same frame. From a technical standpoint, I'd prefer both items in sharp focus. You'd probably need to use f/11 to f/13 to get both in sharp focus.

Finally, there are a few review subsections at UHH. If you use the "All Sections" link at the bottom of the page, you can generate a list of all the subsections and can subscribe to any of interest. At the minimum, this feedback request would be better positioned in the Photo Gallery, if not one of the other specialized sections. All three images are nice in their colors, composition and overall processing. Glad you've joined the community and I look forward to seeing more of your work.

CO

In landscape photography, it's usually best to use the rule of thirds on the horizon. In your first photo however, there seems to be about equal visual weight in the sky and ground. Because of that, I would put the horizon midway in the scene. If you cropped some off the top of the original shot, I would restore it. An alternative would be to crop the bottom a little.

I agree with the UHH members about the tree in photo 2. The tree is interfering with the mountain. Both the tree and the mountain are great subjects for photography but I think they need to be in scenes by themselves with surrounding scenery. There was tons of potential there. The soft light is fantastic. So much detail is revealed in the scene because of the soft light.

Photo 3 is an excellent composition. The overhanging ledge creates a leading line that draws the viewer in. The ledge ends at a rule of thirds intersection. I like how the 6-second exposure has smoothed out the water. It was probably pretty turbulent. Overall, this is an outstanding set of photos

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

PoppieJ, by the time I got back to this thread, CO had expressed much of my concerns with the second photograph.
--Bob

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

Welcome to UHH.
At the top of the page is a "Help" link with information about UHH.
At the bottom of the page is an "All Sections" link to all the sections available on UHH. You can subscribe to the sections that interest you. One of the sections is "Landscape Photography" There are other sections that provide expert help on various aspects of photography.
The specialty sections as well as "Photo Gallery" are the sections for sharing photos.
Many sections have their own rules and/or FAQ that pertain to that particular section.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I'm somewhat familiar with Galen's work. I've seen photos he's done of trees and of rocks/mountains. I don't believe I've ever seen one of his wherein the tree and the mountain fought for top billing. In the second photograph posted by the OP, the tree and the rock are seemingly fighting for top billing. That's why I made the comment regarding composition. In most cases, it's going to be a photograph of a tree or a photograph of a mountain or rock.
--Bob

tcthome Loc: NJ

tcthome Loc: NJ

Nice pics.