Update
Another image from the smokies. I took this as part of a pano but ended up liking this little section of it so much that I threw out much of the rest. The light was just shining down through the river almost spotlighting some of these rocks which I tried to enhance a bit in post without going too far.
Specific Feedback Requested
This is a darker image than most that I make, in fact I’ve been intentional about trying to make lighter images, but this one seemed to need to contrast. What are your thoughts? Too dark? There a countless number of these little cascades in GSMNP, I don’t know if this one is any more or less photogenic than the others, it actually was a bit of an after thought since it was just a part of the pano, but as I looked at it more, the way the water curved through the scene and the light on the rocks, I had to give it a shot on it’s own, hopefully it stands up by its-self.
Technical Details
2 Likes
Very nice image, David. I like the darkness; it adds to the moodiness of the forest scene. You did not share the technicals, but the shutter speed looks great for the water. I think you also had a polarizer on?
I like the square crop too, nice work!
Thanks, David!
It was shot at 1/6 sec and yes a polarizer was used! Good eye! Square is rare for me but the left side was problematic.
Nice dark woodland scene. The composition is strong and the water is rendered really well. The moss has that nice glow you want it to have and looks fresh. One minor suggestion is to darken and warm that brighter patch on the rock on the left border. I think the darkness makes the green glow more and that’s very appealing.
SS was just right… Square comp is fine, puts the focus on the water…
I really like this but the square crop isn’t working for me, and I was wondering if there was more below the cascade like some rocks or something you could use as an anchor in a 4:5 aspect ratio.
@Igor_Doncov @Dan_Kearl @Matt_Payne thank you for checking it out. Igor, that is a good catch. I can touch that up. I actually went back to the originals because I saw some artifacts in the panorama blend.
Matt, good seeing you in here! Thanks for that feedback. I don’t have anything with more at the bottom. In fact I think I was standing on the nearest rock. I’m curious to learn, hence why I’m here, I’d love to know why this crop isn’t working for you, is the bottom just a bit too bland?
Good to see you here also!
For me, my eye keeps falling out of the bottom of the frame, hence why I feel like there needs to be something anchoring the scene so that your eye wants to look at other parts of the image. The water is the brightest part of the scene and holds your attention there, but nothing else keeps it from falling off.
This is a wonderful forest image David. Excellent choice of shutter speed for the water motion. I don’t find it too dark and like the highlighted moss.
David,
Just gorgeous! Love everything about this - including the water (shutter speed, luminosity), the overall brightness/darkness, and the square crop. Seems recently I’m enjoy the square format myself.
I see Matt’s point, but there’s a subtle light fall-off at the bottom of the screen in the water that at least for me, helps keep my eye in the frame.
I think the processing is spot on and you’ve accomplished what you wanted.
My only suggestion echo’s Igor’s on the brighter patch on the left edge. It’s definitely an eye-magnet; brighter and color not consistent with the scene - which wouldn’t be an issue really, if it weren’t right on the edge of the frame.
Otherwise, this is a beauty!
Lon
I think this is gorgeous!! The square works for me. There is enough of a subtle gradient at the bottom to keep my eye on those gorgeous mossy rocks. (Maybe a bit darker at the bottom, or brighter in the center, could be worth a look. The falloff of light on the moss at the right edge, along with the rhododendron, acts as a nice eye-stopper. The brighter leaves in the UL both echo the moss and act as a framing element for me.
Tome down the 2 bright areas on the left and I’d rate this as an 11/10.
Alright, I’ve started over from scratch due to an issue with the panorama blend. If you’ve never tried to recreate an edit…its mind numbing and fruitless! But I got fairly close. Here is a new stab at it. I’ve darken down the spot on the left AND enhanced some of that darkening at the bottom of the frame to try to avoid what @Matt_Payne was describing. I don’t think it completely avoids the issue he brought up but maybe a compromise.
Thanks @Eva_McDermott @Lon_Overacker @Diane_Miller and @Igor_Doncov for the modifications.
1 Like
This looks wonderful to me! I think you did a great job redoing the edits – not easy, for sure!
I almost hate to mention it but now a bright leaf just above the water on the right jumps out at me! It’s probably a tribute to the edits that I didn’t notice it before.
I don’t know what the issue is with the pano frames not lining up well, but do you know about setting the “entrance pupil” of the lens right over the point of rotation? That eliminates parallax mismatches. It has to be determined by measurements – lots online about it. And the lens needs to be pointed level, which often necessitates going to portrait orientation and cropping top or bottom. A tilt-shift lens solves the latter problem, and the former if you only need a couple of frame widths in the pano. But making the adjustments will need a sturdy tripod.
This looks great to me too… but I kind of like that little leaf, lol.
Good stuff.
