The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This one required waiting on the light. I was by a stream in late afternoon. When I first saw this arrangement of rocks and leaves, it wasn’t backlit, but I thought it would be when the sun sank lower in the sky. I kept my eye on it while I took other photos and came back when the light was right.
This was taken two days ago. It was such a dry winter that the autumn leaves hadn’t deteriorated much.
Specific Feedback
All comments would be welcome.
Technical Details
ISO 100, 214mm. f/11, 1/8th sec. Minimal processing in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This one has an “eye dance” quality to it, with no real landing pad. I’m having arguments with myself over whether that’s a good think or not, but the chaos is certainly representative of the time of year. It’s a personal preference, but having the close foreground as sharp as the middle would be a plus. Maybe a blend or a smaller aperture?
Hi Don,
I am really liking your thought process here and the light is perfect for showcasing all of those fallen autumn leaves scattered about the stream bed of rocks. This was well worth waiting around for to get the light you wanted. The OOF FG bothers me a little so I did a little rework and cropped the image to get rid of that. Hopefully the rework still retains what you were striving for. Just my opinion of course. Great previsualization on this.
I love these little scenes that so many people just walk over… Kudos for recognizing the potential with the light present; your forethought really paid off.
I think it’s also one of those scenes/situations where there is a lot of repeated elements - obviously the rocks and leaves all cast in the warm, late light. I say that because my initial thought was the same as Ed’s. Not just the softer foreground area, but again that there is repeated elements for the viewer to take in. IMHO, I think Ed’s crop works very nicely - and yet does not take away from the beautiful light or impact the scene has. In Ed’s crop, I think the rock with speckles of lichen? is the anchor or resting point for the eye, so I think the structure/comp was improved slightly with the crop. And that’s not to say your original frame is not good, it certainly is.
I like this – I like the chaos! To me this almost looks like ripples of water on a windy day or maybe flames from a fire. In any case it’s a great photograph.
This is an interesting one, @Don_Peters. The light is certainly nice and perfect for the scene. I am partial to @Ed_Lowe crop and I think @Igor_Doncov suggestion to add a vignette is a good one.
