Flooded plane

[AntonioCorreia]

I climbed onto a large granite boulder and from there, I saw the lake formed by the monsoon rains.
The water was still, reflecting the sky as it began to turn shades of pink and orange with the setting sun.
Scattered across the water, a few partially submerged trees stood like small green islands, holding their ground on the flooded plain.

[billtils]

Full markss for athleticism Antonio. The image is a bit flat though.

[DanK]

Antonio,

Also a nice composition. However, I agree with Bill. You have a pretty good tonal variation overall because of the water and sky, but almost half of the image is the rock, and that is flat and low-contrast.

I'm going to offer a general comment, and I hope you will find it helpful. You have a very good eye, and your photographs span an unusually wide range of genres. However, if you look at the comments you have received over the last year, there is a very consistent theme in comments about your editing: you don't have enough control over tonality (variations in brightness) to do justice to your otherwise very strong images. You have said a number of times that you don't have a good understanding of the curves tool, which is certainly part of it. I think it goes beyond that; you also could make much more effective use of local tonality adjustments, that is, burning and dodging. (Think back to Manfred's comments about your images at the mosque.) Given how interesting your images are, it would really be worth your time to study this and improve those skills.

In this case, I would have started by using a mask and brush or a selection to work on the tonality of the rocks that make up the bottom 40% of the image.

The basic uses of the curves tool are to add midtone contrast with an S-shaped curve and to brighten or darken the image as a whole by pulling the midtones up or down. However, it is a very powerful tool that can do much more. Pximperfect https://www.piximperfect.com/ has had one or more lessons about how to use the curves tool more fully. His presentations are very good, although he does speak rather quickly.

There are many different ways to dodge and burn. In Lightroom, I simply brush over an area with a low flow rate, say 10-12, and then pull exposure up or down with the slider. In Photoshop, I use a method I learned from Manfred on this site. To burn, for example, I watch the area that needs the most darkening and pull the curve down until that part is a bit too dark. I invert the mask to black and paint with a white brush (again, with flow set to <12) to darken specific areas. I like this method because it allows you to come back and modify either the selection or the darkening separately. However, there are lots of methods, so just pick the one you are most comfortable with.

I hope you see this as intended--as an effort to help, not to criticize.

Dan

[Geoff F]

Possibly cropping out some of the foreground and going to a panoramic size ratio would have more impact?

[AntonioCorreia]

At this moment I can't write about what has been said and what I have done in the version bellow.
Perhaps only on Saturday I will be able to write...


Tone curve on the image


Tone curve on the foreground (the rock) in LR via mask


Thanks A LOT !
Cheers !

[AntonioCorreia]

Den, your detailed analysis was truly appreciated, and your suggestions, along with everyone else's insights, are always welcome and help me learn. You're spot on about tonal control being an area I'm actively working on. I've explored Pximperfect and Curves tutorials, but hands-on practice is key for me to gain confidence with it and Dodge & Burn. While I've dabbled in Dodge & Burn using automatic masks in Lightroom and Photoshop, the Brush tool is less familiar. Thanks again for your generous and clear guidance!

Regarding my recent Curves experiment on the foreground rocks, a few days' distance makes me think I might have overdone it in the previous post. The foreground feels too dominant, with excessive contrast and brightness contrasting with the softer sky and water. This creates a visual dissonance, losing the subtle, serene atmosphere I initially aimed for. My focus on "bringing the rocks to life" likely overshadowed the overall balance.

A more restrained local adjustment, perhaps reducing contrast or brightness with a new curve or refined masking, could help re-balance the composition, retaining texture without overpowering the scene. Curves are powerful but tricky; it's easy to get carried away and only notice the imbalance later. The one above is a more calm adjustment.

This is a valuable lesson in fine-tuning while maintaining overall coherence. I also realize that the dusk lighting, with its soft, warm tones and longer shadows, clashes with the overly bright foreground. This disconnect betrays the atmosphere I experienced. My aim is to better preserve the truth of that light, with all its subtle beauty.

Sorry for the lengthy reflection !

.

[AntonioCorreia]

Possibly cropping out some of the foreground and going to a panoramic size ratio would have more impact?

I understand your point, Geoff. I believe that removing that part, although it might shift the focus, would diminish the sense of immersion and the scale of the location. The atmosphere that this specific area contributes is vital to the experience I aim to convey with the image.
Thank you !