Critique Four from Chamonix this year

SFTPhotography

SFTPhotography

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Thanks - the first is my least favourite of the lot. But I had a feeling it would be one of those ones for social media and agency sales.

The other big views are much more "me".

That's probably my first and last person in the frame shot.
 
I find your Scottish landscapes have more soul, if you can call it that. All of these are technically good and no doubt the view was tremendous but it doesn’t come across in the pictures, at least for my tastes. Probably because there’s a lack of context being close up on the mountain peaks. I’ve rarely seen engaging photography from the Alps to be honest, I’ve never been but suspect there’s a lot of ski-stuff built around the most accessible areas which makes clean compositions difficult?
 
Scirocco_09 said:
I find your Scottish landscapes have more soul, if you can call it that. All of these are technically good and no doubt the view was tremendous but it doesn’t come across in the pictures, at least for my tastes.
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I don't agree. But saying that my personal favourite mountains are the Pyrenees. When are in the Pyrenees you fall in love. When you go the Alps you are awestruck. Different feeling and frame of mind and both have their place. Right now, when I see Scotland I feel misery and it's all a bit underwhelming...but that's because it's damp, grey and brown yucky. Actually I feel a bit indifferent towards my homeland at the moment - maybe a better summer will re-ignite my photography back home. Winter and Spring here bore and depress me and the coast/woodlandy stuff isn't for me.

I'd be curious what you make of this set - all Pyrenee's, you might find this more you

http://www.sftphotography.co.uk/landscape-photography-my-top-ten-images-of-2019/

Scirocco_09 said:
Probably because there’s a lack of context being close up on the mountain peaks. I’ve rarely seen engaging photography from the Alps to be honest, I’ve never been but suspect there’s a lot of ski-stuff built around the most accessible areas which makes clean compositions difficult?
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I like Alpine pictures - a lot. But you are right, there's a hell of a lot of Ski Stuff even in the less accessible areas making clean compositions very hard - and that is the real challenge, trying to isolate gods work in amongst the mess we have made of it. Hence the shots you see. Much wider or deeper and you'd see mountain railways, hiking tracks scarring the landscape (big problem with a lot of the Dolomite's is scarrs from roads/trails), ski stuff all feature. It can be a bit depressing and tbh all the drama is in the peaks, not the stuff building up to them so to avoid the junk and feature the good interesting stuff you shoot this way - long.

There is a photographer called Kevin Meynier - he does great Alpine and Pyrenean moutains shots.

Steelo said:
It has to be the last one for me. It just works best for me personally.
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Funny you mention it it's the one I had the most "fun" composing trying the contrast between the bottom of the glacier and autumn colours. The others are variations of shots I've taken from La Flegere - but this time from La Brevent further along. It's a nice spot but you need a long lens to pick out the details and declutter the spot unless you hike on to some of the lakes to reflect this lot - but at 36mph winds there wasn't reflections about :(
 
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SFTPhotography said:
I don't agree. But saying that my personal favourite mountains are the Pyrenees. When are in the Pyrenees you fall in love. When you go the Alps you are awestruck. Different feeling and frame of mind and both have their place. Right now, when I see Scotland I feel misery and it's all a bit underwhelming...but that's because it's damp, grey and brown yucky. Actually I feel a bit indifferent towards my homeland at the moment - maybe a better summer will re-ignite my photography back home. Winter and Spring here bore and depress me and the coast/woodlandy stuff isn't for me.
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It’s been a poor year weather wise, lots of grey misery in the second half of the year and it does kill enthusiasm. Did you get out in the snow the other week? I reckon you could try getting up higher and that way the brown is far less prominent. I’ve been watching Scotland’s Mountains on YouTube...he gets to some stunning places up there. I agree with people wrecking landscapes...sticking pylons or ski slopes where there should be a spectacular view...ruins it
 
Scirocco_09 said:
It’s been a poor year weather wise, lots of grey misery in the second half of the year and it does kill enthusiasm. Did you get out in the snow the other week? I reckon you could try getting up higher and that way the brown is far less prominent. I’ve been watching Scotland’s Mountains on YouTube...he gets to some stunning places up there. I agree with people wrecking landscapes...sticking pylons or ski slopes where there should be a spectacular view...ruins it
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I’ve missed the snow. If it’s all the way down to ground level I’d head out but bar that and workshops I’m giving photography a miss until mid May once it starts to get greener. Summer and autumn is what I like and what I’m aiming for. I don’t enjoy hiking - especially not in the cold. I much prefer to shoot looking up from down low rather than shoot up high looking down if that makes sense.

I’ll autumn in the Pyrenees again with a quick Alpine detour - this years autumn there was a success and I’m greedy for more :)
 
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I can't believe you took the first one! The one thing I know for sure is it is not a self portrait at least.

Second is obviously stunning and pin sharp. My favourite is the 4th, got a real sense of scale with the waterfalls and I like the textures.
 
Craig_85 said:
I can't believe you took the first one! The one thing I know for sure is it is not a self portrait at least.

Second is obviously stunning and pin sharp. My favourite is the 4th, got a real sense of scale with the waterfalls and I like the textures.
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Thanks. Part of me wants to bin one - it really isn’t me at all nor is it in the direction I want my work to go...

At least you’ve singled out the shots I like from the trip :)
 
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