Sentinels' tower

[moopy goops]

Lovely to hear from you Christina, Thank you

[moopy goops]

Mat,

Both stunning images with superb compositions and you have done a great job with the processing.

Being super critical I feel that No 1 could benefit from increased sharpening compared to what you have achieved with No 2. As for a favourite very difficult but I'm going for No 2 because I know how hard it is to get trees looking good and you have achieved it.

Grahame

Thanks Grahame, More Sharpening ? I felt I had gone as far as I could without the appearance of halos and noise but perhaps I should take another peek. I appreciate your comments about the trees in the 2nd shot.

[moopy goops]

Hi Mat, the narrative really helps set the scene and the mood. The images are well worth looking at in the Lytebox. The cloud formations really help the scenes in both images and the wise choice of aspect ratio helps convey the grandeur of the vista.

I did notice a halo around the hill and tower in the first one. Usually this is a result of post processing techniques.

In the second image I keep wanting to see more through the trees in the middle and wonder how the background would look if the trees were more flanking the vantage point rather than blocking a good portion of it?

I hope these thoughts are helpful!

Hello Frank, and thank you for your kind words. You are right the halo is a result of sloppy PP (and dodgy eyesight) I'm not sure how to get rid of that, but i will try.
With the second photograph my intention was to capture the trees themselves not so much the view beyond but the light wasn't right so I changed position and this time there was a gap in the trees which I thought would add interest and depth. I could have changed lens ( I certainly couldn't get any nearer) but I like the way one gets a wee taste of the mountains beyond and are left wanting more.
I really appreciate your comments.

[FrankMi]

Hello Frank, and thank you for your kind words. You are right the halo is a result of sloppy PP (and dodgy eyesight) I'm not sure how to get rid of that, but i will try.

At this point it should be fairly easy to clone the halo out by duplicating the image, using sky that is just beyond the halo, and a low opacity soft brush. Once the halo has been addressed, the soft brush would have overlaid some of the hill and tower so masking that part back in with a small hard brush from the original in the layer below should completely address the issue.

The second image can be very much up to personal taste but noting the other viewers preference for the first image, I thought I'd share my impressions of the view. You can likely improve the second if you can reshoot by exploring additional viewpoints and compositions.

Hope this helps!

[flashback]

Mat,

The first one is very good, simply because it's interesting to look at. The ruins in the foreground, the nearly aerial panorama in the BG all contributes to an excellent shot. I agree it's very relaxing to look at but for me, a narrative isn't necessary; it's not going to make me like or dislike an image and likewise, knowing something about the location, while always educational isn't going to make a bad image good.

Your second image I also like although not nearly as much as the first. Maybe because it reminds of Wyoming and the Tetons. And it does strike me more as a vacation shot. I just want to see more of something in the second one.

[Wavelength]

What a beautiful landscapes... how people can think about killing and shedding blood seeing such beauty of Mother Nature!!!
Regards

[NorthernFocus]

The tower shot is really excellent. Nice choice of composition and perspective. Well done.