Was loving the gradient on one of the first warms days of the year. Any suggestions on how to improve for next time? I was more focused on getting the mountains where I wanted them and as a result the moon isn't in the most ideal location within the image.
Would you try to move the moon in photoshop? Or add some stars in photoshop? curious how people feel about that kind of alteration
I too find the gradient to be appealing in this image. I don't know if the moon needs moved per se. If anything, I'd leave it where it is and make it a little larger. It makes a good counterbalance to the mountains where it is now.
I like the idea of scaling it up a bit! While I think ultimately Ill keep the final image as is, I think i will play around with resizing the moon as you said
Wow!! Just amazing. The fact that this is image from camera is even more appreciable. For me everything is good.
Nice job, Evan. I wouldn't move the moon. To my way of thinking, it's such a simple image that if you move the moon, you may as well synthesise the whole thing. I'm sure many would move that moon, and I'd never guess, but for me the very appeal of photography is its capacity to portray the wonder of the real world. An imagined world exists in other art forms - paintings, sculptures drama and others, but I like the distinctiveness of photography for the above reason. As for adding stars... no! Even more so.
What would your more "ideal location" for the moon be here, incidentally? The following would be enough of a move for me.
I like that location a lot, but have always been in the camp of capturing the "real world". Glad to hear others are of the same mindset.
Just gotta make sure I'm not cutting myself short!
Wonderful image Evan. My personal viewpoint is that unless you are trying to pass this as a pure documentary then it is OK to use artistic license and move the moon to best suit your vision for this.
That said, I do agree with Chris, and feel that the positioning high in the sky provides a sense of scale. Although small, I actually feel the moon contributes greatly to the image.
I really like Chris's crop, for me that seems slightly more balanced (although I can't explain why). My initial reaction is that I would have liked to have seen just a tad more of the foreground (for balance), but this may be an entirely personal preference..
Looking forward to seeing more work from you, please consider engaging in other discussions so members can benefit from your own viewpoint.
It's not a crop, Alan - I DID move the moon. Just for this exercise, you understand... (Cropping's just as nefarious, anyway!)
;-)
I think Evan's bold use of the tiny sliver of horizon features is not what I'd have thought of here in his place: (I'd have been inclined to include more land for balance as you say), but it works very well, adding to the "big sky" look in combination with the tiny moon. He's avoided the conventional notions of balanced composition here as I see it, with good effect.
Hmmm.... I think you have created an optical illusion there Chris. Your update looks narrower but perhaps that is just due to the sizing in the post.
Welcome to the dark side,- sit back and make yourself comfortable (-;
Appreciate both of y'all! I agree, the scale here really stands out.
Traditionally I too would have included more foreground but on this particular day, the water was choppy and ultimately distracting from the beautifully simple gradient above which is why I chose to exclude it. I originally was thinking of leaving the mountains out as well and going very abstract, but feel that the mountains really ground the image and provide that scale along with the tiny moon.
Good call, Evan.
I agree with the others, the moon is fine where it is. This is a superb image. I think its refreshing to see the moon this size once in a while, unlike the photos where you see a composite that takes up a third of the frame. I do think that if you were to alter it by adding stars or moving the moon it shouldn't be presented as though it were shot as such.