I do not know how much appeal this will have; and that is OK; so I thought I would put it out and see what your thoughts are. I have always liked this section of Jordon Pond and the way the granite rocks lie beneath the surface. The last few times I have been in Acadia there seems to always be a breeze so I was not able to catch the reflection of the shoreline with a clear view of the rocks. This past visit everything fell into place and I had the added bonus of raindrops on the water surface.
Ed, what an unique take on Jordan Pond. It’s nice to see an image where the photographer tries for something different in a heavily photographed location, and I think you were very successful at it. People often ask why do we keep photographing the same location many times, and this is a great example of waiting for the right conditions to fulfill your vision.
The level of polarization is perfect here, you can see so much detail in the rocks. Getting the ripples from the raindrops adds a wonderful element to this scene. And the greens in the water at the top look great. My only nitpick with this shot is the boulder 2/3’s up the right frame edge. If this were my image I would clone it away. I don’t think it adds to the composition, and I am a stickler for “cleaning up” frame edges. But this is a minor point, overall the image is very nicely done.
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestion, Ed. Something always nagged me a little about the image and I think your suggestion took care of that as I do prefer the version with the rock cloned out. Hopefully I can shoot this again with some autumn foliage reflected in the water. Here is a repost with Ed’s suggestion.
Ed, I like the re-post. Eliminating the rock on the frame edge helps to make the image more balanced.
I hope the foliage season in New England cooperates this year, unlike the disappointing color we had in 2017. Crossing my fingers on 2018…
It’s been warmer than normal in New England for much of September, but I was in Acadia last week and we had two nights that got down into the low forties. We are having a lot of rain this week, which doesn’t help.
Hi Ed,
I am a fool for rocks and water, submerged or not. That said, I am not familiar with Jordan Pond, so this image struck me as having no particular kind of appeal. It might be that knowing the place gives this image the punch because it is unexpected, but without that, the arrangement of rocks, color palette, and degree of reflectivity don’t come together in a way that gives this photograph clear appeal.
Sorry I can’t be more positive on it. I do think that with more carefully selection of rock arrangement, or with a different kind of processing, maybe even black and white, this would have more impact.
ML
Good eye, being drawn to this location. I love the different types of texture in the image, like the smoothness of the water, the raindrops, and larger rocks. I like that the image has two main contrasting colors.
I agree a bit with Marylynne in that I think this idea needs a little more work. I find the rocks emerging from the water to be a bit distracting, and the composition doesn’t immediately draw my eye to anything in particular. It’s hard to know without being there, but I think a little longer lens as well for looking for a really nice pattern of rocks could make a really nice image.
Thanks for your honest opinions, Marylynne and Brent; always appreciated. Even though I like the image I was curious as to how others would feel. My intention was to try something different as this is an oft photographed location in Acadia, NP. I should be heading back in October so this is something that I will be trying again.
Ed,
Agree with the comments about the nice balance of reflection vs. being able to see the submerged rocks. The rain drops for me really stand out and add a lot to this somewhat static scene.
I like the crop of that rock on the edge - good call there. Personally, I might take that a step further. I really like the submerged rock as well as the rain drops on the surface. With that, I might be inclined to exclude the larger exposed rock entirely and leave the more subtle rock bottom center. It’s a severe crop, but I think brings more emphasis to what’s important in the image (although originally perhaps the exposed rock was important to you as well.) There’s also one much lighter smaller rock that could be cloned as well.
Looks like a great spot with great potential and I think you did very well to incorporate in the rain; this gives off that soothing rainy-day feeling.
Lon
I like the rain drops on the surface of the water, and how the rocks are visible below the surface. It definitely makes me want to be there, and to hear the sound of the rain as it falls on the water. You have two primary rocks poking above the surface, and a third one off on the far right side. I find that when there is an even number of subjects — in this case the two primary rocks — it tends to create a bit of confusion in the composition. They compete for attention rather than being a cohesive element. When subjects are on the far edge of a composition, they also tend to draw the eye to the edge which creates visual tension. I think that there is some potential here, but it might have involved positioning the camera in a different way to make better use of the foreground rocks. Perhaps isolating a single rock, or finding a cluster of 3 that form a dynamic shape. The biggest rock is the most dominant because of the lighter color, so that would have been my first choice of rocks to work with for the composition. I think it’s a matter of finding just the right camera placement to make good use of it.