The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This was our second trip to Whitewater State Park this year. It seems lately I’ve been searching for the unseen. Lots of challenging trails and overlooks seem to grab the attention of most, but I lean toward the overlooked not the overlook (although I did go up Inspiration Point our last day there, meeting the barefoot scruffy ghost of Into the Wild was unexpected - so much poison ivy along the trail edges had me cringing at his lack of footwear… and my decision to wear shorts- but that’s another tale). Anywhooo, I also think a lot about access, now that we drive with a handicap hanger (not for me) and check for the ADA campsites when making reservations (distance to bathroom is important too). This spot is easily accessible - you can park and even camp very close - , and if you’re there in good light (with proper footwear ) it can be riveting. The nature of the park affords lots of good lighting opportunities because it is in what’s called the Driftless Area or Blufflands, or the Paleozoic Plateau, the Coulee Region. Its lack of glacial drift creates a landscape that is rugged, and steep with the largest collection of cold water streams in the world! (Lots of fly fishers.) Bonus for the geology and cold water? Few to no mosquitos!
Specific Feedback
This is a five image in-camera multiple exposure with slight ICM. I used a radial gradient mask in the upper middle to dehaze and dodge - bringing out more detail in the background. There are a couple things that bug me about it (not loosing sleep, but…) the glare of the water at the bottom of the image, and because it is ME and ICM, it’s nigh impossible to level the river. Do these detract much? And thanks for any other suggestions, et cetera.
Technical Details
This image was taken with a Fujifilm X-T5 at 149mm (Tamron 18-300) -
1/30 sec, f10, ISO 125, Urth CPL +.
Five image in-camera ME with ICM (Fujifilm only provides the finished ME as a Jpeg - all individual images to create final Jpeg are RAW -) General post-processing. One radial gradient (see above)
Photographer was wearing La Sportiva trail runners and sporting Montem Ultra Strong Trekking Poles (both highly recommended - although figuring out the sticks and the camera and the tripod, phew!)
Hi Pamela, that sounds like a beautiful place to hike and explore. Speaking of explore, it was great reading about you looking for the unseen and the overlooked. I think we can build and strengthen our relationship with a place by carefully looking and exploring so I want to commend you for that.
I love the painterly effect from the ME and ICM. The result feels like fresh rain or a light mist. I see what you mean about the bright glare on the water. I would like to propose a crop from the bottom to remove that distraction. I didn’t notice the horizon of the river being off level. It doesn’t detract from the serene image.
Yes, very intriguing! The “unlevel horizon” did bother me, but that’s just one of my problems…
But the water area also bothered me, as it’s just not as attractive as the rest of the image. Here’s an easy fix for both. Do a Distort and pull down the LL corner, then crop from the bottom to taste and do a gradient burn in the LR corner. (I used a curve, pulling down the UR corner to lower contrast in the lighter tones, and it brought up a bit of reddish color, so I pulled down the middle of the green channel in the curve dialog to neutralize it.)
I like the ethereal feel of the upper part of this one very much. Like Diane, though, I was troubled by the water. The dark tones tend to draw the eye and that isn’t where you want the viewer looking.
Your image is emotionally powerful. I would remove less of the water than Diane did. I think that layer adds a lot to the image and should be kept as much as possible.
Hello, and thank you to everyone who has taken their own time to look at, comment, and work on my photo, I truly appreciate that. I think at the end of the day (or week as it seems) and much thought, mulling over, and review of all your thoughtful comments, I am going to maybe just remove the most extreme glare portion of the water. Thank you @Alfred_Mora for giving my confidence a boost over the river lever - I am looking up the river not across it. Thank you @Diane_Miller for taking the time to actually crop and adjust the focal plane (even though I decided to keep it as is minus a bit at the bottom). Thank you, also to @Don_Peters for warning me about dark waters. And thanks to @Igor_Doncov for his counter balance about cropping (it’s hard to go against the grain!). Thank you again. I ramble. Cheers, et cetera!
I’m new to NPN and this is my first post about an image, so it’s not a critque, just a comment. I like the original image and the overall scene it depicts. I’m not drawn to any one part of it; there seem to be multiple points of interest and I guess I see this beautiful scene as a whole. The image edits by Diane Miller create, for me, a completely different effect that is also beautiful and evocative. In the modified version, without the glare of the water in the foreground, the focus is more on the misty center and upper center and the overall effect is to draw the viewer in (at least me). Beautiful images, both the original and the modifed version.
Hi, @John_Carroll , welcome to NPN! I am honored that you chose to make your first photo commentary on my photo, wow. It’s great you took the plunge, your voice adds to this vibrant community. The first time I went to this location, I was a bit overwhelmed by getting across the river and didn’t quite take in the moment. That morning was one filled with Canadian Wildfire smoke (unbeknownst to me at the time, it ended up being the worst air quality in the world for that day…) and I was just a bit unprepared for it all (not unusual). I am happy I planned ahead for my return, although I wish I had managed to bring a tripod along. Next time. Thank you again for taking the time and effort to comment on my image and its modified version. I hope that you find NPN as supportive and engaging as I have. Cheers!
) it can be riveting. The nature of the park affords lots of good lighting opportunities because it is in what’s called the Driftless Area or Blufflands, or the Paleozoic Plateau, the Coulee Region. Its lack of glacial drift creates a landscape that is rugged, and steep with the largest collection of cold water streams in the world! (Lots of fly fishers.) Bonus for the geology and cold water? Few to no mosquitos!
