This image was made on a rainy, early October morning in Michigan’s western Upper Peninsula. Located off on an old forest road, this scene required some off-trail navigation to reach. Once entering a small canyon I followed the sound of running water to this scene which was illuminated nicely by the soft light filtering through the tree canopy. I had this area to myself for the whole duration of my visit and it’s a great memory from my 2022 fall photography trip.
Specific Feedback Requested
Specifically I would like feedback on the composition of this scene. Was there a better way to compose this specific scene? I have been focusing on eliminating distractions while in the field and was curious if this image could be simplified any more.
Technical Details
Shot at 16.5mm, F8, 0.8 second shutter speed on a Fuji X-T2 using the 16-55mm F2.8 XF lens.
This image was processed by raising the base exposure slightly and then adding a slight Orton Effect in Photoshop.
Great to see you on here! I know you asked about the composition, but first I’ll address the most glaringly obvious thing I see here. The white balance is a bit too warm, cooling it down will look more natural according to the diffused lighting and also give you a bit more depth and color separation which will help the composition. It was also slightly magenta so I made it more green with the tint slider which in turn required a slight desaturation of the green channel.
Ok, so the composition. When I look at this I see two main points of interest, the water flow in the foreground (bottom third) and the waterfall in the background (top third). The two main areas of interest are in the top section and the bottom section, and the middle in turn feels slightly empty since no water is running through there. I think also the two areas are equally accentuated, meaning I don’t get a real sense of any visual hierarchy in the scene. Which is more important? The water in the foreground or the waterfall in the background? I tried cropping off some of the bottom so it doesn’t feel so even, but ultimately the waterfall in the background is so subtle I really don’t feel this lends itself well to a wide angle scene.
Now, this is just a quick suggestion. But I feel like with this kind of subject, something telephoto more focused on the water trickling down the rocks would have complemented the subject better, instead of it getting so lost in the wider scene. I always let the subject, lighting, and weather conditions dictate how I photograph the scene. I see lots of potential “intimate” scenes you could have made that would have been plenty visually pleasing by zooming in on different sections of the water falling over the mossy rocks covered in leaves. Sometimes by adding more we only detract from the subject and dilute its impact. It can be better to simplify it and showcase it all on its own instead.
While this may not be super helpful in improving this particular image, maybe you have some other exposures that you can look at or it can be of some use going forward as you take new photographs.
I appreciate the feedback! I agree with that suggestion. One recent goal I set while in the field is to adopt an approach where I start at the scene with my 55-200mm and work my out with a wider lens is needed. The color input is a massive help too. I went back and added some of your adjustments to other images from this location and it’s made a positive difference. Thanks Eric!
That is the approach I would recommend. Outdoor Photographer coincidentally just published an article I wrote called “The Simplest Idea” in their latest issue where I go into that.
My “critique” of this image is going to be worthless because honestly, I see nothing to critique. It’s just a gorgeous image, well composed and perfectly processed. Wow!
