Grand Teton critique of composition, angle, I want to get this right...

NancyMoranG · May 31, 2020

Been trying to get up and catch sunrises. I have the cahnce to take this shot again because I will be here all summer. However, the snow really makes this an extra beautiful setting. We have actually had 2- 70 degree days (after snow a week ago) and want to capture this shot as best as I can.
These are SOOC, and I do see some spots on photo. Must be internal as I do clean lens before shooting.

Comments on the angle, foreground, etc. Am trying to get better with my polarizer and 2 grad soft edge...
Thank you.
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480sparky · May 31, 2020

For me, the whole dock thing ruins the shots. They look totally out of place.

The rocks, the water, the mountains and the sky/clouds make the shot. If I were there, I'd get the camera much lower and get up close and personal with the rocks.

NancyMoranG · May 31, 2020

Thank you. I did like the bright blue color on the dock, and wondered if it added or not...

Jeff15 · May 31, 2020

I agree with sparky........

bulldurham · May 31, 2020

I would also do without the blue tents (?) and perhaps go to a lower angle, but the biggest issue I see is a lack of tonal clarity. If you want to make these kinds of shots, I'd suggest investing in a set of graduated ND filters. I did use one on your sky in the RAW editor, then in PS as you can see on the left part of the image, did some layer adjustments to gain a bit more detail and clarity in the water and on the rocks... as with all my editing, it is just a suggestion.

NancyMoranG · May 31, 2020

Thank you @bulldurham. Looks great.
Only have PSE 11 and not great at it. Another thing to learn more of this summer. ..
My polarizer was on and was trying to use my soft grad today but new at those too...

Designer · May 31, 2020

I'm partial to the wide format shots, but I am wanting something to catch my eye. Something to "spark it up". Maybe it is the strong horizontal line that cuts the scene right at the mid-point that makes it kind of "static". The blue objects on the dock might be the thing you need to make more prominent in the shot. It's really too bad there isn't a boat tied up over there.

NancyMoranG · May 31, 2020

Designer said:
I'm partial to the wide format shots, but I am wanting something to catch my eye. Something to "spark it up". Maybe it is the strong horizontal line that cuts the scene right at the mid-point that makes it kind of "static". The blue objects on the dock might be the thing you need to make more prominent in the shot. It's really too bad there isn't a boat tied up over there.

Thank you for the insight.
Normally, these slips would ALL be full of boats, but Marina still closed because of Covid-19.

K9Kirk · Jun 1, 2020

Agree with Sparky, man made things usually don't blend well with natural things unless they're made of wood themselves. All wooden docks for scenes like that look much better. The blue structures stand out in nature about as much as a pink elephant would on a city street. Other than that, I like them.

NancyMoranG · Jun 1, 2020

Thank you K9Kirk. Usually, I don't like the man made mix with nature, but I guess the aluminum and blue colors struck me.
Will post more without the dock in them.

K9Kirk · Jun 1, 2020

NancyMoranG said:
Thank you K9Kirk. Usually, I don't like the man made mix with nature, but I guess the aluminum and blue colors struck me.
Will post more without the dock in them.

They are striking and I used to view things like that the same way as you but I've come to understand over time what others were saying about such things, that they distract, detract from what really matters, like that water, mountain and sky. Looking forward to more pics.

vStiles · Jun 2, 2020

#3 You pretty have it right there. Just a little bit of colour adjust, and maybe a half stop faster on the sky. The wider angle (4) is just about there as well. The sky again, maybe 2 stops max faster.

I mentioned on your other post about your composition, so I'll just leave it at that

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I see it mentioned by bulldurham about the ND Filters and agree 100%.
A polarizer and a single 2 stop grad - if that's all you have for now - is a great start. Having those extra stops, though, really makes the difference in camera = less time behind the PC.

And yes, like others have advised so I won't rehash = man made + nature.

dennybeall · Jun 9, 2020

Too much foreground for my taste. Prefer the wide angle.

johngpt · Jun 9, 2020

I like the composition of #3 the most, with the foreground rocks leading into the water and then mountains.
I'd use a tripod and bracket the exposures to avoid blowing the highlights in the clouds if a graduated ND filter isn't available. PSE 11 would allow you to layer the bracketed images. There are tricks for Elements to create masks. If I remember correctly Elements doesn't allow masks on image layers and the trick is to use the masks that are on the adjustment layers. But Elements may have advanced enough to make this work around unnecessary.
I'd try to frame to avoid the blue tents, but if not PSE 11 would allow one to clone them out in the edit process.

NancyMoranG · Jun 9, 2020

Thank you for commenting. The rocks are disappearing as the snow melts and lake rises!!
They opened the boat ramp to the left and my quiet mornings may be over.