"Western Skies"

I decided to do my own critique, although I know there are more coming. I had the chance to get out one last time this year, my last landscape of 2009. Well, it was a good year for landscapes, especially in the spring, but I couldn't close the deal on this last outing. Yes I was dragging my 5 year old daughter along, which limited my mobility. As well, I took a chance and left the optimum location when I should have remained. By the time I hurried back, the best opportunities were quickly passing. The very least I could do is capture this wonderful western sky. In a nutshell, good skies are everything to me, even before good foreground interest. In this big central valley of California, good skies like this one remain aloof, so I revel in them when they pay their visits. Winter months provide the best of skies yet leave alot to be desired when it comes to better foregrounds. So there it is, a paltry foreground offering. Combine this sky with some boulders and backlit grasses and you have a winner. Still, I think this beats a great foreground below a bald summer sky any day! (click the preview for a full size view, it does offer more meaning with increased detail)

Thanks for your thoughts!

You've got nothing to explain away here at all! This is painterly and loaded with viewer interest, from top-to-bottom, and side-to-side. I know its illusionary, but I might have been tempted to rotate the horizon down a bit on the left; however, it might also have taken out some of the beautiful little blue-green sages in LL corner. Superb processing, Mark; and very nice note to end your very successful year on (new son, and great photography). Happy New Year, Big Fella! Cheers! Chris

Thanks Chris. It is probably a little of both. As I composed this, I distinctly remember tilting the camera to insure I would have those sage bushes, meanwhile not taking one last look at the spirit level. At the same time, the lay of the land is certainly leaning right as we are heading up the mountains to the left. I may try to find a little room to tilt it right without a destructive crop on the left!

Well, you got one thing right, the larger view really opens this up :-).

 

Seriously, this topography is so foreign to all of us in the southeast that when offered a view that shows the undulating hills, it's a treat. In the larger view the fine detail gives plenty to examine in the foreground and in the distance with those great sunbeams, and when combined with the clouds offers excellent depth. All said, it passes the "feels like I'm standing there test", which is almost always followed by the "wish I were there" feeling.

 

My only comment would be to zap that light colored glob on the left facing hillside. It's not identifiable, but kept pulling my eye over there so much that even I finally noticed :-).

 

Again, a Happy New Year to you and yours... Mike

 

 

Mike, thanks for pointing that out. I noticed it when I was looking at the 100% view and thought it odd that there was a circular patch of brighter grasses, but didn't think of it potentially being distractive. I will either clone it out or do a color modification to lessen it's visibility. Thanks for the "wish I was there" vote as well!

'Paltry foreground'......all I have to say about that is PSHAW!!! It may not have been what you wanted from that day of shooting, but it's very lovely with layer upon layer of hills and clouds. And that sky is quite unusual with its blues and yellows. You and Chris may be right about tilting it just a bit, but on the other hand I kind of like it the way it is because that large mass of clouds is perfectly even with the edge of the frame, as I think it should be. Anyway....just my 2 cents. This is the sign of a great photographer.....you go with the flow.....and you always seem to bring something extraordinary. Bravo! Hope you had a nice holiday, and Happy New Year to you and your family!

Thank you Christal. I'm hard on myself because it hopefully pushes me for better results. I always feel I am slighting myself, the viewer, and the art itself when I step three paces from the car and take a shot. If I had hopped the barbed wire fence and taken the same thing, I would have felt differently I guess.

I kinda know what you mean. In my music I can slave away for months learning something that is very difficult, but if it's not flashy and complicated sounding, the listener won't realize the amount of work I had to put in. To the contrary something really fast and flashy will capture their attention every time, but it may be something not that difficult.....just sounds like it. There should (but can't) be some correlation between the effort expended versus the end result. I think we just have to look at situations like this as a gift and not belittle ourselves for not doing more. But on the other hand it's good that you set such a high standard for yourself.....that's why you excel at what you do!