What's wrong with these..

[Ultra Magnus]

I first saw this scene on an sunrize mtb ride, and thought that it'd make a cool photo. After taking it, I wasn't happy. I took a bunch and I think these are the best. Please comment.

It's a view of Apple Valley (where I live) from my regular riding area..

[TheBlueFish]

Hmm... guess my question is...

what's the subject?. Perhaps there isn't a focal point which probably makes it harder to understand what the subject is? Is it the rock? B&W tens to accentuate the rock better... but the color background detracts from the rock itself.

my 2 cents.

[Chunk]

I first saw this scene on an sunrize mtb ride, and thought that it'd make a cool photo. After taking it, I wasn't happy. I took a bunch and I think these are the best. Please comment.

It's a view of Apple Valley (where I live) from my regular riding area..

One thing you need is more detail in the shadow areas of the rock. If you adjust just the rock and heighten the contrast in the background (which I didn't do) I think it'll be pretty good. Do you any filter? Would a Haze filter help with a color shot like this?

[Troose]

I first saw this scene on an sunrize mtb ride, and thought that it'd make a cool photo. After taking it, I wasn't happy. I took a bunch and I think these are the best. Please comment.

It's a view of Apple Valley (where I live) from my regular riding area..

I don't think there is anything wrong with the shots. I just think it's more of a "background" shot than stand alone art. (see quickly made example below)

I think landscapes are difficult because they are so much more beautiful in 3 demensions. And in the absence of a true "subject" you must rely on the beauty inherent to the scene you are capturing. I enjoy the black & white shot more than the color. I like the roughness of it.

[Ultra Magnus]

Thanks for the suggestions.. Troose, I really got a kick out of your example! I agree, getting more detial in the shadow helps a lot, and no I don't have any filters (yet).. I'll look through my folder of shots from this scene and play around with it, see what I can come up with.. Thanks again..

[barmy101]

I like the highlights on the rock face, but if the sun was a bit higher in the sky it might fill in the shadows and burn off some of the haze. I think the photo lacks depth. One solution is to include something in the foreground. The town in the background doesn't bother me because it gives it scale.

[villenadecorte]

I think it is a great shot! I do think there is a lot to look at, making a focal point a little hard to pinpoint. Overall, if the rock were the main attraction, I would pull a tighter crop around it, and try lightening it up a bit, as I agree with the others on the rock needing more detail.

If your main focus was the valley, I would try a different perspective, say closer to the rock (bring it in the foreground more).

Overall, I think it is a beautiful scene.... btw, my bro live in Apple Valley!

Best regards,

VillenaDeCorte

[Vito]

You need a completely different angle, more dramatic to be exact.

The rock is the kind of subject that needs to stand out to be effective. It needs to either rise above everything else or look down on everything else. At the very least it has to dominate in size. If you level things the rock is diminished and composition is lost.