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Landscapes At Some National Parks #37265
11/10/11 11:44 AM
11/10/11 11:44 AM
Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
Jim Garvie Offline OP
Addict
Jim Garvie  Offline OP
Addict

Joined: Mar 2005
Florida
A little over a year ago, we were in Greeley CO photographing the American Rottweiler Club's National Specialty. On our way home, we had the opportunity to spend some time in some incredibly scenic country including the Rocky Mountain National Park and Mesa Verde, the location of the famous Anastazi cliff dwellings. After a week of show formals and ring candids, this was truly a major departure for me and I've just recently gotten to editing some of the images from that trip. In doing so, I realized that landscapes are not my strong suit smile. My images are OK. But whether it's a lack of vision or a lack of patience (I suspect a bit of both), they don't have the impact of the images I see from Roman, Marty, Tony and James among others. So, I thought I'd share some and get some feedback. It's not that I someday hope to be a famous landscape photographer. Nor do I expect that my landscape work will ever generate a dime of income. I'd just like to be better at something I love but can't seem to conquer.

This first image was taken in the Rocky Mountain National Park and captures the warmth of the spring sun on the meadows contrasted with the snow falling on the mountains in the background.



A few days later, on our way from Greeley to Mesa Verde in the Southwest corner of the state, we passed through the San Juan range which I frankly found more photogenic than the Rockies.



And, once we arrived at Mesa Verde, there is the climb to the top of the Mesa.



And, finally, the cliff dwellings themselves.



So, if you wish to comment/critique, feel free. Meanwhile, I'm just going to have to work on my technique until I'm totally happy with the results.

Jim


Jim Garvie
www.jagphoto.biz
Re: Landscapes At Some National Parks [Re: Jim Garvie] #37266
11/10/11 12:07 PM
11/10/11 12:07 PM
Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
James Morrissey Offline
I
James Morrissey  Offline
I
Carpal Tunnel

Joined: Feb 2005
Manhattan, New York, New York
Hey Jim,

Thanks for sharing. My favorite of the series is the cliff dwelling. Another place on the 'must go to' list for me - which is unfortunately way too long.

James

Re: Landscapes At Some National Parks [Re: Jim Garvie] #37484
11/24/11 05:15 PM
11/24/11 05:15 PM
Joined: Jul 2007
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Tucson Jim Offline
Old hand
Tucson Jim  Offline
Old hand

Joined: Jul 2007
Tucson, Arizona, USA
Jim:

I just got back from a trip and saw this post, along with many others, as I got myself caught up with the goings on at NWP. I notice that it has been two weeks since you posted asking for feedback and you haven't really gotten any. I'm not very good, but in the interest of trying to be helpful, I'll be glad to offer some of my opinions.

I am fortunate enough to do a fair amount of travelling to some pretty great locations. While travelling, I take a ton of snapshots of things that capture my interest for whatever reason. In these cases, the photography ends up incidental to the travel as opposed to the reason for it. As a result, what thought I do put into my photography is primarily centered on making sure I have an acceptable exposure. Generally speaking, I have paid little interest to composition except in the most basic terms. e.g., Rule of Thirds, Don't center the horizon, etc. The end result is I end up with pictures that are technically acceptable but of little interest to anyone but my wife and me. They serve as a record of our visit and stimulate our many fond memories, which is what they are intended to do.

I would put the pictures you posted in the "record" category as well. They record the scene, but fail to adequately communicate what was special about it that prompted you to take the shot. Since you posted several shots, I'll limit my specific suggestions to the first one.

I know you indicated that it was intended to show the contrast between the warmth of the spring sun on the meadows and the snow falling on the mountains in the background. To my eyes, the meadow in the foreground looks as gray and overcast as the mountains in the background. It looks like the air is hazy, the yellow and green of the grassland looks dull, as do the trees on the near mountain on the left. In addition, the clouds have swallowed up the mountain peaks in the background and the mountains in the mid-ground kind of blend in with the clouds a bit. There is also a lack of detail in the clouds themselves.

You can improve some of this with a little judicious post processing. Darkening the highlights in the clouds will help make it look more like a snowstorm in the mountains rather than just an overcast. A careful bumping up of the contrast and mid-tones in the foreground will brighten up the colors so they don't look so muddled and will improve the juxtaposition of the mountains in the background with the gathering storm. In addition, I think this photograph would benefit from something in the foreground for interest and to help demonstrate scale.

Hope this is helpful.

Jim


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