Critique Rannoch Moor on Tuesday

[SFTPhotography]

Just got round to working this and some other stuff I need to do.

Went with an unsual aspect ratio for this 16x10. 16x9 just made it too cramped. I was happy with it in the view finder but on the big screen I felt I had too much sky above the mountains.

_DSC3727 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

Its not an award winner sort of shot but just the sort of thing I love to do on a nice calm still morning. Nothing quite like seeing a new day start to bring a smile to your face. The reason for not taking one later when the sun worked its way to the rocks is that morning ceased to be calm and still so I drove onto Glencoe and it was cloudless so int he end, just gazed at the views rather than whip the camera out.

 

[NDevon]

I really like that, so tranquil. I think the rocks in the foreground really make it, without it would look like so many other pics of a similar landscape, the rocks give it something more. Great work and in my very novice opinion great processing

 

[SFTPhotography]

I really like that, so tranquil. I think the rocks in the foreground really make it, without it would look like so many other pics of a similar landscape, the rocks give it something more. Great work and in my very novice opinion great processing

Thanks, my concern is its a tad dark but at this time of day thats just how it is with lovely deep long shadows and that lovely light. It was lovely to take really, so fresh, so crisp now in the mornings. I too like the rocks. Its a tricky one to compose as you want to frame the 3rd rock on the fat left but also the mountain on the right but with as long an FL as possible to try impress the viewer with the mountains. Its had quite a lot of shadow recovery done, and some dodge and burn yada yada

 

[NDevon]

Personally I think you got the composition spot on, it works for me. It does look lovely there, very serene.

I don't think it's too dark, editing is fine but it wasn't light, so adding too much light that wasn't there just seems pointless. You may as well start compositing more mountains into the background, adding a bit of snow, how about some interesting wildlife, and a dragon - that would be great!

It's good, I'd be showing everyone if I made a picture as good as this. I also think the darker feel of the picture really helps with the contrast in the water, and then with the sky. For me it just works, if it was brighter I think it would lose impact.

Obviously it's all subjective, someone will be along to agree it should be lighter, others will love it as it is. I'm a new amateur so I know very little, but I'm allowed to like what I see, and I like it

 

[Nick Owen]

For me this is all about the rocks and the water, the mountains the back story. But tonally, here you have this the other way around. This might be 'correct' as far as reality goes, but as an image, it might be more impactful if 'incorrect'. To this end I'd suggest darkening off the sky and hills and bringing out more definition in the rocks themselves. Make them more tonally prominent in other words. But of course, this might not be at all your take on the scene!

 

[Buck]

Steve, I love the calmness of the water and the reflections but I do think the foreground rocks are a bit too underexposed and need a slight lift to bring them into the shot. At the minute my eye is drawn to the sky initially rather than through the picture.

 

[SFTPhotography]

Steve, I love the calmness of the water and the reflections but I do think the foreground rocks are a bit too underexposed and need a slight lift to bring them into the shot. At the minute my eye is drawn to the sky initially rather than through the picture.

It's hard because they were in deep shadow. I'll try some further selective shadow recovery - the full res file is better and the details far more obvious

 

[the ghost]

I like it but the rocks to me over power the left side of the picture shame the bottom rock was not more to the right in that open space

 

[SFTPhotography]

Edit. I recropped slightly and played around again. I've got a little more out but its shades really. Its just the time of day and how it was, and to be honest, unless I had used more grads I couldn't have done it differently in camera and I don't want to run the risk of rendering the sky darker than the reflection because....well...nature doesn't work like that.

Something that bugged me in the 1st rendition was that the bottom of the reflected rock was a tad close to the frames edge. This version you cannot really see it but in the full res the reflected shadow of the bottom rock stands out so easily from the water.

Blame low res files and compression. Any more shadow recovery it might get slightly noisy and for big printing, I find that bad.

_DSC3727 by Stephen Taylor, on Flickr

 

[alan72]

Beautiful tranquil shot. Sometimes it's nice to just put the camera down and take it all in.

 

[Dale.]

I envy you for these conditions and being there. The flat calm is awesome. I don't see anything 'wrong' with the first but I think the second has the edge tonally. The reflections are lovely. The rocks are needed for interest, despite the reflections. I think you've just got away with the reflection of the bottom rock not being too tight.

 

[Stuart Mc]

Nice enough Steve, not your best by any stretch mind but still nice. Looks well composed so no crit from me. I've got to ask though, when you get conditions like this where the light is still great but you get a breeze, does the camera just get packed away? Looks like there's lovely light on the fells for long lens stuff to be had

 

[SFTPhotography]

Nice enough Steve, not your best by any stretch mind but still nice. Looks well composed so no crit from me

Aye its a nice jolly scene, just what I like but its not my best and glad it isn't.

. I've got to ask though, when you get conditions like this where the light is still great but you get a breeze, does the camera just get packed away? Looks like there's lovely light on the fells for long lens stuff to be had

To answer the question, depends on my mood at the time.This time no, I moved on after this light and wind came.

I used to take the long lens out much more and try but I never really liked what I took and feel that taking a picture for the sake of it isn't what I want to do. I just prefer this style of landscape over any other and tend to go with what I like and what I feel I do best. I plan around forecasts and had it been windy, I'd have gone waterfall scouting up the coupall. I went to Skye and took a ton of long range shots on the way. All met the bin on the way home and I just kept the golden sunrise and the squally sunset.

I don't mind heading out and leaving the camera in the bag.

 

[shannensdaddy]

Wow, takes me there..class

 

[NeilA1975]

Its a nice scene but feel the rocks are too one sided, feels a little unbalanced if im honest Steve.

 

[SFTPhotography]

Its a nice scene but feel the rocks are too one sided, feels a little unbalanced if im honest Steve.

It is slightly but changing position moved the mountain on the right off the frame or too far into the frame etc. Its never going to win any awards but the stillness and light, well, compelled me.