michel_hardy_vallee1

See

http://burtynsky.stanford.edu/projectforum/Burtynsky/32

for a comparison. It was taken near nickel mines in Sudbury, Ontario (Canada).

I should probably have said "fake-looking" rather than just "fake" to precise my criticism. I cannot indeed substantiate a claim that the clouds were added later, so I will not make it.

I think the manipulation of contrasts and curves level is really to the disadvantage of the photo. The impression it gives is that of a CGI landscape, e.g. the Star Wars Phantom Menace ones... The oddest thing is the people in the horizon. Despite being far and seen through dust, they are bright colourful spots, while closer subjects are dark and unsaturated.

The vision is not unified, and the artistry reflects that.

The composition is masterly, but the colors and the cheap photoshop job just kill it. It looks

uneven, the clouds are fake, and the colors are not consistent. There is an overall feeling of

cheap artistry and lack of taste.