Chilling Sight

[NCPhotoTrekker]

Chilling Sight

OK, its been a while since anyone has stepped up to the plate for a hardcore critique so I'm going to try and spark something here.

The picture above was a from the hip shot...well kind of. I missed the lighting that I wanted while I was setting up the camera. Took 3.5 minutes from opening the camera bag to mounting the last filter. In that time the sun came out from behind the clouds and my light was lost. However the scene was still interesting to me and I worked on getting a slightly different capture.

What I'm wanting to know is whether or not the color tones work in this with the extremes in warm and cool tones. This is due to everything being backlit with a low sun.

Also, the crop rows in the foreground concern me as well. I think they might be providing a visual barrier preventing the eyes from getting to the pond in the distance.

Let me know what you think on this.

[john101477]

I think your gut instinct on this one is right Greg. The sun reflecting on the rows really draws the eye. As far as tone goes, the warmth in the image may subtract from the snow on the ground. I suppose it really comes down to what your goal was with the image but I do not think the sun was helping you out here.

[jimhobson]

I think the colors are o.k. It tones down and breaks up the brightness and emptyness of all that snow in the foreground and leads you to the water by increasing the amount of brown as you get closer to the water. The rows of corn are a speed bump, but that's all. They are pretty much horizontal so they don't lead you out of the frame. They just slow your eye down a bit. Had you caught the sun behind the clouds it would have spiced up the picture a lot.

I can see it hanging on a wall. Doctors office, maybe dentist.

[NCPhotoTrekker]

I really hate that I missed the lighting that caught my attention in the first place. I think that this was more of an attempt to save what little I could of the morning. I like the interplay between the cool and warm tones, but the organization of elements is not exactly how I wanted it. The horizontal lines were not as pronounced under the soft cloud diffused light, plus I would have composed with more sky in the frame because the clouds were this wonderful gold color. Had I gotten there just a few minutes earlier.....

Thanks for the feedback.

[jimhobson]

It may not be what you planned, but I don't think it's as bad as you make it out to be.
It's still a marketable picture.
Just another case of "a day late...... and a dollar short"

[Steve (FloppyDog)]

Even though you may not have nailed the light, like Jim said it's still a very usable image. The warm tones are a bit strong on the sky and lake, but this color contrast actually adds to the image in the foreground. You have two sets of converging lines that work well in this photo because the foreground leads right and the horizon leads left. This may not have worked well if they both lead the same direction, but in this case flow nicely. The may have been stronger if you were able to get in to the foreground and shoot wider. (?) Nonetheless, it's a very usable image.

[NCPhotoTrekker]

I see it as a fair image, and one that will be in the gallery for a little while. I wish it would have been better, but sometimes we miss that magic moment. There will be more. I appreciate the feedback on this image, and it reinforces what I thought the weaknesses are.