This is my first post to introduce myself. I live in Northern California and specialize (at a very amateur level) in landscapes and a few weddings here and there. Please have a look at some of my work. www.winephoto.smugmug.com

Hi Jeff and welcome,

your portfolio is quite impressive. I assume that many of your landscapes are HDR? They are lovely.

Looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Jim

Hey Jeff,

Welcom to the community! I agree with Jim, your portfolio is really quite good. Is there one photograph that you would like critiqued?

Cheers!
James

Thank you. Jim, actually none of my stuff is HDR. I've got the trial version of Photomatix and have played around with it but that's all. I was using a Cokin gradND until it got too scratched up and then I found out I have more control for extreme exposure scenarios to shoot an exposure for sky and one for FG and blend in PS with layer masks. For shots that are not that extreme exposure wise I just use Ajdjustment layers with differing degrees of Levels. I don't Dodge or Burn either.

Here is one I could use a critique on. One thing right off the bat I'm aware of is it could probably use a little crop off the top but I've left it that way as on my website, customers would have the option for numerous crop choices for whatever frame they were going to put the print in. Thanks for any thoughts or comments.

http://www.winephoto.smugmug.com/gallery/2578046_jEjf2#260052121_7G7kg-XL-LB

Jeff,
there are folks here who are much better at formal critiques than I am and folks that are much more landscape oriented than me. My reaction to an image has to be at a gut level; not at a cerebral level: does the image move me; does it talk to me.

I love the image as is. To me, based on my monitor, the exposures are right on the money. I love the way that the foreground moves my eyes to the left of the frame and then they are brought to the right by the fog bank. Compositionally, the image is quite good.

Technically, it's also very good. I'd love to have some technical information but that's for the right side of my brain. Creatively, it's a very marketable image.

As I said, you do nice work. Shooting in wine country isn't exactly uninspiring of course. But getting great images takes more than a great location.

Thanks for sharing,

Jim

I took a look through your gallery and found some excellent scenes. Here is my critique of this one. I used the template for critiquing found as a sticky to this forum.

Composition/use of frame space 2
I find this composition busy, with oblique lines going in several directions. The top wire of the fence follows the ridge line - for me a negative. There are a lot of things going on in this frame ('sunset' clouds, fog in the valley, house on the left, fence, and the post lying nearby) but none really stands out as the "subject". The leading lines of the ridge and fence are pulling the eye to the left, while the stated subject (fog) lies on the right.

Colors/White Balance 4
No issues with colour. Intensities of the colours nicely controlled.
Exposure 5
Although there are some dark areas, I find the exposures well balanced.

Creative use of Aperture/Shutter 4
Close foreground and distance both seem to be in sharp focus, indicating an appropriate aperture.

Perspective 2
I do get the impression that I want to view this from a point to camera left, and see more of the fog. The right hand hill is blocking my view.
Creativity 4
Good.
Emotion 4
The fog and the sun-lit clouds are both attractive elements of the composition that move the viewer.
Forethought/Visualization 2
The same thoughts as in "Perspective".
Post processing 4
When PP is done right, it's not noticed all that much. No issues here.

I'm not sure I like the "template" for critiquing, but it does force one to consider many aspects of the picture. This is my first landscape critique, so I don't know how it will differ from the others you may get here, or if my numbers will be similar at all. I hope this is helpful.

Thank you Jim for the detailed critique. The composition was not exactly what I would have chosen given complete freedom. The fence came to a "T" right here and I'm pulling down the other part of it to keep it out of the shot. California is so fenced in :-( and I'm usually pretty uncomfortable crossing fence lines to get shots. The first shot I took here was horizontal and does not include the fence as I shot over it. Then I thought perhaps I could do another and include the fence and use it as part of the compo. With what I had to work with, I'm pretty satisfied. But it is always nice to see how others view it and what I might be able to use on another similar situation where I might have a little more control and freedom. Thanks again.

Hi Jeff,

I had to examine your photograph many times before feeling like I could make a critique of it. I like how pbase allows you to view it at different resolutions. After looking at it in the 'large' that was initially posted, I also examined it at xl and 2x.

Composition/use of frame space - This is a very interesting photograph. As Jim mentioned, it has many exciting features and none seems to be the master. For example, you have the beautiful sunset and interesting topography in an almost 50-50 split. The sunset looks pretty, but is not so dramatic that it should take up so much space. The foreground has very interesting light hitting it, but often seems busy, and seems to get a bit muddied as it moves towards the middle of the frame. Some of the things that Jim mentions as possible anchors, I find a bit distracting as I look for a subject. For example, the fallen post on the lower left of the frame.

I am very curious as to why you used the title 'Fenced in Fog,' as it takes up so little of the frame. My eyes are drawn more to the sunset and the brighter foreground. Unlike Jim, I do not mind the line of the wire fence. Initially, that is what I thought you were talking about in some way when I examined the title of the photograph.

Colors/White Balance - beautiful colors - from so many different places. My eyes are drawn to the rich pinks in the sky as well as the warm greens on the grass up front.

Exposure - Excellent with very wide ranges in color. Was a ND grad filter used on this shot? It seems that the mountain ridge line is just a tad bit darker than it should be.

Creative use of Aperture/Shutter - no comment.

Perspective - I agree with Jim on this. Particularly given the title of the image, I want to see more fog in the photo. I think I would also want to come in not only 'from the left' but also use a longer focal length and really make the fog and area around it the subject of the photo.

Creativity - Very creative use of the frame. There is so much in the photo to feast the eyes on.

Emotion - I want to be more impacted by this photo. It has so many solid elements in it that I think are spectacular. However, it does not come together for me as the different elements 'fight' for lack of a better word for it, for space.

Forethought/Visualization - No comment.

Post processing - Just very well done over-all. I imagine that this was a very tough photograph to capture and keep together in the way that you did.

Over-all - a very interesting photograph that has lots of great elements in it. I think some of those elements need to be isolated so that it simplifies the image a bit.

-James