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View Full Version : View from Otter Cliffs



Ed Vatza
06-24-2009, 05:48 AM
... in Acadia National Park looking toward Gorham Mountain, The Beehive and Champlain Mountain with Sand Beach to the right.

Canon 30D; Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L; tripod-mounted

3-image composite

Roman Kurywczak
06-24-2009, 07:22 AM
Hey Ed,
Looks a bit dark overall.....but I think that only adds to it! You chose some very nice FG rocks and I like the way they lead you through the image and draws you to the clouds. I have debated a crop off the left(cut the 2 in 2009 in half)) with only the 2 evergreens....but am OK with it as presented also. The HDR may be a bit un-natural to some but i find it has quite a bit of appeal (for me anyway). Nice job composing this one and it's nice to get the clouds to cooperate every once in a while!

Robert Amoruso
06-24-2009, 11:24 AM
Ed,

I agree with Roman on the composition but think I would prefer to see the luminance of the image brought up some.

Ed Vatza
06-24-2009, 01:35 PM
Roman/Robert,

First off, I really appreciate your replies and comments. They are very helpful. I've never really done much in the way of landscapes before so this is taking me into some uncharted waters. I plunged into these uncharted waters because I have a very specific goal that I am working toward. I just turned 60. In June of 2011, when I am 62, I plan to be selling prints in the art show on the Village Green in Bar Harbor. Acadian landscapes sell in Acadia... who'da thunk it! So I wanted to start working on some. At the same time, I find that personally I much prefer moody landscapes over what I'll call "bright and cheery" landscapes like I have from "Atop Cadillac Mountain" and of "Bass Harbor Light." I prefer the moodiness of "Otter Cliffs from the Cobble Beach" and this one "View from Otter Cliffs" and even the mood present in the view from Bar island showing "The Village of Bar Harbor and the Mountains of Acadia". So I really resisted any temptation to kick up the luminescence or brighten it any way. It was an overcast, moody morning (that turned into a bright, cloudless afternoon) and I liked it that way.

Jay Gould
06-24-2009, 03:14 PM
Hi Ed, overall while I do like the image, and I definitely understand your desire to attain "moody", I do not find this image moody. For me, this sky isn't moody enough to create/support the dark almost overly green greens. I do like the overall image; I find only the greens to be too dark and not created by a dark and moody sky.

IMHO

Cheers, Jay

Ed Vatza
06-24-2009, 07:20 PM
This is a great place to experiment. While I do feel the image conveys moodiness (we can disagree Jay ;)) as is and I like the image a lot, I thought I would check out how it looks with a 11x14 crop (which just happens to cut it at the two trees you spoke of Roman). While I was at it, I figured I would try to brighten it up just a bit (since I still like the darker look).

Waddaya think?

Jay Gould
06-24-2009, 07:51 PM
WoW! I do like the repost. The far tree tops now more - at least to me - show the light from the various cloud densities. At the same time - I keep moving up and down between the two images - I like the slightly darker foreground trees in the original image.

Overall I think the repost has more "pop"; if you could slightly darken the foreground trees then for my eye if would be perfect.

Great work!!

Roman Kurywczak
06-25-2009, 04:03 PM
Hey Ed,
Do like the re-post especially in the FG rocks and the way they were brought up. Agree with Jay on darkening the middle ground evergreens.....would add another layer. You mean I'm going to run into you in Bar Harbor when I go up every year!!!???

Brandy Katzen
07-02-2009, 10:06 AM
I'd like the second version better if it were done as a vertical, with the right side were cropped off just after the group of mountains. Guess that just personal taste, rather than there being anything wrong with what you have, but I think there's also a nice vertical image in there.