They aren’t very dramatic or big, but we take what we can get, right? Mostly left to its own devices, the Pine river has several falls on it, but these are by far the most remote. There aren’t too many ways to shoot them. I tried further down, but couldn’t get into the water far enough to make a compelling foreground. So up on the rocks I went - this is directly on the falls and a few feet up, basically right on the edge. If I had my tripod with the 90-degree center column, I probably would have hung it over into space and the backpack on the tripod for support. But I didn’t so this is as into the flow as I could get from this vantage point.
I rather like the plants in the foreground on the left of #1 as I think they fill that blank bit of water, however I wish I’d had the presence of mind to take a shot with them still instead of blurred. Hindsight. The second is a slightly different placement, but a narrower view without the lower rocks or water.
Specific Feedback Requested
Which do you prefer and why? Anything else I should do/change to either?
Technical Details
Tripod and CPL
Lr for work in Calibration and HSL panels to advance fall a bit and make it seem a little later in the season than it was. Some lens correction and transform, the usual S-curve with a nice mid-tones lift. Clarity, texture and a touch of exposure, but no saturation added. Topaz Sharpen to bring up some detail. A tiny crop to eliminate a distraction on the bottom.
Good morning Kristen, I like how the stream takes my eye back in the top photo. I see the color change is starting. I can almost hear the water running in your photos. Thank you for sharing.
Kris, both are great. I think I like the second one better because the water is coming right at me. That adds a nice touch of drama and mood. I might get rid of the little spot of sky in the ULC, I wouldn’t change anything else. Wonderful.
Thanks @Brian_Murphy & @David_Bostock - even though a lot of rivers are VERY low right now, the Pine is still moving along quite nicely. It’s pretty loud right there. Seems a vote for each. A tie.
Hi Kristen. I really like the way the water is captured in this image. I also prefer the second one as it seems much more dynamic with the most interesting area of water being more easily appreciated, and also with those interesting rocks on the left being more dominant. It give me a sense of being there amongst it all whereas I feeel like a bystander with the first image. Cheers.
Thanks @Phil_G - when I first started doing long exposure, I went with a few seconds exposure, but more often now I go much quicker for more character and interest in the water. Usually I only need a polarizer to do it which is easier than managing two filters. On this outing I used varying shutter speeds (bracketing) just to see how the water changed so I could pick the best one.
I like both - each for different reasons and small nits on both.
I like the “grander” or wider view of the first. I like the top to bottom flow of the river, and as you mention, the texture of the water (in both actually) is very nice. I actually like the grasses in the first as it fits my axiom of “if you’re going to include something, do it on purpose.” Clearly the grasses were part of your intentional capture (even though you may not have wanted them… at least you included enough to show the intent.) And like you said, too bad you didn’t have a frame where they were not moving. (the small nit).
The second one is cleaner of course and I like the balance between the river (which still has nice top to bottom flow) and the surrounding rock and vegetation. For this one, I’m wishing for just a tad more room at the bottom to give that bottom pool a bit more breathing space; minor. And a minor suggestion might be to CA-clone the little patches of sky in the ULC. But not a big distraction at all.
Colors, processing look great in both. Very lovely images both of them.
Thanks for chiming in @Lon_Overacker - I put a modified version of the 2nd view in the OP. I didn’t get rid of all the sky, but some and I think that works. Unfortunately if I pointed the camera down, that big rock came into the frame and it really doesn’t help at this angle. In the larger angle it works because it’s comparatively smaller in relation to everything else, but in the closer view it becomes a major presence. Such is life.
