Eastern NC

[CLKunst]

Comments and critiques welcomed.
Suggestions cheerfully explored but please leave the editing to me.
:thumbsup:

[polarbeardiggers]

well you almost have the money on this one ,when posting a shot like this with the third rules as you have it here, its not the clouds you want visually,its the reflection you have planted right there in front, the back ground trees nicely in view after the open space,gives it a sense of thought provoking,just one bad thing that ruins it for me and its the dark shadow past the waters reflection,had in been more clear to see,because right now it creates that distraction of whats on the other side,the attention away from the cloud reflection in the water,thus taking our eyes off the water to the darker area,that makes us wonder , what are we missing in the shadows?, the shadow prevents this image from being a wall hanger if you know what i mean, so darn close,in my view.

[Addies Granddaddy]

Hi Cindy,
The shadows [I]maybe[I] could be a little lighter, but it's hard to tell because I'm not seeing the shot as well as you did when you started working on it. I'm thinking that the way pictures are displayed on PR now, you don't get the full effect.
I do like the way everything leads to the horizon though.
John

[MB1]

Wow, nice composition and light. Sure, you could open up the shadows and darken the blue in the sky but you don't need to.

This is another one that calls out to be printed BIG!

[Len J]

I'll bet this looks better the larger it is!

Nice

Len

[CLKunst]

Thanks for the thoughtful comments and critique everyone!

MB & Len I appreciate your kind words. I'm thinking of doing an 11 x 14 of the first shot as a print for my parents as this is a view of their farm and their dogs' favorite mud hole.

PBD - I am attaching a similar shot in which I exposed for the shadow area instead of the sky. I think it's a matter of preference since neither are "bad shots" exactly but the lighter image lacks punch and cloud detail IMO. I also feel that creating curiosity about what's in the shadows and just beyond isn't necessarily a bad thing, it makes you look more closely at the image. Shadows are an integral function of light and perceived photographic reality. Diminishing or accentuating them in an image can affect the mood of the picture as a whole. But that's my take on it.

Now that you have the two to compare directly which do you prefer?

[MB1]

Right the first time again!

I like the dark better because the tones are stronger.

[polarbeardiggers]

ok my preference is the second one that prevents my eyes from straining,to see whats in the shadows, but you are right about the clouds,the darker clouds that help in the reflection in the water is key as well,its hard to have all what you want i suppose, i guess when you post a image and just ask for a critique,thats what you get,but if you planted the image with a short description on your original outlook of the image ,we the viewer could understand better your view point,thanks for posting the second.

[ken1953]

I have to go with the first one. The darker clouds to me add the depth that this type of shot screams for and that you captured so greatly!!!! Fantastic!!!!

[CLKunst]

ok my preference is the second one that prevents my eyes from straining,to see whats in the shadows, but you are right about the clouds,the darker clouds that help in the reflection in the water is key as well,its hard to have all what you want i suppose, i guess when you post a image and just ask for a critique,thats what you get,but if you planted the image with a short description on your original outlook of the image ,we the viewer could understand better your view point,thanks for posting the second.

The process of critique walks along side the process of photography so closely. The last words in both are perspective and communication. What pleases some may not please others, but playing it safe on every shot doesn't always make it as interesting. The lighter one is nice but it was the first shot; after reviewing it I metered for the brightness of the sky and took the darker image, which happily, I like better. It's all preference and perspective.

[ken1953]

The process of critique walks along side the process of photography so closely. The last words in both are perspective and communication. What pleases some may not please others, but playing it safe on every shot doesn't always make it as interesting. The lighter one is nice but it was the first shot; after reviewing it I metered for the brightness of the sky and took the darker image, which happily, I like better. It's all preference and perspective.

Very well stated and so true!!!
Actually, I like both...but to me...the first is the best. Just to clarify...hehe

[CLKunst]

I have to go with the first one. The darker clouds to me add the depth that this type of shot screams for and that you captured so greatly!!!! Fantastic!!!!

Thanks Ken! Great to hear from you, hope all is well. I shot these with my trusty old K10D but I''m just saving up my pennies for the K20D. From what I've read it looks amazing!:cornut:

[readingr]

Cindy,

Did you ever think of combining the best bits of both to make a tuely awesome landscape. Sort of psuedo HDR. Sky from the first with a slightly darker foreground thatn the second. It would be reasonably easy to do and the print would blow you away.

Love the composition.

Roger

[CLKunst]

Cool thought Roger!
I had flirted with that idea but thought my PS skills might not be up to the challenge. But now that you've suggested it I think I will give it a stab and see what I can come up with. If it's worth looking at I'll post the results here.
Mwuh!

CLK

[readingr]

Cool thought Roger!
I had flirted with that idea but thought my PS skills might not be up to the challenge. But now that you've suggested it I think I will give it a stab and see what I can come up with. If it's worth looking at I'll post the results here.
Mwuh!

CLK

Cindy,

I have used the following easy technique quite successfully on occasions.

If both the images were taken on a tripod then they should map over each other easily.

1. Open both images
2. Copy one image into another creating a new layer
3. Make a rough selection of the sky or the part you want to keep and then invert it.
4. feather the selection from 50 - 200 pixels depending on the area in your case it would be 150 - 200
5. Grab the eraser and set to between 30 - 50% and start erasing to get the effect you want. no need to be too accurate as the selection will keep things you want. Also use individual strokes on a big brush so you can hit the Ctrl Z if things go a bit wrong.

6. Flatten and check the levels
7. Save it
8. Sharpen using the Unsharp if
9. print.

Job Done have beer or whatever your poison is.

Roger