I’m having a heck of a time finding compositions that are keep worthy. The brief snow we got during the blizzard at Christmas is mostly gone from the 40 & 50 degree weather we’ve been having and what ice we still have is rather unattractive. Before the snow & ice was completely gone, I decided to walk the stony shoreline of Cayuga lake. The county drains about 2 ft. or more of water from the lake to help the ice from damaging boat docks. I enjoy this walk in the winter, because every winter I see different rock and ice patterns in the stones that have been exposed from the lower water line. This year the stones that have been under water since last spring had these wonderful patterns left from the growth of moss. It was as if the moss had stained many of the under water stones. I’m wondering if the very hot summer warmed the lake above the usual temps. causing more moss to grow in the shallow water.
Anyway, I took this shot hoping to capture the beautiful stained stones. I didn’t arrange any of the stones, but I did nudge the leaf that was there to a more ideal position.
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I wasn’t going to post this image because I had doubts about the composition. I’ve been working on taking small scenes. Our grand landscapes in NY are far and few in between and they don’t match the grands of the West. We have lots of tall forested hills and iconic waterfalls which make it difficult to find good unique compositions. This was my attempt to take a unique small scene photo. Does the composition work?
Tia is beautiful, Donna. It reminds me of a still life painting by Cezanne or Monet. The composition is classic and the lighting perfect. Fascinating how nature manages to take care of itself. Very nice see.
ooooh gorgeous. The moss does indeed look like brush strokes. There’s a reservoir near me that gets drawn down substantially every year, but I never thought to go poke around on the shoreline. Doh!
The light is to die for. Lickable. And I like the subdued presentation. The smack center positioning of the leaf gives it away to some degree as something staged, but because the surroundings are so subdued, I think it works. Why not put it front and center? A beautiful treatment.
@linda_mellor@Kris_Smith@Steve_Rosendahl@David_Bostock Thank you so much. I wasn’t sure how the centered leaf would appeal to viewers. I wanted all the stones around the leaf to be in view because they seemed to make the image more interesting and I loved the different designs on them. Glad I decided to post this one .
This is a fine image and one to be proud of. There are many positives here and the negatives are subtle but good to address because we’re all just trying to grow as photographers. The light is excellent here with strong tones yet not too contrasty. The main leaf is set off nicely by color contrast so there is good separation.
The composition is good, very good, and most would be rightly satisfied. There is an inconsistent between left and right side. All the shapes on the right are contained. The bits of snow. The round rocks, Even the thin blue line of water. The leaf, of course. The left, however, is open ended with flowing lines that exit the frame. So I feel there is an imbalance but one that is noticeable if you look long enough. I find myself drawn to the energy of the moss and away from the stability from the enclosed shapes elsewhere. That’s how I feel looking at it now, at least.
I don’t want to say it in a manner where the reaction is “oh well, so much for that one”. Rather it’s food for thought going forward.
Thanks Igor for you’re input. I always value your critiques. I understand what you’re saying and never noticed that until you brought it to my attention. I’ll remember to look closer for lines that pull the eye out of the photo. I’m getting better at seeing distractions, but it’s those small distractions that get by me. Your critiques alway make me think a little harder before I snap that shutter. Thank you for that.
As I stated before this image is perfect.
Thank you for your comments on my B&W work. If I can be so bold I did a very contrasty B&W version of your image.
I still think the color version is better. I love the color harmony with the original
Steve
I love that you processed it as a B&W. I take it as a compliment that you were interested enough in my photo to take the time to try it as a B&W. It really is a different image, but I like it. Like you said, it takes on a different feeling, more moody and mysterious. What’s interesting is that @Igor_Doncov mentioned that the more open space and lines on the stones on the L side pulled his eye out of the image after he viewed it a while . I see what he’s talking about. In the B&W the lines seem to pull my eye into the photo. Maybe that’s just me wanting that . Anyway, thank you for playing with my image. That was fun to see.
Thanks Donna
I did play with the tones on the left in the B&W.
Try darkening the left side in your color image. Our eyes always go to the brightest areas , also the most dynamic color. Let me know what you think.
I just checked out your portfolio very impressed.
Steve
Beautifully balanced light Donna. The soft tones encourage my eyes to wander around the image and take in all the details. I thought @Igor_Doncov brought up a good point regarding the lines leading out of the image. You could try cropping the left side up to the shadow in the bottom rock. Love the colour palette.
Steve, I think darkening the L helped keep the lines in those stones from being distracting. It’s not a cure all, but I think it helped.
Andre, your suggestion to crop was a good idea. Cropping the L, brought that side more in balance with the other side. Igor talked about the left side not balancing well with the right.
Thanks all for your suggestions. Not perfect, but better.
I’m just catching up here and have to linger over this one – it is simply lovely!! This should occupy an important wall! Subject matter, color, composition… all so pleasing! @Igor_Doncov raises a good point about the left side, and I think @Steve_Rosendahl addressed it in his B/W by some burn at the left edge. That would work equally well for the color version, which would be my first choice because of the lovely colors and tonalities. The mossy rocks evoke a drape in a still life, which I find an exceptional touch! Do revisit this place!
I agree with Igor to a point but there are ways to deal with situations like this that are simple, yet effective and it depends on whether or not you intend to print on metal or some material that doesn’t require a border or frame.
The majority of photos and paintings are framed in some way and even a simple thin border with a complimentary color serves to keep the viewer’s attention inside the borders and on the subject matter.
Just something to consider.
I love the image for all the reasons mentioned by others.
Thanks Mervin for this information. I rarely print or have my images printed. I did have one printed for a friend for her birthday. I’ve run out of wall space and don’t want to replace anything just yet. I’ll keep this info. in my back pocket for future use .
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