'Portrait Photography' Competition - Win A Samyang 85mm F/1.4 FE II Lens!
Comments
I really like this, particularly the use of the path as a lead-in. It winds and turns, which means that the viewer's eye follows it at a gentle pace, and it leads to an interesting view - which doesn't always happen with strong lead-ins!
I've uploaded a modification, after a slight hiccough - ignore the first mod. The first thing that I thought on opening this was that it needed a slight anti-clockwise rotation. On looking closely, I think this is part optical illusion, because the distant island on the left raises the horizon as we perceive it. But I think there is still a slight tilt, which I have adjusted for.
Main thing though - I wish that the figures were closer to the camera. A human presence can bring a view to life, add animation, movement. So I cropped tighter to give them a bit more importance in the frame. I kept your aspect ratio, and brought the edge of the path into the bottom right corner. I used a strong clump of grasses to fill the bottom left. I also adjusted light to give a bit more contrast, and did some very gentle dodging and burning to enhance the textures in the foreground. This is how a foreground should work for me, by the way. It's tactile, immediate, it's where my eyes would focus naturally.
The crop reduced the amount of sky, and you worked to get some interest there. But the sky is the least important part for me. In the final (second) version I tried to strengthen the blue in the cropped sky.
I also reduced saturation on magentas, I'm seeing a slight cast which can happen in conditions like these.
A lovely inviting, welcoming image. It takes me there. I can feel the sun and the breeze. Composition is about drawing the viewer into the frame, this does it.
Moira
I've uploaded a modification, after a slight hiccough - ignore the first mod. The first thing that I thought on opening this was that it needed a slight anti-clockwise rotation. On looking closely, I think this is part optical illusion, because the distant island on the left raises the horizon as we perceive it. But I think there is still a slight tilt, which I have adjusted for.
Main thing though - I wish that the figures were closer to the camera. A human presence can bring a view to life, add animation, movement. So I cropped tighter to give them a bit more importance in the frame. I kept your aspect ratio, and brought the edge of the path into the bottom right corner. I used a strong clump of grasses to fill the bottom left. I also adjusted light to give a bit more contrast, and did some very gentle dodging and burning to enhance the textures in the foreground. This is how a foreground should work for me, by the way. It's tactile, immediate, it's where my eyes would focus naturally.
The crop reduced the amount of sky, and you worked to get some interest there. But the sky is the least important part for me. In the final (second) version I tried to strengthen the blue in the cropped sky.
I also reduced saturation on magentas, I'm seeing a slight cast which can happen in conditions like these.
A lovely inviting, welcoming image. It takes me there. I can feel the sun and the breeze. Composition is about drawing the viewer into the frame, this does it.
Moira
I used your original.
My mod is slightly less bright in the blue and warmer overall. I now notice my selection of the sky wasn't as finely feathered as I'd have liked, but I hope you get the overall effect.
I think there's a slight tilt too, though I didn't address that in my mod.
Great island in the distance!
My mod is slightly less bright in the blue and warmer overall. I now notice my selection of the sky wasn't as finely feathered as I'd have liked, but I hope you get the overall effect.
I think there's a slight tilt too, though I didn't address that in my mod.
Great island in the distance!
Thanks for the original.
With a scene like this, the camera will balance the sky and the foreground to give an average exposure, and this will leave the lower, land portion underexposed.
I think, from the original, that the light was a little hazy over the sea?
So, the usual approach to this would be to increase exposure in the lower, darker area, and reduce it to some extent in the upper. Ive done this in the mod, and I ran into an issue with the sly and sand, where using the highlight recovery tool needed to be used, - hence my guess about haze.
I did no cropping just to show the difference to the original.
Regards
Willie
With a scene like this, the camera will balance the sky and the foreground to give an average exposure, and this will leave the lower, land portion underexposed.
I think, from the original, that the light was a little hazy over the sea?
So, the usual approach to this would be to increase exposure in the lower, darker area, and reduce it to some extent in the upper. Ive done this in the mod, and I ran into an issue with the sly and sand, where using the highlight recovery tool needed to be used, - hence my guess about haze.
I did no cropping just to show the difference to the original.
Regards
Willie
Thank you for all your mods and comments.
I believe there was a slight haze over the sea as Skokholm Island in the background is not clear. I guess that having been there this landscape would look best when shot earlier in the day (this was taken in mid afternoon), or using a filter?
I shall also remember to try to get some people in the mid/foreground of landscape shots.
I believe there was a slight haze over the sea as Skokholm Island in the background is not clear. I guess that having been there this landscape would look best when shot earlier in the day (this was taken in mid afternoon), or using a filter?
I shall also remember to try to get some people in the mid/foreground of landscape shots.
