First 2 From Maui

[Mike Lewis]

So this is really one photographic idea, but I have 2 slightly different versions of it. I'd like to get folks take on which they like. I have things I like about both of them, and so am not clear on which one to feature on my website.

These are both from our week long Maui trip, which was very enjoyable and also generated a fair number of images I am happy with. This particular pair is from the Road to Hana, nearing the last part of the day. it is from one of the few decent overlooks along the otherwise very narrow, windy, and congested road. This first has some foreground elements that I did not get in perfect focus, but they still seem to add something to the image in my mind.

A few mins later I framed this up without the foreground and shot this:

There is a decent drop from the first image that accomplishes the same thing as the 2nd version, namely the same view but without the closest foreground elements. I will be trickling out more stuff in the coming days, but wanted to start with these to get some opinions.

ML

 

[Ben Egbert]

I like the first one best. If it were mine, I would crop a bit off the bottom. Just enough to eliminate the smaller bushes but leave the taller one. If you go for a 16x9 you could take the rest from the top.

 

[AlanLichty]

First one for me too - I like the leading lines it presents with the foreground plants included. If I was cropping it I would take it all of the top and leave the bottom alone other than maybe some careful spot healing brush down in the far lower right corner for the OOF leaves.

 

[MonikaC]

Ke'anae Peninsula? 1st one for me, too. Maybe a 16:9 crop?

 

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks to all for the input. I will try a 16 : 9 crop of the first one. I think it might have been in the Ke'anae Peninsula area actually, certainly along that same road for sure.

ML

 

[Mike Lewis]

Here are 2 different 16:9 crops of image number 1. The first crops just off the top,

the 2nd crops from both top and bottom some.

ML

 

[JimFox]

It's great to have you back Mike. I hope you had a good trip over there.

My favorites are your last edit, though the foreground leaves in the lower left distract my eye since they are a different shape and color then the leaves behind them. If there was a way to get rid of those, that would make it look so much nicer.

Shooting from overlooks like that are hard to do, because invariably there are other plants and trees growing up in front of a more uniform vegetation layer. As you see here. But you know that since your first crop avoided all of that. Those are just some tough overlooks, for sure.

What I have done sometimes when they can't be avoided is to use a layer mask, select those areas, and then adjust the coloring of the very closest leaves to match the background a bit more. Color Range and Selective Color are very powerful in that regards. Because my thinking has been that even if the shapes don't match, by blending the colors closer they don't stand out as much, and stop being a distraction, but simply turn help fill out the foreground framing on the bottom.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Jim,

great input. I might go back and try some more edits on this, although I am ready to step away from these for a little while as i have spent quite a few hours organizing, culling, and processing all the images from the trip. But I'm sure I can get back to it in a little while.

ML

 

[Ben Egbert]

I really like the second image.

 

[AlanLichty]

I lean towards the first edit. I like the fact that it keeps the ocean from being dead centered in the frame and don't mind the vegetation down in front at all. Seeing more of the vegetation in front gives it a better context in the scene whereas in #2 the fragments of the viewpoint vegetation seem out of place in the scene.

 

[Mike Lewis]

Thanks for all the input. I am leaning towards the first crop myself I think, for many of the same reasons that Alan mentioned. Do appreciate everyone's candid input though - really great and helps me decide how I feel about it myself.

ML

 

[MonikaC]

Agree with Alan: 1st crop for those reasons.