Spend a nice sunrise at a scenic pond in my home state.
Came away with 3 images I am quite fond of, struggling if I really want to have on my website and in general for the portfolio 3 shots all from the same location and day.
So asking for some assistance culling. The one image I had been given some advice in this forum previously on.
All 3 I think are quite different but my opinion having spend the morning there is likely biased.
How would you rank these in order of best to worst from a perspective of which would look best printed and hung on a wall.
Also, if you would recommend just going with 1 overall ; keeping it to 2 or stick with all 3 that would be good advice as well.
Posting in order in which they were taken.
Pre Sunrise, Sunrise and Post Sunrise.
If you see any flaws or have any critique on these 3 images, I always welcome and encourage that as well ; just wanted to have a post that was easy for people to just rank without much thought or if they choose spend more time and also critique ; so your choice.
My ranking is 2, 3 then 1. Quite a nice morning! I really like all three, but the foreground vegetation in 1 is throwing me off a bit. Otherwise, I like it a lot.
For me, number two is the best by far. It’s a fabulous photo! Well done. In number one I also find the foreground vegetation distracting, and in number three I think the light has become uninteresting and the balance of the composition is off. I’d crop off the trees on the right.
All three images are lovely, Matt. For me two is the best, followed by three then one. The light in the BG and the sunstar are magical in two. I like the warmth in one, but I wish bush was not there or I would rate that second. Hope that helps.
I think 2 is the best, by far. The reflection of the intricately curved trees right in the middle of the image is what really sets it apart for me. I don’t mind the vegetation in 1, but I still like 3 better. I think it is the processing on the trees in 1 that bothers me a bit. It appears you used the Orton effect or some kind of glow. I think I am probably in the minority, but a little goes a LONG way in that regard. In any event, these have been a pleasure to view!
#2 the sunstar and backlit foliage make this one stand out head and shoulders above the other two.
The partial tree reflection and the glow in the water add to the image.
#1 this one has the best sky and clouds, but I’m not keen on the foreground. The bushes are all on the left side, and the composition feels unbalanced with empty space in the LRC. Also the bushes merge with the reflection, I would have tried to get closer and eliminate the merger, even at the expense of wet feet.
#3 has the nicest looking trees, I think because they are side-lit instead of silhouette. But the clouds here are are somewhat distracting to me. There are some contrails on the left that would be hard to remove, and the far right side clouds are so bright they compete with the center of the image.
#2 would be a nice addition to your portfolio, but I’m not sure about the other two.
It’s ironic, this week I have been bearing down on processing my autumn 2018 images, and this morning I was working on 2 mornings worth of shots from this same location. So I may have have a different perspective than others.
Great images Matt. 2/3/1. Drawn to #2 because of the lighting and color highlighted in the underbrush. I’d like to see that one with the full reflection but it’s really nice.
All three are beautiful but, for my tastes, it would be 3, 2, 1. I tried playing with #1, cropping from bottom and cloning out the disruptive flowers.bush, but it proved too tedious and I gave up. Without the bottom brush/bush in #1, my choices might be different.
Tough call. They’re all excellent by themselves. If I was forced to rank, I would go 3, 2, 1. Despite the contrails I love the big sky and streaking clouds along with the reflection and the wonderful island of trees. #2 works with the sun star and filling the frame with the trees; the light and clouds behind. For this one, I would play with some contrast in tree line with the lit up fall color. Very minor suggestion. #1 great sky/clouds, reflection and grouping of trees; only issue the already mentioned bush at the bottom.
These are great moments to watch unfold and glad you made the best of it.
Tough call, Matt. My vote is 2, 3 and 1. No. 1 would get my vote if from a higher POV to get some separation from the FG, and no. 3 is great for the light but it seems a bit unbalanced. They’re still all quite good, and I think you have excellent working files for different crops.
