This was taken back in October of 2019 while in Acadia NP, ME. I posted a couple of images from this session previously, but I do not think I posted this particular one. It was probably one of the most productive hours photographically as I came away with numerous keepers from this very chilly morning. Hardly anyone stops here other than to take a selfie and then move on, but that all changed when everyone noticed Mike and I shooting this magical scene before us with the light fog gliding over the calm water of Beaver Dam Pond.
As always thanks for taking a moment to leave a thought.
Specific Feedback Requested
All C&C welcome.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-200 @ 200mm, f 16 @ 1/5 sec, ISO 100, MLU, cable release & tripod
Whenever I’m alone shooting at a pond like this, the cars inevitably pull up and people ask “wheres the moose?”, and when I say that I’m photographing the landscape they get really disappointed.
At first glance I looked at the smaller image and thought to myself, does a 50/50 waterline work? But when I looked at the large image and saw some of the subtle details in the foggy reflection, I concluded that the composition works well for me. The beaver hut is a big plus too. I also like the interesting mixture of yellow and green colors in the forest, and hey, birch trees are always good.
No nits from me, I like this as presented.
I’ve been to Acadia a couple times, but I don’t think I’ve seen this place. It looks like a lovely fall morning at a nice location. It’s funny how one or two people with cameras can attract a whole group!
For me, the composition isn’t working. Like @Ed_McGuirk , I enjoy the mist obscured reflections below, but the top is so much more visually interesting, so the 50/50 split makes it feel like two separate images. I tried a bit of a crop to 4:5, which I think helps in a few ways: it puts more emphasis up top, better centers the yellow tree, and removes the bare tree on the left edge.
Beautiful colors and scene. Prior to reading any comments, I was finding the extended foreground was not really working for me and tried a scroll crop. I then looked at the comments and @Craig_Moreau posted exactly what I thought worked best. Also, I might give it a little CCW rotation. Great scene and mood. Love that middle tree with its color and shape.
What a beautiful, peaceful photo. Combining fall colors with fog is a sure winner. To my eye, there is too much of the water and fog at the bottom of the photo. The “action” is more in the top part. The fog obscures the reflection too much for it to contribute much to the photo. A crop just below the reflected yellow tree might work. I’m glad you were there to capture this.
Many thanks to @Ed_McGuirk, @Craig_Moreau, @Harley_Goldman and @Chris_Baird for taking the time to leave a thought; always appreciated. When I originally started working on the image I thought about cropping some from the bottom, but then at the last minute decided to leave it as I liked the hints of autumn foliage there. I guess long story short is that I like both versions.
I too have had this experience very often. People think there should be something ‘bigger’ or more exciting but to us, what could be more exciting than what you saw before you here! I love the mood of this photograph. If I were standing next to you I might have suggested moving slightly right or left to put the yellow tree and the beave dam on more of an oblique angle to each other, but maybe that wasn’t possible. All in all it’s still a lovely calm scene of Autumn.
Thanks so much for the kind words @brenda_tharp; always appreciated. I hear you on the lodge and the tree. Truth be told I was in the process of shooting nine frames to use as a pano and I did not even notice their close proximity to one another.
