The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Glen Ellis Falls in the White Mountains of NH is only about a 1/2 mile hike from the parking area. I would have liked to spend a little more time at this waterfall, but we were in the process of heading on over to Maine so our time was a little limited. I have a couple of ideas for the next time I am there, but they involve getting a little wet from the spray from this 64’ tall waterfall.
Specific Feedback
Just wondering how the rock wall looks to everyone. I lightened it a little. Did I hit the sweet spot or should I take it a little more. I am also curious as to what you think about the grasses on the rock face. My original intent was to try and balance them around the frame, but now I am not so sure. Anything else you notice please feel free to mention it.
Technical Details
Nikon Z7, Nikon 24-200 @ 54 mm, f 11 @ 1/30 sec, ISO 100, Kase Magnetic CPL, cable release & tripod.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
The grasses and the rock face look fine to me. I like the SS you’ve chosen. I think it shows the power of the falls more than a longer speed would. I have one small nit. There is a bright grass spot or OOF spot in the ULC.
Of course I wasn’t there, but I think you’ve depicted the rock wall just right! Exposure, color, contrast, etc. all look great to me.
All the little grasses and green growth work as well; perhaps the bigger plant in the UR is mildly bright, but certainly not a deal breaker and of personal choice really.
I do like the texture in the water, but for me anyway, it’s a “tweaner.” By that I mean, to slow to freeze motion (which I know you didn’t want,), but perhaps not slow enough for a smoother texture. Yes, I know we each have our own preferences on water treatment, I get that. So really it boils down to what you’re trying to capture and present. It was never really possible to get a 30th of a second with an ISO 50 film and f/32… so I guess I’m just used to silky water. Having said that, I think even something slower like even 1/4 or even 1/8 could smooth things out, but still retain some texture. Again, each to our own when it comes to capturing and depicting moving water.
Other than the green fuzzy at the top left, this looks really good.
It’s funny you should mention the grasses and greens on the face of the rocks in this image. My immediate reaction was that I wanted either more of them or none at all because I think they are a slight distraction to the falls. This is a minimalist scene and so I was immediately thinking Black and white for simplicity. There is color in the rock wall and again, I was hoping for more of it or at least variation or less of it. I like the texture of the water and I think it shows flow and movement while also retaining texture so it’s not milky smooth but I would have experimented as @Lon_Overacker mentioned although I would have slowed the shutter maybe just a tick more than this just to see what it looks like. Water glow and texture is something different to everyone so please know, these are only my thoughts on what I like.
Knowing all this, I immediately brought this into LR for a quick conversion to B&W. This may not be your jam for this image so I get it. Just a different thought process for me. I wanted to take a minimalist image even more minimalist so I immediately took this into LR for a B&W conversion. I greatly reduced the texture in the rock wall face, brought the black point up just a smidge so there were no clipping, added a smidgen of whites and highlights to the water fall and added a little bit of texture to the falls. Then I added in a manual vignette.
Thanks everyone @Michael_Lowe, @Lon_Overacker and @David_Haynes for your thoughts regarding this image; always appreciated. I will play around with some of the grasses and see what I come up with. @Lon_Overacker: I do not remember why I shot this at 1/30th of a second because my usual sweet spot for capturing water motion is usually around 1/4th second - 1/10th second. I am going to blame it on being in a hurry to get back on the road. @David_Haynes: Thanks for taking the time to do a B&W rework. I like what you have done and it does minimize the greens of the plants.
