― Scapes Critique ⇒ Foggy canyon made brighter

[St3v3M]

Thanks for your comments, Steve! This is the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Byway - the area where my eagles live I've also photo'd many bighorn sheep, a few American White Pelicans, and quite a number of landscapes. No plans for a series, though.

It's only a rough idea, but I thought I might see if my son wants to take an adventure your way this summer, something like Olympic or Rainier, so I'm keeping a close eye on your posts! S-

[John N]

Haven't been here for a while, and missed some of your work, Linda. Must say I like these very much. I like the solitude expressed in the location but also the atmosphere - it looks cold with just a hint of dampness, but at the same time they convey warmer times just minutes away with signs of the sun breaking through. There is a lot to ponder on in these.

[Duck]

Well, by now everyone should know me and my penchant for playing devil's advocate and introducing alternatives... So here's my interpretation.

Of all the images presented, the second image strikes me as the strongest for it's simple composition and strong subject (in comparison with the others). You have lots of coincident lines that really compliment each other with the main line being a strong baroque angle that creates an easy intro into the image. The tree itself uses figure ground separation extremely well. Where I start to lose interest is in the overall contrast of the hillsides themselves. You have three levels of distance (foreground, middleground and background hills) with very little separation between them. Atmosphere is strong and that can be used as an effective tool to create separation by having the hills fade into the fog as the scene recedes.

With your consent, I did some experimentation and came up with this side by side comparison, using both atmosphere enhancements and blur to pull the viewer's eye to the subject.

Since you mentioned going for a, "less in your face look,"[\i] these are my recommendations;

• The dark, sharp contrast lower right corner is a scene stealer. It really tends to pull the eye into the foreground, away from the main subject. By evening out the tones for less contrast and introducing some foreground blur it helps keep the eye inside the frame of the image.
• The overall midtones of the three mountains tend to run together. By using atmospheric diffusion (elements become lighter as they recede) it brings the foreground forward, separating it from the middle and backgrounds.
• The final touch, and it's a personal one on my end, was to reduce the hazy fringing around the edges of the tree. This helps strengthen the subject creating a stronger figure ground relation.

Hope this analysis gives you some ideas.

[St3v3M]

Wow, I'm torn. The one is sharp and beautiful while the other has that early morning feeling. So beautiful! S-