The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This fall during a trip to GSMNP I tried to focus on some smaller scenes as well as the wonderful colors. The reflected light and color here is what caught my attention, the leaf perched on the rock was an added bonus.
Specific Feedback
Things that could potentially detract from this image in my assessment, wondering if these raise a red flag for any others:
Too close up, not enough breathing room around the edges.
White water from the cascades around the edges.
Out of focus rocks in the background.
This was a pretty tight spot and I was on a rock where I couldn’t move side to side to change angles, So I took what I could get. A theme to explore more, whether this one works or not.
Thanks!
Technical Details
ISO 100, f/9, 1.6 sec 130mm
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I can hear the water running around the rock! I love the warm and cool notes in the water, echoed in the rock, and the leaf is a wonderful touch. I do wonder if there is more room on the top? (Was it a vertical original?) The rocks at the top do feel a bit heavy – I wonder if they could be lightened and the contrast lowered?
I can’t help seeing a face in the rock – maybe a seal?
This is so peaceful, David. I love the feel I get of the running water, and I can almost imagine the rushing, burbling sound as I look at it. That one leaf on the foreground rock is perfect, it’s like a little hat on the head of that cute face in the rock. The one thing that gets me is that it seems a little top-heavy, and I would have liked a little more space at the top, although who am I to say, it’s probable that there wasn’t anything worth including in the frame there. I don’t really mind that those other rocks are out of focus though, they help focus my eye on the front rock and the smooth moving water. Beautiful long exposure.
This is lovely David. The combination of the crisp rock and the smoothed water is quite enjoyable. That leaf really anchors the image and it wouldn’t be near as compelling without it IMHO.
I don’t mind the white water around the edges, but the image does have a tight feel for me. That always leads to the question of what were the other options, and I know it’s often that something is always cut off (it’s a matter of where, not if). I don’t mind the blurry background rocks at all; they help to emphasize that central rock star. (See what I did there… )
The out of focus rocks on the top are not a problem for me but I would clone the details of leaves and water (?) cut by the edge and also lighten the dark shadow.
Perhaps is preferable more space in the composition but only if could be filled by details equally beautiful.
Like Diana, I see in the subject the face of a fish!
I love the photo David.
The yellow leaf on top of the rock really makes this image. I think that without out the image would simply feel incomplete. I also love that bit of reflected light in the wet rock.
To answer your questions: The image doesn’t feel too tight or too loose for me. It feels just about right. The white water, being that it isn’t a bright white doesn’t really pull my eyes away from the subject but rather compliments the scene and more clearly shows the movement in the water. The OOF background rocks also help the image out by allowing the viewer to focus on the main subject rather than distracting from it.
Love the water here, especially the colors and the little splash in the LR. The BG rocks being OOF doesn’t bother me but it would be nice if they weren’t there. You should have brought your backhoe.
I would probably clone out the light algae and bright spots.
Could be a little more breathing room on the sides but no big deal. Overall nice image.
David, this is a fine look at this rushing stream. There’s an overall gentleness in the water thanks to your ss choice. I see two focus areas, the main rock with it leaf cap and the darker moving water area below it. These two elements are framed well. If you want to reduce the visual impact of the rocks in the top right, some dodging of the darks and a local desaturation of the bright green moss and the blue reflection should help.
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