Bauchaille Etive Mor

[Jack.DM]

Hey folks,
I have here Bauchaille Etive Mor, taken at around Midday on 7th November, f/11, 1/50 sec. ISO100 72mm. with a polarising filter attached.
I was driving up the A82, about to enter Glen Coe when I saw the sunlight being cast across the mountain. I stopped the car in the nearest lay-by to try and get a shot before the sun disappeared behind the clouds.

I tried a portrait to 'isolate' the mountain however, this left me with too much sky and too much foreground. I decided on a landscape with the focal point set to 72mm and took a series of photo's.
This I felt was the best one. The top picture is the original image whilst the lower picture is an edited version of the first. When editing the image, I was trying to make the mountain 'stick-out' more by increasing the sharpness a few points, enhancing the blue in the sky and increasing contrast. This helped separate the clouds from the mountain as I felt the original image looked too bland.

This is my first serious landscape photo that I have taken with my new camera and my first attempt at editing an image - What do you guys think?

 

[Seniorshot]

I'll make a comment Jack since no-one else seems to have.
I think it's a classic case of the lighting not really being helpful for the result you were after. The bulk of the mountain forms 3/4 of this image and it's barely lit with sunlight.
Looking at this low resolution image I'm not sure if its totally sharp, also if you look at the histogram there are plenty of pixels missing from the highlight end.
I have done a small quick edit in ACR - adding exposure, adding a little contrast, slight reduction in highlights and finally a tiny touch of clarity - all of these tweaks are very minor.
I'm not keen on your editing as it's completely changed the colours and to my mind made the image unnatural looking.
If there's one important tip I could give to a newby to photo editing, it's to go easy on the sliders - there's always a tendency to overdo things, I'm still guilty of this occasionally and I've been editing for 14 years.!
Getting great images is mainly about being in the right place at the right time, and here I don't think it was the right time. I think a slightly wider perspective (lens) would also help with the composition.
I hope I've been helpful here and not too negative, because that'is the last thing I want to do, but it's just my take on the image.

 

[arclight]

Roger wrote:-
"I think it's a classic case of the lighting not really being helpful for the result you were after. The bulk of the mountain forms 3/4 of this image and it's barely lit with sunlight."

I agree with that.

First thing that struck me about the shot was a very positive thought in that it is different from the vast number of shots of the Buachaille that have been published decade after decade (mostly very appealing). It is different because it does not include the usual stream and tree or Lagangarbh hut in the foreground. A different take on an old subject is always worth a try.
The shot does emphasise the huge rocky bulk of the mountain. If there was low strong sunlight to throw the gullies into deep shade (even darkness) whilst showing the buttresses and ridges in sharp detail a very impressive picture would be possible. Being on site when (if) such conditions happen is another matter.

 

[Jack.DM]

I'll make a comment Jack since no-one else seems to have.
I think it's a classic case of the lighting not really being helpful for the result you were after. The bulk of the mountain forms 3/4 of this image and it's barely lit with sunlight.
Looking at this low resolution image I'm not sure if its totally sharp, also if you look at the histogram there are plenty of pixels missing from the highlight end.
I have done a small quick edit in ACR - adding exposure, adding a little contrast, slight reduction in highlights and finally a tiny touch of clarity - all of these tweaks are very minor.
I'm not keen on your editing as it's completely changed the colours and to my mind made the image unnatural looking.
If there's one important tip I could give to a newby to photo editing, it's to go easy on the sliders - there's always a tendency to overdo things, I'm still guilty of this occasionally and I've been editing for 14 years.!
Getting great images is mainly about being in the right place at the right time, and here I don't think it was the right time. I think a slightly wider perspective (lens) would also help with the composition.
I hope I've been helpful here and not too negative, because that'is the last thing I want to do, but it's just my take on the image.

Thanks Roger, Thank you for your input, I am completely open to criticism; like I said, I am new to landscape photography and would like to improve myself which can only be done through practice and criticism whether it is positive or negative.
You're absolutely right about the image looking unnatural, I will try to take it easy on the sliders as you've said lol.
About the highlights, there was so much darkness in the image, I struggled to try and brighten it up but I like what you have done with it - it looks much better. Due the time of day, the sun was casting its light from the side and so it was rather dark.
As for the sharpness, the image was originally 6000x4000, and I reduced the vertical all the way down to 720 just to be able to post it on here. I am disappointed by that, as you said - it wasn't totally sharp so it didn't turn out very well from that.

All in all, I'm really happy that you have taken the time to look at my image and even edit it. I have taken on your criticism - it is much appreciated.

Thanks Roger

 

[Jack.DM]

Roger wrote:-
"I think it's a classic case of the lighting not really being helpful for the result you were after. The bulk of the mountain forms 3/4 of this image and it's barely lit with sunlight."

I agree with that.

First thing that struck me about the shot was a very positive thought in that it is different from the vast number of shots of the Buachaille that have been published decade after decade (mostly very appealing). It is different because it does not include the usual stream and tree or Lagangarbh hut in the foreground. A different take on an old subject is always worth a try.
The shot does emphasise the huge rocky bulk of the mountain. If there was low strong sunlight to throw the gullies into deep shade (even darkness) whilst showing the buttresses and ridges in sharp detail a very impressive picture would be possible. Being on site when (if) such conditions happen is another matter.

Thanks Doug, I agree with that although, I would have preferred to have something in the foreground that would have made the image much more interesting.
I like this shot of the Buachaille from this perspective, I think it's different from the norm but some help from the sun, casting light at a different angle would be nice like you said.