need critique on vignette and lens flare

[emlee]

Hi, I took this picture on a full frame body, 17mm lens, f/22. This is a view of lower pierce reservior from upp pierce reservior.

The vignette effect came as a surprise, but I liked it a lot. There is also a light ring, like a flare around the sun. I'm not sure if it is a lens problem, or if it was a natural effect not visible to the naked eye at that time.

I seek your feedback on 2 items:
1) your comments on the vignette
2) does the light ring bothers you (or if it is acceptable)
3) if you have any constructive comments, please drop a note too.

thanks in advance for viewing and notes.

[nigel84]

Firstly i think i would try to correct the horizon, it looks slanted. The light ring does not affect me, however i thought this pic tonal range could it brought out more.

[calebk]

Originally Posted by nigel84 Firstly i think i would try to correct the horizon, it looks slanted. The light ring does not affect me, however i thought this pic tonal range could it brought out more.

Hmm with the foliage lining the horizon, the slant in the horizon can be forgiven, but that's just me.

[emlee]

Originally Posted by nigel84 Firstly i think i would try to correct the horizon, it looks slanted. The light ring does not affect me, however i thought this pic tonal range could it brought out more.

thanks Nigel for the comments.
actually, the horizon is not slanted (well, maybe a bit), but it's hard to tell as the shore line and the tree line was not tangent to my line of sight, hence you notice those 2 lines converge a bit. nonetheless, i do get what you mean.

thanks for the feedback on tonal range. i know it's a problem and i haven't the time to burn the fore ground or do some HDR yet (i took 2 other shots at 0EV and +2EV).

Finally, thanks for the feedback on the light ring.

Originally Posted by calebk Hmm with the foliage lining the horizon, the slant in the horizon can be forgiven, but that's just me.

Hi calebk, indeed, the foilage "hides" the fact that the horizon may really have been slanted. i took extra effort to guess if my shot was levelled (no spirit level).

How about the Vignette? Is that a problem to anyone?

[calebk]

I am a strong fan of vignetting (but try not to overuse it), because it brings attention to a centralised (or near-center) subject. In this case, since the sun is a possible focal point, I guess it is okay to have the vignetting in the frame.

Honestly though, I don't think it is so much vignetting, but more of how the scene is lit. With only one light source, and underexposure such that the one light source is not blown out, there will be a natural light fall off.

[night86mare]

the mood is there, the exposure is great, even the huge amount of space is great but the composition spoils it all, the messy treeline and haphazard arrangement of the blackness/elements in silhouette leaves much to be desired - i am not so familiar with upper peirce but i am sure that moving to the left a wee bit and shooting the scene straight on might lead to an improvement, though i'm not 100% certain.

[emlee]

Originally Posted by night86mare the mood is there, the exposure is great, even the huge amount of space is great but the composition spoils it all, the messy treeline and haphazard arrangement of the blackness/elements in silhouette leaves much to be desired - i am not so familiar with upper peirce but i am sure that moving to the left a wee bit and shooting the scene straight on might lead to an improvement, though i'm not 100% certain.

thanks for the feedback. got your point. i need to really look out for silhouette shots (and keep practicing). just got bashed in another track for a lousy silhouette...

a recee picture to share, i happen to take another shot at landscape orientation. notice that the shadow of the trees inadvertently create the illusion that the horizon is not straight. this might answer Nigel's point on the horizon. on closer inspection, i may have stepped to the right from this shot when i took the picture in question. your suggestion might work afterall.

[nigel84]

hmmm i see i see. Now i understand. Thx.

[Kit]

In this case, the horizon is not parallel to the camera, so even if its tilted its not obvious or detrimental to the composition. No issues with the vignetting but I would loose the flare, up the contrast and try a B&W conversion. I got a feeling this is going to be quite a killer B&W.

[Eloriel]

Agreed, it could be a nice black nad white -- if only there was less overexposure. B+Ws rely too much on tonal range for this to be a good one. I mean, I can imagine that you'd see a vast patch of plain white in the centre of the photo - not very interesting. (:

And I feel that the first picture is less of a vignette and more of a light fall-off than the second picture. If you want a more defined vignette, using many filters may help. Haha.

[emlee]

Originally Posted by Kit In this case, the horizon is not parallel to the camera, so even if its tilted its not obvious or detrimental to the composition. No issues with the vignetting but I would loose the flare, up the contrast and try a B&W conversion. I got a feeling this is going to be quite a killer B&W.

thanks for the feedback on the flare. Not really sure why it was there in the first place, hence not sure how to get rid of it. that's why i wanted feedback if it was a problem to the picture. i suspect it could be due to the f/22 aperture. will have to test it again.

as for B&W, i'll try it sometime later. learning other things now.

Originally Posted by Eloriel Agreed, it could be a nice black nad white -- if only there was less overexposure. B+Ws rely too much on tonal range for this to be a good one. I mean, I can imagine that you'd see a vast patch of plain white in the centre of the photo - not very interesting. (: And I feel that the first picture is less of a vignette and more of a light fall-off than the second picture. If you want a more defined vignette, using many filters may help. Haha.

hi Eloriel, the 2nd picture is not for comment, it is a "recee" picture to show viewers the scene where the picture in question is taken. but thanks for your comments anyway.
what's the difference between vignette and light fall off? i tot they are the same?