Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
Do you like it? Why or why not?
What would you do differently with the composition or processing?
Other Information
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Image Description
This is actually a neighborhood reservoir outflow - so sort of a ditch next to a road. I had to climb down and dodge a few cars to get to the spot.
But I like the idea of the juxtaposition of a beautiful little piece of nature that most of the people driving by never really see.
Technical Details
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Amber: I do like the scene and the generally subdued mood. For me I find the effect produced by your SS to be a bit awkward. I’m expecting silky water or a much faster SS to stop the action. Because the light is low I think this would be more successful with a slower SS to smooth the water. Another small nit is it looks like the immediate FG is a touch soft and could use a bit more DOF. I almost always shoot scenes like this at several different SS and just pick the one that appeals to me the most. Would like to see this if you have any with smoother water. >=))>
Amber, I like both your composition and your shutter speed. This is a very inviting scene, where I think you’ve done a good job of taking advantage of the overcast light to show lots of detail. You’ve got decent flow action in the water along with good details. The area above the falls adds a fine sense of depth as it angles across the frame. While there is bit of softness in the lower right corner, it’s not a big problem. Based on your setting, you could possibly have used 1/30 s and f/16 to solve the depth-of-field (dof) issue. You also could easily increase the iso to get the same shutter speed and more dof. I also see an out of focus (oof) branch coming in from the bottom. Avoiding that would be good, but you can also clone it out.
