Painted Hills Evening+edit

Pretty scene, in general i really like this. A couple thoughts: 1) maybe a tad more midtone contrast--image looks slightly 'flat'. 2) I think it might have been stronger with more of a classic near-far comp, with the lichen covered rocks even closer to the camera--but this is still a solid comp.

I really like the lichen in the foreground and overall color palette. Beautiful image.

Guy

I like the elements a lot. Comp and light could maybe be tweaked a bit. Cropping the left side (up to the rock) and some of the bottom seems a bit stronger to me.

Beautiful sky and clouds and painted hills in the mg are nice too. for me, the immediate fg is not as interesting as the rest of the image. If it were mine, I might try a small crop from the bottom of the frame. Either way, a very pleasing image.

Thank you all for the constructive feedback...it's much appreciated.

Stan: I've tweaked the contrast a little more. I used a midtone curve but then various masks to balance out the sky, horizon line and mid-ground area. I boosted the mid-ground mask a bit more and made sure it didn't result in oversaturation.

Tony: I've posted a crop as you've suggested. I think at the time of capture I was more concerned with fitting in the distant sunset cloud along the left. Cropping a little off the left and bottom gives the comp more of the snug feeling I like. Thank you for the suggestion.

Aaron,

I have wanted to visit the Pianted Hill for a while. This is a nice image. I agree with Stan that the mid-tones could use a bit of a boost. You might also conside a crop from the top, down to the bottom of the dark cloud on the far right. This puts more emphasis on the hills and your nice foreground. I really like the grasses, and the composition overall.

--P

It is interesting to see the painted hills in the context of their surrounding landscape. I have never seen them in person and have always wondered about their scale and the surrounding landscape.

The soft light in your photo accentuates the color in the hills which contrast nicely with their surroundings. The color in the sky complements the scene nicely.

I like this Aaron, but just slightly too much foreground IMO. Beautiful scene.

Just saw your repost, Aaron; I like it much better, but I know what you mean about the sunset cloud.

The painted hills in the middle ground are exquisite! The comp is good, but the repost is a distinct improvement. I'd also second Preston's suggestion to crop the top slightly, which would emphasize the more colorful clouds on the left.

There is a lot going on in this image, and unfortunately I think the Painted Hills and their wonderful texture/shapes gets lost with that colorful foreground and sky. I can appreciate this scene since it's a different view than you'd normally see, though. The reds in the Hills look pretty intense.

Aaron,

Excellent near/far landscape from the Painted Hills. I like this very much. The repost is great, although in terms of contrast I would go for something between the two. Nice work to capture this broader landscape from here.

Lon