This small waterfall in Iceland is not far from another much more famous waterfall. Because it’s hard to find and not well known, I had the entire place to myself. It was wonderful to walk behind the falls (where this image was shot) and admire the power of the water. It was a wonderful (slightly warm) day in this part of the country which is normally known for it horrible weather. I got lucky !
What technical feedback would you like if any?
I normally don’t retouch my images just slight contrast and color adjustments but feedback would be well taken.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Open to feedback.
Any pertinent technical details:
Camera: Canon 6D
Lens: Canon 16-35 f4L
ISO: 100
Aperture: Don’t have it in front of me but mostly likely f8
Speed: Don’t have it in front of me
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
Hi Noel. Welcome to NPN. I’m not normally a landscape guy, but I do peek in now and then. I like the lines on the left and center of this image and the way they all lead to the waterfall. I do think there’s more on the right side of the image than needed and the waterfall would be better positioned further to the right in the frame. I think maybe a crop just clearing the end of the bright mossy patch might do it.
I like the exposure, with enough light in the shadows to show detail without making them look artificially bright.
Thanks for posting and I look forward to seeing a lot more of your work.
Noel,
Welcome to NPN! What a terrific first post! This is very, very cool! (as in awesome, far out… giving away my age…)
While getting behind a waterfall is not unique, this one and this image is quite fabulous.
I’ll have to disagree with Dennis slightly in that I like the comp as presented. To me, the light striking in the lower right works, and to me the extra space in that corner gives me more of a feeling of being in a cave. I also love the beams of light coming in on the left. And the waterfall, and the various flows from the main, are excellent both in terms of the shutter speed, and also being strongly backlit by the sun. I’m really enjoying this one.
A couple small suggestions. If it were mine, I would clone away the very small patch of lit moss along the lower left edge - not the moss inthe corner - I would burn that down slightly. And also maybe burn the to right corners a little as well.
The small nit and question has to do with the haloing between the rock and the blue sky. Is this due to processing? Ie. trying to bring up the shadow detail on this side of the rocks? Or is this a natural effect from the mist and sun? I know the average viewer wouldn’t really notice or comment, but maybe someone in a critique forum would. I think if you could somehow mitigate that effect between rock and sky, this would just be killer.
Thanks for posting!
Lon
Hi Lon and thank you so much for your kind words and critique. I do very little editing in post so what you see is what I experienced at this location. Of course, I did have to bring out some of the shadows but very little really. The sun’s position was such that the light illuminated the back of the falls very nicely. Of course behind me was much more in shadow but not very much. I took many shots from this angle and several had the waterfall in the center but I tend to like this composition best.
I see the light moss on the left that you mention, I never noticed it before so thanks for pointing it out. The effect you mention between the rocks and sky is the mist from the falls that diffuses the light. It’s very wet back there and the heavy winds of Iceland means that the entire area (including me) was covered with water. Water and light going all over the place but a lot of fun to photograph.
Thanks again for your comments.
Noel
Thanks for your input Dennis.
I took dozens of images from this location and many of them have the falls more centered as you suggested. I like them all. I see what you mean about the rocks on the right being too lit on this shot. I will play around with the the dodging in this area to see how it looks.
Thanks again for your kind words.
Noel
Welcome to NPN! Cool perspective and framing, very much a keyhole effect. I would agree with Lon on not cropping. I like it as presented, the comp has a nice balance to it. Good stuff.
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This feels like an arch with the wide-angle perspective. It’s a really unique take on a waterfall. It’s a very engaging photos, but as I study it, the sky might be the only thing that doesn’t feel quite right. Perhaps a bit too dark. Maybe a bit of a light halo around the edges. Overall, though, it’s very interesting.
Guys,
Thank you all for your valuable input and critique. Because of your input, I took my image back to the original and re-worked it. Here’s my updated photo.
Thanks again!
Noel
Hi Noel,
Glad you were able to find something unique away from the crowds. I find it difficult to shoot in harsh midday light but it really works well for this composition. Not sure if anyone mentioned this already but there appears to be a small bird next to the falls that’s distracting my eye. Fantastic image!
Thanks Joel,
There were lots of birds in this area when I was there. I hear what you say about shooting around hords of people. Honestly, it was tough to shoot in Iceland away from people but I was able to get a few shots here and there. Thank you for your kinds words on my work. It means a lot to me.
Regards,
Noel
