Jim’s rework
A rather foggy and gloomy predawn image at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida. Still trying out the new camera and trying to shoot some different conditions.
Any and all.
Is this a composite: No
Fuji GFX50S w/ 45-100 @ 45mm. 1/2 sec @ f/11, 200 ISO. Tripod, no filters
Nice, peaceful scene. The colors feel natural and a little chilly. I’d lose the foreground up to about the middle of the tree reflection in the center so my eyes stay on those intriguing trees. I like the processing too.
Bill, this makes me feel like I am there - I wish I was! Currently have 19 degrees and a foot of snow in northern Ohio. But, am heading down next week! I tried cropping this and a little dehaze. Not saying it is better, just for another option.
Bill, I do like this image. It has a wonderful mood of secluded silence that I have so often experienced in early predawn mornings on the rivers I paddle. Personally, I wouldn’t dehaze. I like the aspect ratio and the nice expanse that it shows. My first impulse however, was similar to Jim’s. That being said, i think the grasses in the lower portion serve as a nice framing element that adds to the image. The problem as I see it is that there isn’t enough. I really wish that you’d pulled your camera back a bit more to include more of the grass in the lower portion of the frame. As it is, it feels cut off. Unless you have cropped some off the bottom that could be added back, Jim’s solution is probably best but it really does lose some of the depth that makes the image so strong.
I prefer the uncropped version. I agree that some of the bare spots at the bottom of the frame are not optimal. I wouldn’t worry about getting the tops of all the trees. Cropping from the top into the tallest trees might work (in the original version).
That’s a fascinating effect, the background trees having vegetation and the foreground ones bare. That mixes well with the foggy mood.
My take is that the crop is an interesting alternative; for me it’s neither better or worse.
Thanks to @Kris_Smith , @JimS , @Kerry_Gordon , @Igor_Doncov , & @John_Williams for your comments and thoughts. I think I should have gotten lower and captured thebottoms of the FG plants; I had plenty of room within the frame of the GFX50 but I was just lazy and didn’t get low enough.
I love the scene and the mood! I’m torn about the composition, and I think you have two equally good but slightly different images. A little more FG in the first would have been nice, but I love both. There is so much to explore, but the second version leads me into the distance more easily.
Hi Bill, I really like this photo. I like how the fog gives a dreamy effect to the trees and more so the further back you look. But I also love the reflection of the trees and other grasses in the water which has a more crisp and present look. Nice composition!
Thank you @Diane_Miller & @Vanessa_Hill for your comments!
