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
The second image is a closer view and has softer focus. The third one was made with a wider field of view , it captures more reflections, but is less intimate. I wonder which one is more effective in conveying the beauty of this scene.
Other Information
Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.
Technical Details
The three images were made with the following settings:
ISO 8000, f/9.0, 1/200sec
the only difference was the zoom length:
175mm, 200mm, and 140mm respectively
Hi Maria,
Those are all great. I like the first one the best. Those perfect concentric rings contrasting with the chaos of the leaves underneath makes for a really nice contrast.
Thank you, Cameron and Ed. I also like the first image better. As to the high ISO, I work mostly hand handling the camera and I wanted to use a fast shutter speed to capture moving water in a certain way. Given the late afternoon light, I had to get the ISO up. I have a Nikon Z 7ii and it seems to handle the noise quite well at high ISO.
Initial reaction: wow. This picture (the first) drew my eye immediately. The perfect half circle lines with the popping colorful leaves that seem almost trapped in the circle trying to get free from it. I spent quite some time looking at the different parts of the picture. the circle lines gave a different feeling to each leave which created such an interesting dynamic. The other two pictures don’t give the same feeling - seem to loose that magic in my opinion.
Thank you, Tamar, I agree with your reaction, I feel the same. I tend to study a subject that draws me in, but I am too close to my images to be objective sometimes.
This is certainly an interesting one! I have two initial reactions to the first image. It looks like the side of a can when you peel off the label with the concentric lines and the center space being plain (like the ends of the can). The second was to wonder if there was an earthquake. It looks like a very perfect ripple effect out from an epicenter. I find the first one to be the most striking and the best balance of the details.
Maria, all three views are very attractive. I too will vote for the first one with it’s perfect half circle of ripples and clear look at the leaves below. I would suggest reducing the blue saturation in the upper left of #3 as that area tends to dominate the viewing. I trust that you’ll be commenting on the photos of others as you contribute more to NPN.
I love these! A wonderful take on autumn. I would vote for the top image as my favorite, but also like the softness of the second one. The glow, concentric circles, and composition of the top image are great.
Maria - This first image is my favorite. It’s a perfect blend of chaos and order. The second is really nice, but I’d crop it square or 3:4 ratio with the emphasis on the yellow and orange leaves because I find the blue at the lower right to be distracting. It feels like a bit too much without the crop; when the bottom of the image is that almost perfect yellow leaf on the left, the blue is a nice contrast without being overwhelming. The third is just too busy for my taste.
Thank you, Denise, for taking the time to examine my images, and for the suggestions you provided. It might be interesting to know that I started making the 3rd image and then went in much closer to the subject as I studied it. I agree with the fact that the third image is too busy and less focused than the others. This has been an enlightening experience on how to see my images with some detachment.
Thank you, Kyle, your assessment fits with the general view on these images. Now that I look at them with more detachment, I agree with you and the other commentators: the first one works, the others need some work.
It looks like a very perfect ripple effect out from an epicenter. I find the first one to be the most striking and the best balance of the details.