Critique Required Towards Sandwick and Martindale

[Chris Bennett]

Towards Sandwick and Martindale



A view across Ullswater, late autumn 2018.
Not actually knowing what makes a good photograph other than what I like, I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this image. I like it a lot. I don't know why and I suspect it may not have anything like the same appeal to others. No problem with that.

Don't treat me gently - tell it like it is!

 

[Vic Shaw]

This makes a good photo because it uses the rule of thirds, with the composition being divided up horizontally (sky, mountains and lake) and depth is created with the mountains and mist. The dip in the right hand mid range mountain also just catches the vertical third as does the one on the left.

I do think it can still be turned up a notch, from a composition point of view it's a great canvas to work from. I'd like to see a little more separation in the top third of the image with the sky and the mountain range, it does spoil the composition a little, I would also look at this in B&W with all the tones it could really work well. One of the things I would look to fix first though would be the lake shoreline for the whole picture to really stand out, that was the first thing that caught my eye.

 

[Karishma Boghawala]

Towards Sandwick and Martindale

View attachment 14464

A view across Ullswater, late autumn 2018.
Not actually knowing what makes a good photograph other than what I like, I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this image. I like it a lot. I don't know why and I suspect it may not have anything like the same appeal to others. No problem with that.

Don't treat me gently - tell it like it is!

Awesome one! The mountains are so vast. Different shades of mountains are good.

 

[Chris Bennett]

Thank you very much for your thoughts.

...I'd like to see a little more separation in the top third of the image with the sky and the mountain range...

One of the things I would look to fix first though would be the lake shoreline for the whole picture to really stand out..

May I ask how you would do this?

 

[Chris Bennett]

Thanks Karishma

 

[Vic Shaw]

I had a look for the dehaze function in lightroom and CC as I'm sure there used to be one there but for the life of me I cannot find it. I did a quick search and it seems it has been removed. There are some plugins around to replace it so you could try them. The shoreline is a much simpler fix just use the horizontal correction in whatever editing program you use. I wouldn't worry that much about the sky thats more a personal thing, but getting things level for me is always the first step when I'm editing, then any adjustments followed by cropping.

 

[Chris Bennett]

Oh OK. Sorry I didn't realise that was what you thought was wrong with the shoreline.
Thanks for your thoughts

 

[Dave Farnes]

It works for me, very good. I like the soft unsaturated tones and the great sense of depth it has. The mist divides the landscape into different layers giving it a true 3D look with a real sense of distance and scale.

 

[Chris Bennett]

The shoreline is a much simpler fix just use the horizontal correction in whatever editing program you use.
... getting things level for me is always the first step when I'm editing, then any adjustments followed by cropping.

So, what you are saying is that the shoreline should be horizontal, whatever the cost?
To do this in real life (without manipulating the image digitally), I either have to go in a boat (or wade out) to a different vantage point or tilt the camera, so rendering the hills incorrectly.
Fearing that my actions might inadvertently tip the Lake District on its axis and drain all the water out, I would be uneasy with this - after all, the hills and the shoreline are actually set at that angle in relation to each other, whether you like it or not.

Have I grasped the wrong end of your stick, or is this about to become one of those technician versus artist type discussions?

 

[Chris Bennett]

Thanks for your thought David.
I think the layering is one of the key things I like about this image. I also like the way you can peer into those layers and keep seeing more and more subtle detail, almost despite the apparent dullness of it all. Every time I use them, I fall more and more in love with these fabulous old Takumar lenses.

 

[Raza Shaikh]

The different shades of mountains are looking awesome.

 

[Brian Moore]

The color palate is lovely. And as Dave points out the mist gives that sense of depth to the hills. Those are the things that make this a good picture for me.

 

[Chris Bennett]

Thanks for your thought Brian.

 

[Pete Askew]

First of all, what gorgeous tones and wonderful layers and depth this has. However, I do see where Vic is coming from regards level and, although I am pretty sure it is level, the way the shore recedes away on the left hand side of the scene gives an illusion of slope in the image. To compensate for this one could shift the level of the shore at the centre of the image just a touch which also aligns the darker band in the water with the 'apparent' horizon. The other thing that draws my eye is the clump of trees on the left-most hill and, for me, this disturbs the way the eye flows into and along the more central ridge. I would be tempted to crop slightly to eliminate this. These two minor alterations would give this (I added a tiny touch of clarity and burned the sky and foreground in by the tiniest amounts), but of course this is not what you saw on the day. I hope you don't mind my edit.

 

[Chris Bennett]

Thanks Pete, for some really useful input.
I see what you mean about the trees on the left. That's not something I would ever have noticed, so I shall have to look out for things like that in the future.