Opinions on brightness

[RecceDen]

I took this shot last year near a place called Kimmeridge in Dorset.



I used my 18-55mm kit lens fitted with a B+W 10 stop ND filter.

Exif:

Camera Nikon D3000
Exposure 25s
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

I am looking to get have it put to print but need some advice.

To me the slab of rocks on the left looks too bright. Should I darken it? or will darkening it loose the main area of focus?

Any other comments on the PP would be appreciative.

RD

[NgaiHill]

What a stunning photo! I think the rocks look just right, I like how they graduate from dark in the foreground and lighten as you go deeper into the scene, draws me in all the way.

[baycruisers]

I wouldn't change a thing. The rocks and the clouds draw the eye to the focal point of the image.

Outstanding!

[LeeR]

I don't know what software you have but I ran this image through Camera Raw and have a couple of suggestions. Hard as it may be to believe, this image is just slightly underexposed; that is, you don't have any pure whites (according to the histogram.) I increased the exposure just a bit, then raised the blacks to deepen the rocks in the foreground and increase the contrast in the "bright" rocks. Finally, I increased the saturation just a tad. I think you have a great shot to start with, but I was pleased with the results I got using the directions above. Try it and see if you agree.

[photofun]

I tink it's a beautiful image although I'd be curious to see LeeR's suggestions!

[megkunert]

Stunning. IMO, you don't need to change a thing. But I'm interested to see if the above suggestion by Leer improves it any. Would love to see a before & after.

I can't believe you shot this with the kit lens. So good!!

[wasco55]

First of all a stunnig image with a wonderful ligth.
My personal opinion is that the bright area on the left would benefit from being a bit darker.
But what I think is the biggest problem, is that you have some heavy shadowclippings in the front area of the image .
There is also a small dust mark up on the left side of the image. This should be removed

[RecceDen]

Originally Posted by NgaiHill

What a stunning photo! I think the rocks look just right, I like how they graduate from dark in the foreground and lighten as you go deeper into the scene, draws me in all the way.

Thanks for your kind words NgaiHill.

Originally Posted by baycruisers

I wouldn't change a thing. The rocks and the clouds draw the eye to the focal point of the image.

Outstanding!

Thanks baycruisers, its very stunning the area I went to. The coastline dates to the Jurassic Period in that area of England.

Originally Posted by LeeR

I don't know what software you have but I ran this image through Camera Raw and have a couple of suggestions. Hard as it may be to believe, this image is just slightly underexposed; that is, you don't have any pure whites (according to the histogram.) I increased the exposure just a bit, then raised the blacks to deepen the rocks in the foreground and increase the contrast in the "bright" rocks. Finally, I increased the saturation just a tad. I think you have a great shot to start with, but I was pleased with the results I got using the directions above. Try it and see if you agree.

Lee I have LR. I am not that great on the PP side of life mainly using presets by others once I have done the basic clippings and and any cropping. I will have a look and see how my version of your PP suggestions comes out. I would like to compare the two if you still have the file you worked on.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Originally Posted by megkunert

Stunning. IMO, you don't need to change a thing. But I'm interested to see if the above suggestion by Leer improves it any. Would love to see a before & after.

I can't believe you shot this with the kit lens. So good!!

Thanks megkunert. I would love to see Lee's version and I will post my one once its done..

Originally Posted by wasco55

First of all a stunnig image with a wonderful ligth.
My personal opinion is that the bright area on the left would benefit from being a bit darker.
But what I think is the biggest problem, is that you have some heavy shadowclippings in the front area of the image .
There is also a small dust mark up on the left side of the image. This should be removed

I dont know how I missed the dust spot in the upper left of the image. Well spotted wasco, I will sort that when I have a look at Lee's PP suggestions.

Thanks for all your kind comments and suggestions.

RD

[milosh]

I think you have a beautiful image here. Nice use of the ND filter by the way!

I also think that the whole foreground (all rocks) could be brightened a bit (5-10%). The bright rocks on the left could use some brightening, and the same could be said for the most foreground rocks, which are underexposed. I think you should take care not to brighten them too much, because, when they are darker than the rocks on the far left (like now), they don't compete with them for attention. They serve to lead the eye nicely towards the brightest rocks. I would also try to increase overall contrast just a bit, maybe slight sharpening of the rocks, and possibly increase saturation a bit.

The easiest way to selectively lighten an image in LR is to use Adjustment brush. When you are in Develop module of LR, press K to open the Adjustment brush. Then, adjust the Exposure slider (in the Adj. brush) to your liking, adjust brush size, feather and density, and check the Auto mask option. Then simply try to brush over the rocks evenly, not going over the edges too much. When you are done, you can change the value of the Exposure slider again if needed.

[PaulE]

I like the beginning photo as well, but I think it could be improved by a little pp.
I did some pp on it.
- cropped a bit off the sky so that the end of the rocks falls in a 'golden section' (slightly different focus area than rule of thirds)
- Saturation was put up a few points
- Levels was done (white increased)
- smart sharpening done
See what you think