Amazing scene, unfortunately greatly compromised (IMO, natch!) by the dreaded 'HDR Hole.' The lack of blacks ("blacks are good!" ) is puzzling, and the radioactive trees are very unnatural and distracting.
What's so wrong with a natural tonal scale? I'm presuming that higher EV exposures are blowing out the cliff walls.(?) If so, a little discreet blending in those areas might be all that's necessary...
I don't agree with the suggestion to crop the right edge. The Bridalveil cliffs help frame the waterfall. Maybe a bit more blending to lessen the shadow's depth. If you do wind up making a more natural image, the trees will be very dark and cropping a bit off the bottom may well help balance the image's light/dark ratio.
Great shot and great light!! Nice capture, the only problem is with an image like this and it being your first post.....you have a high standard to keep :-) Great work.
Mike
Apr 25, 2013 at 11:34 PM
Mark Metternich Offline Upload & Sell: On
I dont agree with some of the critique here like: "the radioactive trees are unnatural and distracting." IMO all the image needs is a black point adjustment. Looks great. Keep up the great work. Oh, and see you in the Gorge!
Bjadelberg wrote:
I've got agree with most I don't like the HDR look more darks in the shadow would help. I absolutely love the comp and and rainbows this is fantastic!
I agree here. You have such a unique and rare photo opportunity here! Well captured.
The HDR processing is just way over the top here for me, really killing the shadows and emphasizing areas like the trees far too much, considering they are not really the subject of interest. I would eliminate the HDR approach entirely here and trying manually mixing two shots at most, perhaps with different versions of the RAW processing to taste. While I think this exhibits some nice compositional aspects to it, I know for certain you'll become even better at processing (everyone can get better here) and improve your ability to enhance and process the light though a less automated approach to the post-capture.
Post processing is a journey. It takes thousands of hours of practice, just like any art.
Oh, and btw, I also like a crop off the bottom of about one third.
Thanks Jim. I have tried to address some comments - including elimination of the shadow. I think the revised version is an improvement, but I expect I will go back to the drawing board on this one.
Ben Horne wrote:
Beautiful scene! I do agree with Jim and Aaron that the HDR is not beneficial to this image. Since you have the bracketed shots, I would suggest doing a manual blend. That will really make the image shine. HDR really muddies up the shadow tones, and does some really weird things that distract from the natural beauty of the scene.
Thanks Ben. I believe the revised version is somewhat of an improvement, but I am going to start with a new approach on this image. I hope the practice pays off.
Marc Adamus wrote:
The HDR processing is just way over the top here for me, really killing the shadows and emphasizing areas like the trees far too much, considering they are not really the subject of interest. I would eliminate the HDR approach entirely here and trying manually mixing two shots at most, perhaps with different versions of the RAW processing to taste. While I think this exhibits some nice compositional aspects to it, I know for certain you'll become even better at processing (everyone can get better here) and improve your ability to enhance and process the light though a less automated approach to the post-capture.
Post processing is a journey. It takes thousands of hours of practice, just like any art.
Oh, and btw, I also like a crop off the bottom of about one third. ...Show more →
Thanks, Marc. I am going to consider your comments in taking a new approach to this image. This image is difficult to work with - but I suppose it is a great mechanism to improve my skills.
Phrasikleia wrote:
Terrific capture. I agree with the others about the processing, which looks like you ran it through some sort of global process. Shadows provide the soul of a photo, especially when you have something as vibrant as rainbows to play against them. It's nice to be able to glimpse into the shadows a bit, but they don't all need to become three-quarter tones--that amount of visible detail starts to look busy. Like Ben said, try blending by hand to get finer control over the tones. Otherwise, it's a winning picture in terms of timing and composition; well worth some more effort to make it sing....Show more →
Thank you. I am going to take a new approach on this image - in addition to the revised image.