Critique A few from Glencoe, Rannoch Moor and Loch Awe last weekend in changable weather

[SFTPhotography]

Saturday night at Lochan Na Fola looking onto the back of Stobb Dearg

_DSC4460 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

After a night in the back of my Volvo S80 I set up at Loch Awe. The light never came through but it was still lovely

_DSC4476 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

After doing some commercial work in Fort William I found myself at the Torren Loch the following evening

_DSC4534 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

When I did my Devils Staircase set, I spied this spot. Its a still section of the coupal river....loosed off two here

_DSC4553 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

_DSC4554 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Finally I caught one of the best sets of conditions ever. A Rainbow reflected in Loch Ba as the low dipping sun caught the hills in the distance

_DSC4557 (1) by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

 

[jbw]

Excellent photography
James

 

[Dryce]

#3 and #4 are intriguing to my eye because the situation of the building and adjacent trees is such that they are not reflected.

Symmetrical but not quite.

 

[doggel]

Another terrific set. The final pic really is a most beautiful image, (and an entirely unfamiliar one, to me).

 

[Di Stone]

I love the reflections on every photo. Terrific set.

 

[jerry12953]

You manage to take still conditions around with you wherever you go!

I'm not that keen on all of them but well done.

 

[SFTPhotography]

I love still water, I seek it out. It's got a calming quality I just love.

 

[kendo1]

There's that rock again!
They're all really nice pics of great locations.
If I had to pick I'd go for the last three. The cottage adds some scale to the scene, which you don't have in the first pic.
Beautiful colours too, Steve.

 

[jerry12953]

I love still water, I seek it out. It's got a calming quality I just love.

I know what you mean.

Quite a challenge in western Scotland I imagine........

 

[HuntingMartians]

Nothing stand out compositionally.
The 3rd one has a green colour cast to it.
The 2nd one is not straight.

1. A good thing is to level the camera then use the viewfinder grid to see if you are perpendicular, as you are just off perpendicular to the subject it looks slanted. Had you angled slightly more to the left, it would have lined up true and straight.

 

[robinchun]

Great set Steve..the last image, was that the true colour of the sky or is there some 'poetic' license?

Robin

 

[kendo1]

The 3rd one has a green colour cast to it.
The 2nd one is not straight.

They're called trees.
I'd have to agree: a half a degree anticlockwise to fix.

Ah well, we're not all perfect.

 

[HuntingMartians]

Ah well, we're not all perfect.

Indeed

 

[Mark Johnson]

Great set of photo's.

Except for that bleeding pylon.

Just love those reflections...

Mj

 

[MickG]

Beautiful set of photographs.

#3 and #4 are intriguing to my eye because the situation of the building and adjacent trees is such that they are not reflected.

Must admit I hadn't noticed this until it was pointed out but it does add a certain amount of intrigue to the shots.

I think that we sometimes get a little bit obsessed with horizontals and verticals and, unless it's blatantly obvious, why bother to criticise over half a degree here and there.

 

[kendo1]

Beautiful set of photographs.

Must admit I hadn't noticed this until it was pointed out but it does add a certain amount of intrigue to the shots.

I think that we sometimes get a little bit obsessed with horizontals and verticals and, unless it's blatantly obvious, why bother to criticise over half a degree here and there.

Bonnets and bees spring to mind

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Last 3 are hard to fault.

 

[bb40]

Very nice set Steve. Would like no. 5 on my wall[emoji106]

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Nothing stand out compositionally.
The 3rd one has a green colour cast to it.
The 2nd one is not straight.

The green color cast may be envy

 

[HuntingMartians]

The green color cast may be envy

Who or what is ST4 envious of?

 

[Bobsyeruncle]

Who or what is ST4 envious of?

You're the one who seems to be seeing a green colour cast

 

[Yv]

Put your handbags away chaps, really not cool.

 

[holty]

good shots

 

[SFTPhotography]

They're called trees.
I'd have to agree: a half a degree anticlockwise to fix.

Ah well, we're not all perfect.

There's a ripple in the lake. The camera gyroscope had it level in both axis. The horizon cuts in and out. It's not a straight shoreline

Nothing stand out compositionally.
The 3rd one has a green colour cast to it.
The 2nd one is not straight.

I actually increased the topaz hue in 3. It's very green given it's summer and the light was hitting the trees. It just was how it was.

Is your monitor also calibrated. My work one gives everything a topaz hue, my own was is pretty much perfect

Great set Steve..the last image, was that the true colour of the sky or is there some 'poetic' license?

Robin

Pretty much how it was. It was a remarkable bit of weather.

 

[John wells]

really like these, I'm heading up there early jan with a mate, do you have a cheeky list of good sites to give us a starter?

 

[coljun]

A terrific set of photos. Particularly, given the locations. really like them all .

 

[Kevin O'Brian]

Hi Steve law is nice when the weather turns up like this locket shots and hats off for getting out their to take them, the cottage did catch my attention with the verticals. Thanks for sharing
Kevin

 

[SFTPhotography]

A terrific set of photos. Particularly, given the locations. really like them all .

Head onto my blog at www.SFTphotography.co.uk - plenty of guidance on there.

 

[SFTPhotography]

Hi Steve law is nice when the weather turns up like this locket shots and hats off for getting out their to take them, the cottage did catch my attention with the verticals. Thanks for sharing
Kevin

The veritcals should be ok, it was level on both axis. The 1st one I was square onto the cottage so it looks level. The second shot I was at an angle, but it hopefully shouldn't be converging.

 

[Swanseajack]

Very nice set of photos and I like the coolness of #2 to the others. As somebody who is starting out in land-sea scape photography they give inspiration to keep at it.

 

[rclarke80]

#3 and #4 are intriguing to my eye because the situation of the building and adjacent trees is such that they are not reflected.

Symmetrical but not quite.

Lovely reflected set, hadn't really noticed the missing building in 3 & 4, had to go back and look at them. Interesting, guess it would have to be right on the shore to reflect?

 

[SFTPhotography]

Lovely reflected set, hadn't really noticed the missing building in 3 & 4, had to go back and look at them. Interesting, guess it would have to be right on the shore to reflect?

Exactly, the water pool was quite shallow and TBH you'd have to be right on the water level to include the cottage, I had the camera maybe 18 inches up, tripod was not extended.

 

[viv1969]

Beautiful set Steve...I'd expect no less
There's a slight halo running along the right hand side hilltop in the third image...not like you at all.

The last has to be my favourite.
The light and the lower horizon

 

[SFTPhotography]

Beautiful set Steve...I'd expect no less
There's a slight halo running along the right hand side hilltop in the third image...not like you at all.

The last has to be my favourite.
The light and the lower horizon

Web resizing-possibly c/a but I thought I eradicated it. But I WILL recheck...

I uploaded from full 36mp to Flickr 1024x768 but posted here at 800x640 and probably caused it. If only you could see the full res, the detail and sharpness from the 24-70 and Ziess (in the centres) is something to behold.

 

[TheAndyA]

I reckon they're some of your best images Steve. 3, 4 & 5 are excellent.

 

[JakeT1992]

Great work mate, all nice and technically good, but that last one is special.

 

[Dryce]

Exactly, the water pool was quite shallow and TBH you'd have to be right on the water level to include the cottage, I had the camera maybe 18 inches up, tripod was not extended.

I was rather taken by the lack of the cottage in the reflection. I suspect that if you had an examples both with and without I'd go for the without version.

 

[SFTPhotography]

I was rather taken by the lack of the cottage in the reflection. I suspect that if you had an examples both with and without I'd go for the without version.

To get the cottage in, you'd have to be so low the lens would be almost touching the water. Given the lens cost £1500, the camera cost £1500, I wasn't in a massive hurry to do it. And I quite liked the dissonance it caused.

 

[Me²]

Your images normally seem to me to have a certain look to them, as a result of a processing style I imagine. Hard to put my finger on what exactly, but these all seem to not have that style - have you changed anything in your post processing style for these out of interest?

Regardless of that, I like them all and a point to note - if I've got an image that doesn't look level to my eye on screen, even though I KNOW IT IS level, I am guilty of performing some rotation alterations - minor warping/distorting etc. to suit, just to make it look level.

 

[SFTPhotography]

Your images normally seem to me to have a certain look to them, as a result of a processing style I imagine. Hard to put my finger on what exactly, but these all seem to not have that style - have you changed anything in your post processing style for these out of interest?.

Loch Awe I desaturated but otherwise no, exactly the same style, nice bright and punchy is the look I go for normally.

Regardless of that, I like them all and a point to note - if I've got an image that doesn't look level to my eye on screen, even though I KNOW IT IS level, I am guilty of performing some rotation alterations - minor warping/distorting etc. to suit, just to make it look level.

I sometimes do this...not on this occasion though.