Beinn nan Caorach climbs into cloud

[Donald]

Right, that's enough of all that colour photography nonsense. Let's get back to some real image-making!

What really caught my eye about this was the light hitting off the leading edge of the shoulder of the mountain. I worked it in Silver Efex Pro2 to bring as much out of the cloud as I could in an attempt to add to the drama.

What do you think? Does it work?


40D, Sigma 120-400 F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS @140mm. ISO 100. 1/125@f5.6.

[Mike Buckley]

Nah, it should be in color.

Seriously, I think the texture and subtlety works great. My guess is that the camera was level though the resulting lines make it seem that the camera is tilted to the left. Consider tilting it to the right until the horizontal layers on the bottom of the image are reasonably level.

[CLK]

Could only be more dramatic if there was a cyclops of dragon sneaking around the edge.

[FrankMi]

I am having a hard time trying to get a sense of scale. Perhaps a cyclops would help but then, never having seen one, perhaps not.

[Snarkbyte]

I will venture to be brutally honest on this one:

1. I love the detail in the clouds. Well done.
2. The foot of the mountain just below the clouds on the lower right looks a little noisy to me.
3. I think the white border is just too big. White is the right choice here, but I just think the width of the border is a little too much.
4. The clouds appear to become brighter on a horizontal line about 60% up from the bottom of the frame. It's too abrupt for a gradient filter, so it must be real or PP. I'm not sure which, but it does draw the eye. Interesting....

[GEORDIE]

Beautiful picture, spent a lot of time in the highlands when I lived in geordie land. Having now been in Australia for forty years you have captured the atmosphere perfectly. Almost brought a tear to my eye.
Colin

[gcowan]

Right, that's

What really caught my eye about this was the light hitting off the leading edge of the shoulder of the mountain. I worked it in Silver Efex Pro2 to bring as much out of the cloud as I could in an attempt to add to the drama.

What do you think? Does it work?


40D, Sigma 120-400 F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS @140mm. ISO 100. 1/125@f5.6.

Donald,
I think if you going for drama, I think you need more contrast in both the cloud and the face of the mountain. I would go for a generally darker feel to the image with more contrast. That would pull that white you are looking for out more. Dodge and burn!
Graham

[escaladieu]

Right, that's enough of all that colour photography nonsense. Let's get back to some real image-making!

What really caught my eye about this was the light hitting off the leading edge of the shoulder of the mountain. I worked it in Silver Efex Pro2 to bring as much out of the cloud as I could in an attempt to add to the drama.

What do you think? Does it work?


40D, Sigma 120-400 F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS @140mm. ISO 100. 1/125@f5.6.

For me, although the mountain is no doubt level, it looks like its leaning to the left, and that makes me uncomfortable. Also, maybe increase the contrast a bit.

J

[escaladieu]

Right, that's enough of all that colour photography nonsense. Let's get back to some real image-making!

What really caught my eye about this was the light hitting off the leading edge of the shoulder of the mountain. I worked it in Silver Efex Pro2 to bring as much out of the cloud as I could in an attempt to add to the drama.

What do you think? Does it work?


40D, Sigma 120-400 F4.5-5.6 APO DG OS @140mm. ISO 100. 1/125@f5.6.

For me, although the mountain is no doubt level, it looks like its leaning to the left, and that makes me uncomfortable. Also, maybe increase the contrast a bit.

J

[Donald]

Again, another set of helpful, constructive comments ... for which my thanks.

In terms of the various points:

. Consider tilting it to the right until the horizontal layers on the bottom of the image are reasonably level.

For me, although the mountain is no doubt level, it looks like its leaning to the left, and that makes me uncomfortable.

I accept that. I wondered about it as well and based on the confirmation of that in these comments, I have made a one degree rotation on the master version. Can't go any further than that or the cloud line begins to look odd.

I am having a hard time trying to get a sense of scale.

Noted.

3. I think the white border is just too big. White is the right choice here, but I just think the width of the border is a little too much.

Yep, we've often discussed the appropriateness of borders on copies posted here and, if we have them, what they should look like. Always one that is going to attract different views. Just as a matter of accuracy, my border is not actually white. R and G are at 255, but I set B to 243, so there is just a hint of yellow in it to knock it off pure white.

4. The clouds appear to become brighter on a horizontal line about 60% up from the bottom of the frame. It's too abrupt for a gradient filter, so it must be real or PP. I'm not sure which, but it does draw the eye. Interesting....

A very good point and one I have taken on board in the master version. Thank you.

Donald,
I think if you going for drama, I think you need more contrast in both the cloud and the face of the mountain. I would go for a generally darker feel to the image with more contrast. That would pull that white you are looking for out more.

Also, maybe increase the contrast a bit.

Compared to what came out of the camera, this has got lots of contrast poured into it. Silver Efex Pro 2 earned its wages on this one. For those of you who use SEP2, you'll know what I mean when I say it was covered with Control Points each making adjustments to different tones within the file and the Amplify Whites and Amplify Blacks sliders were in overdrive.

But this is as much contrast as I would want in this image. To introduce more would change the whole mood and character of the image and make it something, which perhaps appealing, would not be what I saw and felt out there on that bit of moorland. For me this was part of portraying a landscape that I grew up in (albeit further down the west coast of Scotland) and what I've finished up with here is, for me, that landscape.




]

[Mike Buckley]

I think the image has plenty of contrast. Increasing the contrast would reduce the mystical quality for me.

[AB26]

Hi Donald,

Looks like this one was taken from a boat on a stormy see at the Cape Of Storms. Can't figure out if the foreground is a wave or a rock. Agreed with Mike, think colour would have more impact.

[Mike Buckley]

Agreed with Mike, think colour would have more impact.

I was actually joking about that.