Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Numa Falls in Banff Alberta runs glacial water in cascading streams. I took many establishing shots, but this close-up captured the vibrancy of the water colour and the dusting of the first snow of the season.
Do you think I should have shown more movement in the water?
10 sec, f9, iso 64
Laura, this looks like a good spot for experimenting, various shutter speeds, verticals as well as horizontals… The blue of the glacial melt water comes through well. I think the softness of the water matches well with the softness of the snow. I would suggest some dodging of the darkest rocks, especially along the left side, as that would put more attention on the water. As food for thought, more detail in the water would give you three texture, which may have it’s own interest. BTW, each weekly challenge topic runs for only one week.
Hi Mark
Thanks for your thoughtful suggestions. Unfortunately there was a software issue posting my image, but David sorted that out:)
Yes, I saw his response.
Hi Laura and welcome to NPN. Oh how I love a good cascade. Doesn’t have to be a whole waterfall or super dramatic, but the secret windings of water are always intriguing. Overall I like the framing here and the way there are so many contrasts in texture. But, and you knew there was a but coming didn’t you…I wonder why you chose color for this if the idea was to imply movement or impart that. For me, the blue overwhelms almost everything else about this photo. It’s unusual, intense and spot in the center. Did you experiment at all with doing a monochrome conversion? A cyanotype conversion could work as well and still allow some blue color. I bet it would be fun to work the raw file and lower all those shadows in the rocks back down. Lots of potential and it looks like it was a great trip for you.
Oh and I don’t know if 10 seconds was necessary here. In general slower speeds are adequate for illustrating fast moving water and would, as Mark suggests, provide some texture and interest there. Experimenting and finding your own preferences is part of the process and part of the fun.
Thanks Kristen. I never actually considered a monochrome option, and I’ve never experimented with cyanotype, though that idea sounds quite Intriguing. The glacial blue colour was so arresting, I focussed on that. wish I had offered myself more choices for shutter speeds. This was during a week-long trip to Banff last Fall.
I really like the framing of the water in this image. I am a fan of including some texture in waterfalls, so a shorter SS would do that, but that is a personal preference. I think the bright blue colors bring the location to life. The whites on the right seem to be different from the whites on the left which are more blueish - might be something to adjust with localized WB? Overall the image gives the sense of cold and solidity, which is very nice!
Thanks Ann for your comprehensive comments. I think the difference in white is due to the shadows from the trees on the right side. Thanks for the idea to adjust local WB.
