gdanmitchell

I like your idea of tightly cropping the objects at the edges, including the tree and framing the distant Half Dome, almost as if it is afterthought in the photograph. The diagonals of the crack in the rock and the shadow are related forms.

Something looks a bit soft about this. Did you apply some sort of post processing - either a blur or some noise reduction?

BTW, I'd change the title a bit. It seems more like "Half Dome from Olmsted Point" since the Valley isn't really visible here.

Take care,

Dan

Hi Edward:

(You just commented on my shot from the bluff a distance south of the lighthouse. Once I got set up and saw all the fog it was too late to move...)

Very nice shot! Did you put the light on the fence yourself or was it from some other source nearby. This is the kind of image I had in mind when I drove over there... a bit too late to get up so close I'm afraid. The multiple light beams were never visible from my position.

Congratulations.

PRO: This scene includes some very interesting colors, shapes, and textures and the abandoned location is compelling. The inclusion of points of warm (e.g. - the red symbol, the yellowing wood, and some of the casts on the concrete) and cool (e.g. - the foreground reflection) tones is interesting.

CON: I'm having a hard time finding a central subject or point of interest, especially with the fairly centered composition. (I'll say that the image might work better in this regard in a very large print.)

Dan

This is a bit of a haunting photograph. I'm curious as to how you got the nice long-exposure blur in the water with the relatively sharp image of the ship's rigging and the clouds. I suspect some interesting post-processing techniques. (And I don't mean that as a criticism - I have no real issues with that when these techniques are used effectively.)

I also like the slightly odd colors in the sky, from the yellowing-green (at least on my monitor) of the bright area at center right to the blue-ish purples at the upper left.

Very interesting image. (And quite different from some of the other very saturated images I looked at in your portfolio.)

Excellent in very many ways. Going for the Wyeth look, eh? :-)

Since you posted for comment/critique I'll make one small observation for what it is worth. I wonder if cropping a bit from the left side of the image might make an effective photograph even more effective? I'm thinking of removing the the "empty" part along the left margin - maybe 2/3 of the distant ridgeline.

That said, what do I like about this image? A lot. The use of color is absolutely wonderful. The tall foreground grasses leaning toward the figure and even in front of her a bit works well. The pool of brighter grasses in the foreground surrounds her, and the two largest trees frame the white of her blouse and the highlight on the back of her neck. There are somewhat rounded forms everywhere (in contrast with the lines of the grass, the horizon and her belt): the trees, the light on the grass, the clouds. Despite the use of extremely contrasting colors (blue, red, green, yellow-ish in the grass) the whole thing somehow maintains an understated quality. Some of the subtle tones in the grass pick up the red of her clothing.

The photo is also emotionally interesting. What is she doing in this grassy field? Is there something in her hands that she is gazing at?

Wonderful photograph... :-)

Dan

Much of it has already been said, so I'll keep my comment short. This is an absolutely wonderful photograph in almost every way: composition, use of color, dynamic quality, etc.

Congratulations!

Dan

Really interesting image. I like the parallels between the angle of her body and the tree trunks, and the connection between the white dress and white arms/legs and the white trees.

One quibble - to my eye the white tree trunk right behind the woman is distracting - seems to be coming right out of her chest...

Dan

Very well done! A lot of wonderful stuff comes together in this photograph.

My eye is first drawn to the swirls of water in the foreground, then to the larger rock, then to the smaller rock at upper right and finally to the larger island at top left. The gradation from dark foreground to lighter tones in the distance also works well. There are several interesting and appealing conjunctions of curves and angles: the curve at the top of the foreground rock leads straight to the curve at the top of the rock at upper right; the shape of the foreground rock also points toward the island at the upper left, and there forms are related.

Congratulations.

Dan

Very nicely done. The texture and wave-like effect on the foreground grass is wonderful, and the inclusion of the single darker tree provide a point of focus that makes it work.

The grainy effect doesn't work so well for me, but that may be a matter of personal preference.

First, I had to check these out since you commented on my Yosemite photo from the previous day. :-)

This is an interesting but difficult. If I'm not mistaken it is from the first view of Half Dome as your round the curve on Highway 120 heading toward the Valley. I've stopped there quite a few times and shot it myself - I have one image of the spot that I like quite a bit.

It is really a tough shot. There is often quite a bit of haze and the dynamic range between the muted tones of the fact of Half Dome and the brightness of the sky is really tough to cover.

I've generally gone for more or less the same sort of framing that you chose, though some times I've dropped the center point a bit lower and moved right a hair. Not saying it is better, just thinking out loud.

As proof that I know this spot well, I actually remember specifically the contour of those trees on the foreground ridge on the right. :-)

Dan

Ah, I know what you mean!

We've all been there. I certainly have... many times.

You did get a very interesting shot and, as I do when this happens to me, I suspect that you accomplished a re-tuning of your vision and shooting technique based on the shot that will probably lead to a lot more good work in a similar vein in the future!

Take care,

Dan

An intriguing photo. Comment/critique:

What I like: The yellow (and green) of the cabs is set off against the virtually monochrome of the foreground, the wall, the lamppost, the building. There is a lot of potential in this interesting concept.

What works less well for me: There are some difficult things about this scene that I imagine you might have struggled with. For example, if you go for centering the doors/arches of the building, you end up with a lamppost in front of one of the cars, the "P" sign is included, and the image becomes somewhat static. If you include the wonderful shapes in the foreground the cabs end up in the center of the image and there is a very strong horizontal component to the image. Really a very tough scene to photograph.

For me, the squarish/horizontal line content of the image is almost a bit too much. It might be a case of trying to put a bit too much into the frame. Perhaps an image that focused on the cars and the building or an image that focused on the foreground and the cars might have been a bit less complex.

I'm sometime overly sensitive to this sort of thing, but the perspective effect (as the building/wall appear to recede slightly to the right) and what looks like a bit of pincushion distortion also draw my attention. You might deal with the former by not including the bit of framing along the upper part of the building. The latter might require some post processing.

Don't get me wrong though... Even though I've included some "criticism" (in the useful sense, I hope) the image did attract me, I'd have a hard time handling these issues as well, and the scene is interesting enough that I'd go back and work it some more given the opportunity.

Take care,

DAn

Dan, it is a tough subject to shoot, given that we've seen so many images of rippling sand on dunes. That said, there is a lot to like in your take on this.

The foreground ripples and the curve of the closer ridge lead the eye right to the bright arc at the top of the dune, which is placed in a virtually perfect classical "rule of thirds" position in the upper right portion of the frame. The darker sky (red filter?) sets this lighter area, yet still manages to contrast with the upper edge of the dune. (It is interesting to me to notice that the sky is darker than the top of the dune at the right; but it fades to lighter than the top of the dune at the left.)

The square format works well for me.

Take care,

Dan

Hi, Becky. Looks like you got there at prime aspen time. I was also in the eastern Sierra during the first couple of weeks of October, but didn't stop at Convict Lake this year.

Since you asked for comments, here goes...

What works for me: Your timing on getting to this lake was excellent. From chasing the eastern Sierra aspen color for a number of seasons, I know how hard this is - often you're a week too early (and most trees are green) our a week to late (and they have lost their leaves) or a storm surprises you (and what leaves weren't blown down have turned nearly black.)

The idea of positioning of the two larger trees on the right side is a good one - they give some balance and provide a bit more interest in what could otherwise be a rather featureless part of the scene.

What works less well for me: It looks like you probably shot this during the late morning? The light seems a bit flatter and harsher than it would have been earlier in this east facing lake basin.

While your photo does a great job of showing eastern Sierra fall colors (the trees, the brush, etc.) I have a hard time figuring out what the subject of the photo is. Is it the peak/cliffs at the upper right? The curve of the colorful trees along the shoreline of the lake? The far ridge at the end of the valley? What I'm suggesting is that this image might be more effective with a different composition of the components of the scene.

Take care,

Dan

I have a shot of almost the exact same spot! Don't worry, mine looks quite different - I was a bit to the left and up higher (trying to get the leaves on the bank) an shooting more across the creek.

I like what you've done with the light here, and tricky lighting it was!

Take care,

Dan

Following up on the previous comment...

I very much like the contrast between the smooth lines of the clouds and their reflection in the lake's surface. The interruption of the three small rocks in the foreground helps to balance the dark mass of the tufa at the left.

I might like to see a bit more detail in the tufa surface, perhaps expanding its dynamic range a bit and/or dodging some.

Nice concept and photograph.

Dan

I agree with the comments about the background. With the tones of the suit and the background being somewhat similar and with the very busy patterns of both the image becomes quite busy overall and takes my focus away from the gentleman's face.

I'd go for a more muted background and/or perhaps try shooting him in a darker suit perhaps...

You could try to reduce contrast, perhaps raise brightness somewhat, and reduce saturation of the background - this could bring him a bit more "forward" in the image.

Take care,

Dan

I think the "uneven shadows" are fine - in fact, full light or full shade would not have worked as well, in my opinion.

What I do notice is that there is a strong blue tone on some of the rocks in the shadow area - perhaps that part could be desaturated and/or color adjusted a bit? (Actually, the whole photo seems quite saturated, and the blue may be a side effect of that.)

Very appealing using of color.

Dan

"Your rating just improved in hindsight!"

"Hindsight!?" I hope that was intentional!

Just spare us the "foresight," OK? ;-)

Dan

You were definitely at South Tufa good early - and you were rewarded with wonderful dawn light!

(It feels to me like the shot tilts up a bit to the right. Having shot there a few times myself, I do know that the shoreline recedes in that direction, but I thought you might want to hear my impression.)

Nice work.

Dan

Marc, the composition is wonderful - and that is a very difficult thing with a subject like this. (Though the astonishing colors don't hurt either... ;-)

Dan