The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I took an image of this waterfall the week before and rushed through the whole process from composition to settings. So I wanted to come back and try it again. The easier photo is more to the right but puts the falls at an oblique angle and you can see the pool under the falls. There is quite a bit of debris between there and this location. I made a pano from the lower location and might ask for a critique at a later time.
Specific Feedback
I’d like general feedback on the editing and composition. I’m mostly worried about the lower right in this photo.
Nice! I like the colors, the lines, and the exposure time for the falls. The bottom right doesn’t bother me but I find the slice of sky distracting. I wonder how it would look if it were cropped from the top to eliminate the sky entirely?
Hi Todd. This image, like your Muted Sunset, shows that you have a keen eye for a dramatic scene. The strong colors in this image, along with the strong lines and shapes make this very eye-catching to me.
Like Cathy, the sky pulls my eye away a bit from the scene. But something is needed above the cliff. It is possible to add contrast and de-saturated color to the sky.
Might also see if you like de-saturating the reds and greens a bit. For me, that puts the foreground and background more into a supporting role. Also, you might see if you like a vignetting effect. The attached is a strong vignette, which is more than most folks would like.
Todd, this is a very attractive waterfall and I think your composition works well. The icicles are a great addition. The scene look somewhat blue to me especially in the darker areas. An overall blue reduction may work, but you can also reduce just the blue in the shadows using an overlaid layer. The cloudy sky is also a challenge. The clouds let the colors show well, but if there’s no structure in the sky the grey/white doesn’t add to the viewing. Since I think it’s important to see the top of the falls, I’d suggest a day with blue sky (or scattered clouds).
It can be so frustrating when we want to include the source of the water flow – i.e. the top of it, only to have bright white sky in there! Toning that down will help, but I also agree with @Mark_Seaver about going back with blue and/or cloudy mix of sky.
I de-saturated the reds and lowered the luminosity of the greens and it made the water stand out more. Yes, I usually lower the vignette from 30 down to around 20 but I didn’t for some reason in the attached. Good eye. Thank you for the comments.
Thanks for your advice. I learned how to remove color tones in PS, and removing the blue cast made the image better. I worked on the sky and it is a lost cause in this file. I took some photos of here before, but the falls is in a tight dark glen, and with light above my APD sensor can’t quite handle the dynamic range with a blue sky. It is quite close to me so I’ll keep trying with different sun angles and/or bracketing to get a better shot. I attached an image at a different angle. As you can see there is no way to get the pool at the bottom in at that angle. But at least most of the sky is gone!
Logs are usually a pain and distracting with waterfalls, but here I think it is nicely placed. Amazing how it aligns with the waterfall. Love those icicles!
I agree with you about that lower right; I wish the edge of the end of the falls wasn’t cut off. I, too, fight what to do with skies above waterfalls. Sometimes cloud drama can help.
I thought a crop of the lower portion looked kind of interesting:
Thanks for your feedback @John_Williams It seems almost every waterfall I come to there are logs or sticks in the frame. Some I don’t even notice until I look at the image in Lightroom. I need to slow down and observe more.
I do like that crop! Didn’t even think about doing that. In a way, it makes the log more of the subject than the falls. I find my eye attracted to the fan of white of the falls and I look up to see where it is coming from and when I can’t see the source my eyes fall on the log and then I focus more deeply on the icicles.
To everyone that critiqued the image thank you. I found it difficult to post images for critiques but you all have given me the confidence to post more. Appreciate all of your help!
