Tomnaverie Stone Circle

[mstphoto]

First time out with my new Olympus E-M1

The Tomnaverie Stone Circle stands on a hilltop about 3/4 mile from the village of Tarland in Aberdeenshire.
It is one of the 99 definite or probable "recumbent" Stone Circles in NE Scotland.
Called "recumbent" because the largest stone was laid in a horizontal position

Olympus E-M1 + M 9-18, 1/800 @ f8, ISO 200

Tomnaverie Stone Circle by mike.stephen99, on Flickr

 

[SFTPhotography]

Lights a bit harsh but epic sky works well. Gives the though that the gods are above looking down into the circle.

 

[Masked Bandit]

I agree with Steve on both counts.

 

[sturisoma]

please can you explain what you mean by 'a bit harsh' (still learning this light stuff lol) thanks in advance

the picture looks beautiful to me

 

[Brian_of_Bozeat]

can you explain what you mean by 'a bit harsh'

The light source (from the sun) is hitting the stones unfiltered and the shadows are sharp edged, this can be called "hard light" (and it suits some subjects). The posters above think that it is a bit too hard and therefore they see it as harsh.

If a cloud were to come in front of the sun and soften the light the shadows would be softer edged and the transition from lit to unlit would be a gradient because the effective source of the light would be larger in proportion to the subject, at its extreme there would be no shadows at all. (some people say this is "flat light")

Another important consideration when thinking about the qualities of light is the direction, here we can see that the sun is low in the sky and side on from the left because of the length of the shadows and their direction.

Hope that helps.

 

[sturisoma]

Thanks Brian, that explains much and I understood it lol. My question now would be why the 'harsh' light in this picture is seen as a negative thing. Sometimes shadows add depth and 'life' to a scene. Is this something that is entirely down to personal taste or is it considered bad technically. (sorry for the hijack Mike)

 

[Brian_of_Bozeat]

Is this something that is entirely down to personal taste

Yes. Your image, your choice, your artistic interpretation.

regarding the OP. I quite like the scene above, there's nothing "wrong" here in my opinion - certainly nothing "technical" such as exposure or focus which appear to be fine - I can see why others think the light is harsh but I don't feel put off by it. I like long shadows on a landscape.

You must be pleased with your new camera Mike. Great start I reckon.

 

[mstphoto]

Thanks for the feedback Folks
Good explanation of "harsh light" Brian
I think I'm going to enjoy the E-M1 but its a big learning curve after shooting Canon for nigh on 30 years