Ask Jim

Every month, Jim will answer a question from his online students, from people who participate in his tours and workshops, or from subscribers to this magazine. If you have a question you’d like Jim to answer, please drop him a note at photos@jimzuckerman.com.

Q: Jim . . . I photographed this 21,000 foot mountain above La Paz, Bolivia. It’s the highest mountain I’ve seen and quite impressive, but the photograph of it doesn’t ‘wow’ me. Is there anything I could do with this in post-processing to make it better? Sandra Ambrewster, Tucson, Arizona A: No, there isn’t anything you can do in Photoshop or ACR to make this more impressive. This was taken sometime during midday, and the best you could have done at the time was to shoot the landscape at sunrise or sunset. A sky replacement might help a little, but the real problem with this picture -- and it’s no fault of yours -- is the bottom third of the picture is devoid of form, texture, color and interest. It’s an impressive mountain but not an impressive landscape as far as photography goes. §

© Sandra Ambrewster