I was intrigued by the geometry inherent in this scene. Lines, angles, triangles, I felt like I was back in geometry class in school. The refraction of the reflected branches only added another layer of interesting angles to this scene. A long 2.5 second exposure nicely smoothed out the look of the reflections. This image was taken before the sun hit the trees in the background, so the light was very soft and even. I also waited until the light did hit the background trees, assuming that the added contrast would make the colors in the water look richer. But the contrast was too much and the scene looked too harsh. I much preferred the look of the reflection before the light came up.
Specific Feedback Requested
any critique or comments welcome
I kept the saturation of the colors here relatively restrained for a softer look. Would you want to see more saturation in the reflections, or do you feel this level is good?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 5D MK4, Canon 70-200mm f4 lens at 200mm, ISO 400, 2.5 sec at f14, ISO 400.
This is a lovely intimate scene full of a wonderful array of lines and angles; as you already mentioned; Ed. The saturation looks spot on for my tastes. It looks as though you had some nice color in Massachusetts this fall. I have no suggestions as this looks superb.
As @Harley_Goldman and @Ed_Lowe have said, Ed, I think the background foliage looks quite realistic and adds a wonderful fall backdrop for the limb. Just a thought, did you consider cropping off from the right enough so that the limb is on the right border? Just a different look. Very nicely seen and captured.
Ed, as I’m trying to find a remark on your image. I can only say that I like it an especially the saturation.
I am with the others in my comment. Well made.
This is a really cool image Ed. I like it very much. The colors are wonderful. I see it more as an abstract but it’s one of those comps that flip flops between abstract and reality. A square format also looks good to me but I can’t say it would be an improvement.
Ed, I’m captivated by the intrigue. The reflected colors would make a great photo on their own, but the branches and then their partial reflections really cause me to pause and look closely.
Different and wonderful! Great colors, and the tonal detail in the branch and the detail where it meets the water is the icing on the cake. Cloudy light almost always wins for me.
This is a really interesting image. At first glance, I thought, “it’s nice”. But then I realized it includes a reflection and that changed my whole experience. I find those little bits of white right where the branches enter the water, riveting. This is a case for me where, just because an optical illusion is revealed, doesn’t make it any less fascinating. In fact, as far as this image goes, I find the opposite to be true. Beautifully conceived and executed.
Great colors with the mix of reds, yellows and greens. I also like the geometry of the branch. I agree with Igor that a square crop might help emphasize the geometry even more.
I really like this. The geometry and amazing background colors really make this image. The saturation levels seem spot on for me as my impression is that this is a quiet scene.
I know you are going to think I am crazy, and perhaps I am, or perhaps it has something to do with my dyslexia, but now my eye can go to the water uninterrupted on the far right limb without losing any of the light quality.
The colors are spot on for my taste as well. @Igor_Doncov comment about abstract and reality is also what I find very appealing about this image. No nits or suggestions on this one.
thank you all for your thoughts and comments, I appreciate hearing them.
Chris, at first glance I could not see any difference between my original post and your rework. So I downloaded both of them and toggled back and forth between the two in Photoshop. I now see what you did, and I agree, it makes a nice subtle improvement. So no, you are not crazy
