Looking for critique please on how to improve this image

cjmchch

I'd like to get some comments/critique on this image please. I have pp'd it using varoius techniques and wonder where I can improve it/crop it..etc.

richtersl

I like the color and the processing very much but it's difficult to find a focal point in this shot because my eye keeps wandering between the riverbed and the highway.

I'd experiment with cropping to the tops of the clouds on the left and crop a bit from the right to eliminate the reflections in the water.

jeffmeyers

The road is close to being blown out. Do you want it that way?

daveman

thoughts
I like the composition and concept. THe curve of the guardrails draws the eye nicely to the BG.

I think it is a bit too much contrast - the road is a bit overblown and the shadows have lost some detail.

Hope that helps.
Dave

W.W. Webster

cjmchch wrote:

I'd like to get some comments/critique on this image please.

I think this is a case where cropping the height of the image according to the Rule of Thirds can deliver a more interesting result.

When I trim off either half of the height of the image above the line of the mountains (i.e. the top half of the sky) or half the height occupied by the bridge, the line of the mountains no longer dissects the image, and resulting frame provides a more pleasing result (to me). YMMV.

dlplumer

Love the clarity and color. Nice shot

zoomer

Crop from the bottom to the first horizontal joint in the concrete.
Darken the concrete a bit.
The sky looks overdone..back off on it a bit.

cjmchch

Thanks for all the c/c's, I appreciate this. I've tried to accomodate what you've all suggested....even tried pulling back on the road being blown out without making it look darker tan what it should be....it is after all a concrete bridge and is going to be a lot brighter than asphalt or stone chip.

Here's the end result......what do you think now?

jeffmeyers

cjmchch wrote:

Thanks for all the c/c's, I appreciate this. I've tried to accomodate what you've all suggested....even tried pulling back on the road being blown out without making it look darker tan what it should be....it is after all a concrete bridge and is going to be a lot brighter than asphalt or stone chip.

Here's the end result......what do you think now?

I think that's better. But there's a philosophical point here that merits some consideration. Your final product is a work of art. It ought to be. It's not, and never can be, simply a xerox of reality. What difference does it really make that the road was/is concrete? If that doesn't work for your artistic interpretation of the scene, then by all means alter it so that it works in your final image.

Of course, that assumes you can do so without loosing quality or without making it look artificial and out of place. But those are artistic considerations, not questions about whether the images accurately replicates reality. Right? Some images need to replicate reality. Sure. But not a shot like this, which, I assume, is intended to evoke a mood or emotion.

What do you think?

cjmchch

jeffmeyers wrote:

I think that's better. But there's a philosophical point here that merits some consideration. Your final product is a work of art. It ought to be. It's not, and never can be, simply a xerox of reality. What difference does it really make that the road was/is concrete? If that doesn't work for your artistic interpretation of the scene, then by all means alter it so that it works in your final image.

Of course, that assumes you can do so without loosing quality or without making it look artificial and out of place. But those are artistic considerations, not questions about whether the images accurately replicates reality. Right? Some images need to replicate reality. Sure. But not a shot like this, which, I assume, is intended to evoke a mood or emotion.

What do you think?

I can't argue with that....very well said really.

My response:

sweet caroline

I like your new edit! You've minimized distractions, which actually makes it look more natural to me. I've seen scenes like this- bright, contrasty, and saturated- many times in real life.

Caroline

redleash

I like the latest version also, but I thought all of them were nice. I found it a pleasing image to begin with. Interestingly, my eyes were drawn to the sky and clouds first, then the mountains. I also liked the fact that the road and the river followed the same curved line. So, we all look at it differently I guess!

I think Jeff's words are right on--the image is art and you are the artist, so you need to like it.

Eia

I bet this would look good in black and white too...

hiroProtagonist

Interesting shot, I've always liked "the road off into the distance" theme. Doesn't look like this road gets much traffic or did you just plan for off hours? One thing I really like about the shot is no roadside litter, did you have to do a clean up first?

cjmchch

hiroProtagonist wrote:

Interesting shot, I've always liked "the road off into the distance" theme. Doesn't look like this road gets much traffic or did you just plan for off hours? One thing I really like about the shot is no roadside litter, did you have to do a clean up first?

Haha...thanks for the comments first and foremost. It is interesting looking through others eyes and seeing what they see.

This road is actually about 100kms long, is a single lane dirt/gravel road, apart from the odd bridge along the way where rivers are too deep to traverse, so every hur is an off hour on this road. A lot of the reason for the crispness in the colours, and the photo is the lack of pollution in this area as it is off the beaten track. For the most part it is incredibly bumpy, dirty and very hilly, not to mention winding its way up and down hills. This area is covered in snow in winter and obvioulsy makes for a great winter shot, just a lot more dangerous getting there.

Road side litter.......this is New Zeland my friend...we use rubbish bins, and for the odd ungrateful tourist that throws their rubbish out the window, we pick it up for them (well that's the version I'll give anyway).

cjmchch

Eia wrote:

I bet this would look good in black and white too...

Well I thought I'd give it a try...what do you think?

dlplumer

I personally like the b&w more

Shootin1st

Like both, but prefer the B&W as well.

hawkeye978

I think I prefer the B&W also. I was having a problem with the leading line of the road sending me to the left but I think there are more interesting items to view on the right. The B&W seems to help that somewhat but I still get drawn away from most of the photo. Not sure how to correct (or if it's a real problem) because of the composition of the shot.

cjmchch

Thanks guys for all the positive C&C's. Interestingly the composition of this shot has very little to do with the scenery, more the lines that were perpetuated against the beauty. It was my idea to draw the road back from the scenery so that 'lines' became the focal point of the photo. As it has transpired it seems that I may have succeeded in doing that given the comments about how your eyes are drawn away from the scenery.

Whatever the outcome, it has been a worthwhile exercise for me in adjusting an image to meet the needs of the viewer, but also, trying my hand at something new.

Thanks to you all.clapclap