Fujikawa Japan Autumn

I think I’ve gone as far as I can go on my own. I’m taking the leap and diving in. I will gladly take any and all feedback to help me get better. So fire away I can handle it.

What technical feedback would you like if any?

Any

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Any

Pertinent technical details or techniques: Single exposure & polarizer used

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)

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Lovely image, Mark. I enjoy how the composition pulls the eye in almost a J shape. From what I can tell the foreground rocks seem quite a bit higher than the stream going away into the background. This not only gives a sense of depth but of height that I’ve not seen in many stream photos.

The only feedback I’d give would be to consider cropping of the very top to remove the very brightest highlight from the sun. To me, it pulls the eye out of the frame. I think you’d be able to keep the sun rays to add atmosphere without the distraction of the sun itself.

Thanks for sharing!

Thank you for the feedback. You are correct it does have quite a steep drop off. I have also cropped it now and it does seem to hold my eye better in the frame. Again thank you for the advice.

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First off welcome to the NPN Mark! - great to see you here :slight_smile:

This is such a nice looking composition & colours are super nice too! love how the blue water cuts through the warm tones of the forrest.

I agree with what Adam said - cropping the top a little I think will help a lot in getting the eye focused in the right place

The other couple of things I’d suggest is cloning out the two yellow leaves in the direct foreground to allow the eye to go up into frame easier & tone down the saturation of the leaves on the rock directly above that to allow the eye to move through the water/frame.

I’ve put a quick little before & after together - I hope it helps!

3 Likes

Thank you for the response and advice. This is exactly why I’m here. Your example seriously does help. Cropping does hold my eye in the image better. I didn’t realize how much the saturated leaves on the rock and the ones you cloned out distracted until seeing your edit. Big difference. Those details are where I need to improve. Again exactly why I’m here. Thank you

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Welcome to NPN Mark. I like you perspective and silky water. I agree with Adam’s and Dale’s input.

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Welcome to NPN Mark, this is an excellent first post !!!

You will often here some people say that you need to have the water in waterfall shots flowing towards the viewer. But this image is an exception that work really well. The flowing stream serves as a leading line to that wonderful light and fall color. I think the light and color are more important in this image than the falls itself, which is why you don’t to have the water flowing towards the viewer.

I like the suggestions made by @dalegphoto, they make a good image even better.

Thank you for your feedback and comments. I struggled with the fact the water was flowing away and yes I’ve been taught to face the other way but the light and autumn colors were telling me something different while standing there. Again thank you for your remarks.

I think this is simply wonderful!! The light coming through the trees is soft and gorgeous and doesn’t have the blown-out look that is so commonly seen in cases like this. You definitely chose the right viewpoint. I do like the small cleanups and the crop suggested. The only detail that catches my eye is the rather sharp vertical edge that the water flows over near the bottom. I wonder if it should be softened a bit, but that’s a very small nit for an absolutely stunning image!

Diane thank you for the comments and advice. I have to admit I was a little nervous putting myself out there and posting my first image ever for a critique. I have to say the feedback thus far has been excellent and extremely helpful.