Too Bright...

[w7xman]

Well, as my girlfriend was out of commission with a bruised leg, we didn't hike to the zeacliff this weekend. Instead, I hit two locations that I wanted to shoot up north of the notches.

This was shot from Reflection Pond, just east of Gorham. It was a surreal experience being there at dawn, in the calm mist. A few otters came over to complain about my presence, but otherwise, a very quiet morning considering my proximity to route 2.

This scene was very bright, and I'm curious if it came off too white, too high key, and would need to be toned down a bit. I shot it RAW, so I have some options. This is a rough draft of sorts, and would appreciate feedback!

I of course also welcom honest thoughts on composition as well, as I have a few varied comps to process later this week...

Thanks in advance!



Canon 20D w/Sigma 18-200 @ 60mm
0.8 Seconds @ F11
ISO 100
2 Stop Soft Graduated Neutral Density Filter
Polarizer

 

[Grumpy]

I did a screen grab and played with your image a bit in Photoshop.

First, using the curves adjustment, I dragged the middle of the curve down slightly. That darkened things overall, produced a touch more contrast in the upper tones and made the reflection in the pond surface pop a little more. But I decided the effect started to look artifical and overly manipulated.

I also thought it might be nicer to see more tone in the sky and background, so I selected that area and played a bit with curves. I liked some of what appeared in the background mountain (upper right) when the image was darkened and the contrast bumped upward there, but then decided it diminished the "mist effect," which seems to be a major point in the picture.

In the end, I concluded you have it about right, with only minor tweaking needed to fully satisfy your own good taste and vision.

G.

 

[NewHampshire]

There is one patch where fog meets sky in the upper center that does looka bit bright, but overall I don't think it detracts from the image in its total.

I say keep it as is.

Brian