Critique Mono's from Fleetwith Pike

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Stuart McGlennon
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Took a trip up Fleetwith Pike yesterday, to be greeted by all 4 seasons in about 30mins once on the summit (what's up with the weather ATM??) anyway I hung around for a while hoping a rainbow may turn up given the conditions but alas it didn't and the light turned very flat. Ideally when I've more time I'll return here for sunset.

Anyway here's some which worked well (I thought) in mono:

Top of the Pike by Stuart McGlennon, on Flickr
The Slate Mine Route by Stuart McGlennon, on Flickr
Storm Approaching by Stuart McGlennon, on Flickr
 
Hey Stuart, you've got three decent compositions there, but the processing is way too heavy for my taste.
I think you may be able to push the processing on a more simple scene, but with the detail in all of these shots, they just look way too muddy.
You've got some good raw files to work with here, but they're just pushed way too far for me to enjoy the scenes I'm afraid.
Glad you managed to get up Fleetwith though, it does offer some cracking views.
 
Hey Stuart, you've got three decent compositions there, but the processing is way too heavy for my taste.
I think you may be able to push the processing on a more simple scene, but with the detail in all of these shots, they just look way too muddy.
You've got some good raw files to work with here, but they're just pushed way too far for me to enjoy the scenes I'm afraid.
Glad you managed to get up Fleetwith though, it does offer some cracking views.
Haha I was going for dramatic with these! Yeah no worries don't normally do dramatic B/W so thought I'd try. See what you mean a bit with the first two. Views are great just the light was awful, I tried Dale Head the night before but got to Honister and it started tipping it down so turned around. By the time I got to Crummock the clouds parted and a rainbow came out, should have just stuck it out!
 
Im all about that colour version Stuart. Much better than the Mono for me.
I think three would be improved with the top right corner pulling back a bit. The light on the rock is great, and you've got a nice compositional curve leading to the cloudburst in the centre, but that top right is too much for my preference.
 
I'm all for a bit of drama in a shot, but I think you've slipped over to the dark side a little here.
For drama to show through, the actually drama has to be in the original shot, and whilst they're lovely compositions (especially like the last), and great views, there's nothing overly menacing occurring in the scene.
The edits have resulted in the skies and midgrounds being almost black, and the tones over all just don't sit right with me.
This is, of course, merely a personal opinion :)
 
I rather line 3 as it is Stuart
For 1 & 2 I suggest you try again at the mono convesrion.
 
I'm all for a bit of drama in a shot, but I think you've slipped over to the dark side a little here.
For drama to show through, the actually drama has to be in the original shot, and whilst they're lovely compositions (especially like the last), and great views, there's nothing overly menacing occurring in the scene.
The edits have resulted in the skies and midgrounds being almost black, and the tones over all just don't sit right with me.
This is, of course, merely a personal opinion :)
'Slipped over to the dark side' I did laugh at that :)
I think with shots 2&3 it was quite dark and the impending hail storm on the horizon sweeping over the valley was why I was going for drama. I was trying to selectively darken patches which I didn't think were key to the scene, almost trying to make sure there wasn't too much going on. I guess as an attempt at something more artistic rather than conventional mono this would be a miss! :LOL: I quite like 3 although tend to agree with @MattyW that the corner could do with lifted. So you think generally lifting them more rather than so dark? I'll have another go at these from a different tack, thanks for the feedback.

I rather line 3 as it is Stuart
For 1 & 2 I suggest you try again at the mono convesrion.
As above I'll have another go, was weird weather up there, I had all 4 seasons on the summit in about 30mins. The hailstones that came in from Borrowdale were something else.
 
'Slipped over to the dark side' I did laugh at that :)
I think with shots 2&3 it was quite dark and the impending hail storm on the horizon sweeping over the valley was why I was going for drama. I was trying to selectively darken patches which I didn't think were key to the scene, almost trying to make sure there wasn't too much going on. I guess as an attempt at something more artistic rather than conventional mono this would be a miss! :LOL: I quite like 3 although tend to agree with @MattyW that the corner could do with lifted. So you think generally lifting them more rather than so dark? I'll have another go at these from a different tack, thanks for the feedback.


As above I'll have another go, was weird weather up there, I had all 4 seasons on the summit in about 30mins. The hailstones that came in from Borrowdale were something else.

I know what you mean about all four seasons.
I drove through them all on the way home on Tuesday, and I'm in Kent :LOL:
 
I think they are all superb! I love the rain in number 2 and the foreground interest. Number 3 is very contrasty which I like, the bright white in the center where i assume the sun is trying to break through is a great contrast to the darkness of the background hills and the surrounding clouds. Could all do with a tad less contrast perhaps to brighten some of the image so its not quite so "end of days".

Any more?
 
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I think they are all superb! I love the rain in number 2 and the foreground interest. Number 3 is very contrasty which I like, the bright white in the center where i assume the sun is trying to break through is a great contrast to the darkness of the background hills and the surrounding clouds. Could all do with a tad less contrast perhaps to brighten some of the image so its not quite so "end of days".

Any more?
Thanks Andrew, the last one I've done I've really not done much with it contrast wise, it really was that dark and quite a high contrast scene already with the colours in the grasses and heath, really only the path and some other small selective bits. Although the earlier ones yeah I see what you mean. I have one other which I'll look at when I'm home from work with a perched boulder. The bright white is sun catching a hailstone shower which is more visible in the last one with less emphasis placed on the light coming through.
 
I like the compositions but like a few find the first 3 a bit too dark. Like the exposure and contrast on the rock in the left half of 3 just need to lighten the right a little.
Like the colour and the latest b&w is getting there, nice place.
 
I may have lightened the sunlit areas too much
I like that Alf, on reflection I think the contrast in the sky in no.1 and detail in the clouds is probably working against me more than anything, too distracting from what's below it.

I like the compositions but like a few find the first 3 a bit too dark. Like the exposure and contrast on the rock in the left half of 3 just need to lighten the right a little.
Like the colour and the latest b&w is getting there, nice place.
Glad the last one is getting there, although mono's seem to be far more of a personal preference than colour I'm finding, like anything though you can go too far with it. It's a lovely place yes, obviously Buttermere below tends to get a lot of exposure, however where this is near the head of several valleys the mountain scenery is really spectacular in the right light. @MattyW 's shot of Dale Head which is only about a mile away from here showed that.
 
I like that Alf, on reflection I think the contrast in the sky in no.1 and detail in the clouds is probably working against me more than anything, too distracting from what's below it.


Glad the last one is getting there, although mono's seem to be far more of a personal preference than colour I'm finding, like anything though you can go too far with it. It's a lovely place yes, obviously Buttermere below tends to get a lot of exposure, however where this is near the head of several valleys the mountain scenery is really spectacular in the right light. @MattyW 's shot of Dale Head which is only about a mile away from here showed that.
Stuart
If you look at how Kevin O'Brien renders light and shade with deep shadows I think that would work here.
 
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