Just wanted to get some feedback on this, I find myself opting for portrait orientation when shooting so this is a bit of a change. The idea was to use the water in the foreground/rocks & sticks to bring the eye up and into the middle of the scene.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Does the composition work, does it look too dark, how is the colour & how do the light rays look?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
I’d love anything
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Single-shot brought into Photoshop, camera raw and dodging/burning
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Hi @dalegphoto, I was really drawn to this image and want to provide detailed feedback, but it’s currently too bright in my workspace to see this image clearly. I’ll get back with you, once I’m in a position to view this on a well-calibrated monitor, in a space that is conducive to viewing it. I tend to like dark processing, so I look forward to giving this one more attention, hopefully later this evening. Cheers!
I think this is just grand. My eyes are swept upstream, as surely as the water flows down. Use of luminosity in dark and light areas is very effective. The dark areas that you exploit in this landscape aspect frame the water well, add a steamy intrigue to the scene, and display the sun rays on the right.
I really am stretching for a suggestion, but some of the left side does not seem to contribute mightily to the overall, and could be considered for cropping.
Hello @dalegphoto, as promised, I took some time to review your image, after finding a window of time, in which my monitor brightness was adjusted well enough for this dark scene. This is a fanatic image! The composition includes what I would consider all of the right elements and supporting characters, which contribute to pointing to the background waterfall. The waterfall was captured with what I would consider a near-perfect shutter speed, as you’ve retained the details, but still captured the motion. I also really like what you’ve done with the dark processing. The dodging and burning is well done and helps to draw the eye through the frame and up to the waterfall. The tonal contrast works really well, as you’ve done a fine job of color grading the greens and earth tones.
There are two potential enhancements I would personally consider making. One, I might try to add a gradient filter to the foreground, raising the exposure slightly, adding some clarity/texture, and cooling down the tones just a bit. Two, I might add another gradient to the waterfall area, increase the exposure slightly, add some warmth, decrease the clarity/texture, and add a slight dehaze. I think these changes might create more of a tonal transition and add some mystique to the background.
Thank you for sharing this image. It’s a wonderful scene and you’ve brought it to life, but kept the mystery with the dark processing. It’s one of those images I won’t soon forget. Kudos!
