I see that I’m not the only one who has been distracted and away from NPN. Sometimes life just drags us away from the things that we should be doing.
I’ve still been busy with photography and workshops so I have a ton of new stuff for you all to critique for me. I have found that NPN is the best place in the web to get solid and sincere advice. The photos that I have had critiqued definitely have benefited from it. This is my favorite tool that’s available here. Thank you everyone.
What’s your favorite part of NPN?
Hi, Gary - welcome back! Glad you have more time to join in.
You’re in Brightwood? I used to live in Welches in the 90’s…
This is a very intriguing image. The reflections of the sunset and egret, as well as the cypress are quite extraordinary.
From here, some of the brightest oranges draw my eye away from the bird and pond, and might be subdued a bit.
An excellent image, though!
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Welcome back, Gary. My favorite part of NPN is the critique, also. It’s really helped my photography to have more than one set of eyes looking and evaluating my images.
This photo is quite striking. It’s odd, but that large, bluish tree trunk on the right really catches my eye. Even thought it’s dark, the difference in color and the large area make it stand out. I wondered what it would look like if it was darkened and warmed, so I took a crack at that. Then I was thinking about the bright bits. I love the way they’re scattered throughout the frame. It occurred to me that the light bit towards the LRC could be brightened a bit so that there would be a bright bit down in that corner, too, thinking it would give more balance. Finally, I wondered about different crops, specifically off the right. So, here’s what the result looked lide (cropped to 5x7). Just my 2 cents worth of nitpicking on an already great image. 
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Welcome back Gary - so glad you’ve returned and hope you can continue to find a few cycles for NPN!
For me, first, people. I’ve met many, made friends and I hope this continues. I’m retired now and need more friends! ha ha! 2nd, the advice/suggestions provided here you can’t get anywhere else really - unless you pay a professional to review! So many insightful and knowledgable photographers here. Lots of options out there. I’ll continue to chose NPN.
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Hi Gary – this is a spectacular image! I love everything about it too much to make any suggestions. There are possible variations but overall it’s such a fantasyland (in the best sense) that it could come down to a coin toss to decide.
Glad you’re back here – hoping to see much more of your work!
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This would be a terrific photo even without the egret. It’s just the cherry on top.
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Well, I knew this was yours before I saw your name. You know I love this image, Gary!
My favorite part here are the critiques; some really great feedback on things I would have missed. Also learning from the critiques on others photos. The before and after versions are great as far as seeing the results of the critiques.
Just as you, not sure where time goes… I had planned on doing every single Weekly Challenge this year, and have only gotten around to submitting just a couple.
Great to see your work here!
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Hi Sandy. We could have been neighbors back then. I’ve lived up here for quite a while. Sadly, it’s changing fast, but the rivers, forests and the views are still as beautiful as ever.
Thank you for taking time to critique this photo. I really appreciate it. This is first morning sweet light peaking into the swamp so it was bright, but I can see how those near the bird could take attention from it. How does this look?
Great advice, especially the color of the tree. It was in the light more than those deeper in the swamp. And the 5X7 is definitely something to ponder. I even cropped 4:6 and pulled it in from the right and it helped to blend it better with the other trees. How does this look?
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Hi Lon! Thank you my friend!! I agree with you completely. Looking forward to interacting with you more here.
@Diane_Miller Hi Diane! Thank you and I’m looking forward to seeing yours. here too.
@Don_Peters Thank you. I have a few variations that include the sun cutting through the mist that exclude the bird. This swamp is so inspiring.
@J_Fritz_Rumpf Brother!!! Thanks for popping on here my friend. I’m just waiting for our next encounter.
Welcome back Gary! I also been a bit absent from NPN recently but am trying to get back in the rhythm. The image you posted is really beautiful – it feels like something from a fairy tale and is full of mystery and magic.
My favourite part of NPN is without a doubt the critiques. Most of the time when I post an image, I think I’m “done” with it but almost without fail someone will show me something I missed or could have done better. What I get from NPN is invaluable.
