I think this little pool is created by a small stream trying to connect to the Pine River at Breakwater Falls. As luck would have it, the same rock ledge that holds it in allowed me to get above it for this view. You can see a little of the rock underneath and I like how it blends with the reflection of the trees. The clouds were breaking up by this time and so some sky is reflected and adds some blue to the scene. The water flow is from the back to the front and eventually it flows into a little canyon that looks to have been made over thousands of years. I’ll put up a shot of that in a different post.
Specific Feedback Requested
I do want to know something specific, but I don’t want to lead the witness so to speak so I’ll just ask if you think this needs anything more in terms of processing. Either reducing or increasing aspects.
Technical Details
Tripod and polarizer
Lr for all processing including a little bit of transform and lens correction. Worked in Calibration and HSL panels to balance the color a bit and give it some pop. The usual S-curve for contrast and balance and lifted the mid-tones. Masking to use dehaze on the rocky perimeter and to lower the exposure in the forest background. Also masking to brighten the reflection somewhat and balance the exposure there. Sharpening, texture and clarity in small amounts because I want this to be dreamier and not crunchy.
I don’t know how tied into specific aspect ratios you are, but could you crop off the top & bottom a bit to isolate the pond more? It’s such a beautiful image but the foreground rocks and the logs in the back distract for my eye. The side to side aspect is perfect. This crop would give it a more rectangular shape. Great find & composition!
Love the colors, Kris. I have two thoughts; first I would crop a bit from the top, not much, but the shrubs/trees stumps don’t seem to be adding much. Perhaps crop up to the rocks. Other thought is maybe desaturate the blue reflections in the water? They distract just a bit, at least for me.
Beautiful shot Kristen! I really like everything about this photo. The top is a little chaotic but I think darkening it a bit helps. I also suggest bringing the highlights down on some of the rocks. I hope this helps and my adjustments are noticeable.
Thanks @Kevin_Sink, @linda_mellor, @Chris_Rusnak & @Glenn_Tunaley - it’s nice of you to look and offer suggestions, especially those that don’t interact with my photos much. Good perspectives. And not one of you picked out the thing that was bugging me, so it seems it’s just me. You know how it is.
Anyway…2nd version in the OP if you want to chime in again.
The image does seem to be slightly chaotic. I’m not sure if chaotic is the right term. It’s as though you’re trying to say too much. Look at this but also look at this, and dont miss this. But the overall composition is strong in my opinion. Cropping the top doesn’t work because the circle has moved off to the edge of the frame and the balance of the original has been lost.
I’m gonna have a hard time explaining myself on this. But first, I think this image works very well and I think you’ve done a great job showcasing the “pool of color” with this framing and composition.
Now the hard part. I’ll start with, this is a variation of the theme, “order from chaos.” But I think this image, that concept is somewhat inverted. Yes, the edges are a little busy and chaotic, especially up top. But it exactly that busyness and extra detail that surrounds the entire pool, that is actually helping to create a very simple presentation. The pool of color is what this image is about and where the attention is focused and rather than the busy edges being a distraction, I think the edges are what is working to contain the scene. I have no idea if this makes sense. But I tried.
My only suggestion is selectively burning areas of the top, or perhaps even all the way around. Or duh, how about adding a vignette? I like Glen’s edits.
