• 0
  • 0
John Haggart's picture

Snowy Sunrise - Feedback Please

Hi, I'm new to Fstoppers community but have been enjoying the Youtube videos for many months now. I'd like to get some honest, critical feedback on my images. This one was taken yesterday morning during a brief break in the snowstorm.

Thanks!

John

Log in or register to post comments
3 Comments

Welcome! Glad you joined. You're already ahead of me, you have a profile picture. About the image! I think it is a pretty good image with plenty of potential, butthe composition isn't really working out. The horizon is on the center, maybe include more sky or more land, using the rule of thirds or the golden rule. Also, i think it may benefit from a lower angle and added depth by including a close bush or something.

This has some wonderful ingredients; snow, mountains and dramatic clouds with sun bursting through them. It seems as if you have added a tobacco effect, which I have mixed feelings about but there is something more important lacking. That is a focal point of some kind. If there had been; a building, a 4x4 vehicle, a rider on horseback or a lake for instance, then the setting would have been more impressive. I think another problem is the topography being at 90 degrees to your line of sight. This stops ones eye being allowed/drawn into the depth of the landscape.

I would have prefered it to have a little darkness above the very bright area in the sky and a dark vigniette to help create the missing sense of depth.

My last point is a personal bias, I have a few. I think you could have exposed it darker in camera, retaining more detail in the fab sky. Highlight detail is my thing, and then if needed you could have lifted the darker tones. This way the sky might have looked even better, and it looks pretty darn good as it is. I know how challenging such a sky is, with most digital cameras, and not so long ago I had just such a problem sky. I am not sure mine ended up any better than your but maybe just a touch. The reason I show the two images below, taken on the same evening, is to let you see how trying to hold the sky in these tough situations can add something to the darker portions of the scape. Embrace the dark side, is my mantra at the moment, it seems. I am not suggesting your landscape should be made as dark as my scapes they are just to illustrate my point. Many may feel I have taken them too far. But they are exactly as I like them and I could easily have lightened them further in post if I had wanted to.

https://fstoppers.com/photo/100413

https://fstoppers.com/photo/100451

Thank you both for the feedback. It is much appreciated!