Minakami natural beauty

[jasony8]

Took this shot in a recent trip to Minakami, a more rural area in Japan. It was at least 4 hours bus ride away from Tokyo, this place was absolutely stunning.

I just want to know what you guys think of the overall composition of this photo, the sign in the foreground and the wide landscape in the background. Does it work?

What do you the exposure? Foreground.. too dark? Sky...too bright?
I am not sure how I can modify this so that I can keep the detail in the landscape and ensure that the sky is not overexposed or washed out... (Suggestions would be helpful! )



Exif Data:
Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II
Exposure 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture f/16.0
Focal Length 24 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire

Any additional comments/feedback is appreciated!
Thanks in advance!

Please visit Jason Yeung Photography | Personal Portfolio for my personal portfolio

[dlambert]

It seems a little busy to me. There's a lot of stuff going on in the background, some of which might be interesting. I can't quite make out what's going on in any part of the background in any detail, though.

I think I might either make the sign a stronger foreground element (de-emphasizing the background - maybe even a narrower aperture to de-focus parts of the background) or de-emphasize the sign in favor of the background. To put it another way, if I'm supposed to be looking at the sign, the background is too busy; if I'm supposed to be looking at the pond, then the sign is in the way just a bit too much.

I like the alignment of the sign with the lines of the background, though.

[Krusty79]

The sign in the foreground is okay, but I can't tell if you wanted to lead the viewer's eye towards the landscape or the clouds. Each takes up half the image, so they seem to be given equal emphasis. It's better to have one definite subject. In this case, I think I would have preferred more of the landscape and less of the sky.

A graduated neutral density filter will help when the sky is much brighter than the rest of the image, like in this shot, although it's still better to shoot closer to sunset. Also, a circular polarizer will cut glare from non-metallic surfaces, like the water.

[Krusty79]

Instead of a boring shot, you have the opposite issue with 3 things in it that compete for my attention - the sign, sky & landscape. I can see why you wanted to include that sky, as it's almost interesting enough to merit its own shot.

I think a panorama of this scene would be cool.

[bruceliv]

If the subject is the sign, then a crop is in order. If the subject is the "natural beauty," then unfortunately, the prominent sign interferes. Very interesting place, though.

I agree re: grad filters. After the fact it can be achieved in PP. For example in CS4 or higher, ACR has an adjustable ND filter. The polarizer may or may not work on the water and/or sky. Depends on angle of polarized light.