The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
In June, @steve_kennedy, @david_haynes, and I met up for a day at Abiqua Falls in Oregon. It was a hoot. It’s a bit of a wild journey to get in there, but that was all part of the adventure and fun. I left my spare batteries in David’s truck, but he rescued me by loaning me one of his; that’s one of the huge advantages of shooting with friends.
It’s a beautiful waterfall. Despite the fact that (because of its popularity) it is challenging to take anything unique, we spent an entire afternoon playing with all the variety.
Specific Feedback
This is an image of the basalt canyon on the edge of the waterfall. It’s not really anything unique, but I’d love your feedback on the balance of the composition and the processing. The lichen is quite colorful and it’s easy to overdo the saturation; how does this look to your eye?
Technical Details
NIKON Z 7II
NIKKOR Z 24-200 f/4-6.3 VR at 200 mm
1/3 sec. at f/6.3 and ISO 64
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Hi John,
I knew this would be you when I spotted the thumbnail image. Columnar Basalt is so identifiably Oregon/SW Washington to me.
I like the image as presented, but the lighter lichen at the top pulls me away from the rest of the image. Apparently, I have a thing for taking screenshots of others peoples images and putting a third of the frame on the cutting room floor. Sorry if that feels dismissive of your intention.
I’m not sure whether you will like this approach, and square-ish crops are not for everyone, but to me, this focuses the eye on the structure, its solidity, and the organic life it holds.
oooh I really love this, John. What a fascinating scene into what looks to be a relatively fragile ecosystem. Just amazing how each plant must create its own little environment for a host of tiny creatures. The color palette is really nice and complementary and the richness in dynamic range is dramatic. Doesn’t look overdone to me in terms of saturation. I like the light to dark shading from top to bottom, too. Looks like it was a fun area to be in and experience.
Hi John,
The largest version is a real treat to view as there are so many amazing details and colors for the eye to wander around and enjoy. The transition of light from the top of the frame to the bottom works beautifully as do the diagonals of the basalt. The balance, processing and saturation all look just fine for my tastes. This makes a great complimentary piece to the waterfall.
Oooh, very nice! The saturation looks fine to me, even if you increased it. It looks natural. The only thing I’d suggest is a crop, taking a bit off the top. The amount of orange vs. blue feels unbalanced because the orange is coming out of the frame more (if that makes sense). That feeling is exacerbated by the lightest area being at the top, the dark blue receding, and the actual orientation of the basalt columns. Perhaps a 4:5 crop?
Great eye to see this, John. I love the colors, the processing and the strong diagonals in the image. I fell it would be a little stronger with a crop from the top. It’s kinda bare up there re the green plants. Hope you don’t mind, I’ve presented a crop from the top and a little from the sides to keep it from looking too square.
No need to apologize (and I don’t mind at all @Michael_Lowe ), that type of feedback is exactly why I post! The thoughts from all of you on cropping are very helpful. I played with variations, including similar to suggested, but finally decided to just try and tone down those brights at the top (They are headlights in the original). In the end, and being a pixel greedy kind of guy, I went with the taller crop. This is where feedback from experienced photographers is so helpful; sometimes the group wisdom helps me “know my own mind.”
I’ll post your crop suggestions alongside my so it’s easier to compare them.
I love this section of the wall that you chose to frame up. It was a very busy wall and picking out a section that worked without becoming too busy was tough to do. For the most part I love the framing. This is getting really, really nit picky but along the bottom edge there is a dark horizontal spot that I would crop off. I think the right and left edges are great except that really bright spot along the right side of the frame about halfway up. I would either crop or or remove that tiny little bit. I also think to top could benefit from a crop. Just enough to remove the “tooth” with the dark bottom if that makes sense. I also think with the crop along the top the image is better balanced between the heavy darks on the bottom and the lighter tones across the top. I love the blues in the dark tones and I might even enhance them slightly and also love the copper tones on the top and might even enhance those as well. They are quite complimentary.
Here is what I mean since all of this verbal mumbo jumbo might not mean much.
Thanks David! You’ve posted some pretty masterful “rock wall” images, and I really appreciate you expertise. All of the suggestions sound great, and this version looks good. I’m adding it to the others to make comparison easier.
I guess I’ll add my version to the mix. Just kidding of course. I often see compositions that I can’t make due to the restrictions of the lenses. Anyway, the idea was to simplify.
Btw, I would have loved to join you guys since I live in Bend. I’m limited though in how far I can walk without reinjuring myself.
