This image was taken on the final morning of a 3-day backpacking trip to Pictured Rocks this last October. This small river ran right next to where we were camped that night.
I had quite a difficult time finding a composition for this scene. Just out of the frame there were a lot of distracting elements I was trying my best not to include in the final image.
I wanted to hear some feedback on the composition. To my eye the empty top right corner of the frame makes the photo feel a little unbalanced. Let me know your thoughts.
Specific Feedback Requested
How is the composition? Does it feel unbalanced?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Shot at 1.3 sec., F/13, 22 mm, ISO 100
In post I added contrast to the mid-tones, and did some dodging and burning to pull focus more to the center of the frame.
Also, I clowned out some hot spots from the sky in the very top middle of the frame.
I really like the texture and shape of the falls. To answer your question I would prefer less of the bare bank. Did you try a 4:5 aspect ration in portrait orientation?
To my eye, it feels too tightly cropped, trees cut off especially. If there were too many distracting elements out of the frame, zoom in on the elements that appeal to you and frame a composition that feature them. Also keep in mind that a wider framing that includes some elements that are distracting can often be successful by darkening those areas to lessen their impact.
The processing looks good, colors are vibrant but not overdone. The shape of the falls is somewhat unique, and it has a lot of visual interest. Something about the composition just doesn’t feel quite right however. The bare patch in the extreme upper right corner (URC) does attract some unwanted attention. But the whole upper right quadrant of the image doesn’t quite work for me. The bright boulder in the river also pulls my eye. And the relatively empty water in that upper right quadrant is to me the least interesting part of the river. I suspect you went with this comp to show as much of the foreground falls as you could, and it has introduced some other elements that may not be as strong.
Vincent, this view looks excellent to me. I like where the stream comes in and how it curves into the the cascade area. There’s a nice swing across the frame with the white water area and then back along the bank. The big rock is well positioned and the bit of orange leaves in the upper right corner complete the colorful vista along the top. Overall, this is very peaceful, very natural and very inviting.
Thank you everyone for the detailed feedback on this one!
@Nathan_Klein I went ahead and did a quick rework with the suggested 4:5 portrait crop. I posted it above, let me know your thoughts.
@Rick_Alway I agree with you on the photo feeling too tightly cropped. In my attempt to eliminate the distractions, I definitely overlooked some wider compositions I could have gone with. I will keep in mind your great advice for the next time I find myself in a similar situation.
@Ed_McGuirk You’re correct about me trying to include as much of the foreground falls as I could. It was the element I was most focused on including in the frame, but it is also what I struggled with most. Thinking back on what I can remember from that morning, I do remember feeling like I was forcing the other elements on the frame in with the foreground water.
@Mark_Seaver The curve of the water flowing down the stream is exactly what drew me to the scene.
I agree with the original suggestion to crop some of the right side to get rid of the empty/uninteresting space in the upper right. I think 4:5 is too extreme. Here is my suggestion. I cropped the right side, some off the bottom, darkened the upper right area including the tree trunk, and cloned away some bright spots in the water on the bottom and right side edge.
@Tony_Siciliano Thank you for your feedback! I do prefer your crop over the original composition, eliminating the empty top right corner does help quite a bit.
