Here is another image from my recent trip to the Smokies. As I was hiking along the trail what initially caught my eye is the moss covered rock on the right-hand side of the frame. It had a lot of unusual contours and shapes and looked as if it had been sculpted. I worked this area for probably about an hour trying different compositions. I really wanted to feature that moss-covered rock more prominently in the composition, but couldn’t find a composition that I liked.
Ultimately I ended up backing up and taking a more conventional composition. This still hints at the contours in that rock, but doesn’t quite convey what initially caught my attention. Still I like the composition overall and am pleased with the result. This is another example of an image where I waded out into the creek. It might have been a little better to move a bit more to the left, but it was difficult to tell how deep the creek was and I didn’t want to risk injury or damaging my equipment.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments and critiques are welcome. I certainly welcome any input on the composition. Also, do you think the rhododendron on the left are too dark? There was some clutter that I am trying to minimize by keeping it dark and I also think it helps direct the viewers eye back to the lighter section on the top of the frame. I’m on the fence about whether it might be too dark though.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Capture Info:
20mm
Base exposure at f/14, 1.6 sec, ISO 64 blended with an image taken at f/14 1/6 sec, ISO 64 to retain texture in the water. Also a third image was blended in for dynamic range to reign in the bright highlights near the top center of the frame.
Processing Info:
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Clone layer to remove a couple of minor distracting twigs on the left hand side of the frame.
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Levels adjustment for global contrast masked to eliminate the impact on the bright highlights at the top center of the frame.
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Curves adjustment to brighten the shadow detail using a luminosity mask.
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TK’s make it glow action at 48% opacity.
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Color balance adjustment to remove a warm color cast in the water (targeted only the water areas using a layer mask).
Brian, this is a pleasing forest stream scene. I don’t think the rhododendron area is too dark, though it is darker than the other bank. Maybe for balance sake you lighten it, but it isn’t that noticeable.
I appreciate the detailed info about the 3 images to capture the scene, and then the details on how you used different layers to fine tune the adjustments you wanted. I’m still getting used to Photoshop, so your notes are very helpful.
@Mark_Muller - Thanks Mark! I appreciate your feedback. One resource that has been extremely helpful for me as it relates to post processing are Sean Bagshaw’s tutorials. Most of what I have learned about post processing has come from his tutorials. Sean was an NPN member back in the day. He has a background in teaching and it comes through in his tutorials which are presented in such a way that they are easy to follow and understand. I was a complete Photoshop novice.
1 Like
I think the water is about as good as it could get with a slow shutter speed. There is a lot of white near the bottom half but there is good definition within that white. Still it does pull you into that left corner. You can raise definition in the left bank by just raising the luminosity on the green color. Although, you may want to half that side darker. This is a fine image.
Brian, this is a great classic Smokies image, and that moss is just wonderful. I can see why you were so attracted to it. I love your processing here, the moss looks great (vibrant but not overdone), and the glow of light at the top center is the icing on the cake. I do not think the rhodies in the ULC are too dark, rather this darkness helps emphasize the mossy rocks below.
I have a few thoughts about placing more emphasis on the mossy rock on the right. I would re-crop this to a 16:9 pano, and I would burn down the water below the falls. And I would burn the rhodies in the URC (to emphasize the mossy rock below) Removing some of the white water and darkening whats left seems to place more emphasis on the mossy rock, at least for me.
Brian, I actually like your composition quite a bit, but I also like @Ed_McGuirk 's crop suggestion. I don’t think the Rhodies are too dark at all. In fact, I would suggest darkening the right side corresponding area a bit darker to make the scene more balanced and to assist the viewer’s eye to go straight from the front to the back of the image without perhaps going to the lighter right side. My main concern is that the whitewater portion appears a little dark or muddied. I lightened that a little just to give it a little “pop”
Original
Rework
2 Likes
Real good look at this stream. I am liking @Bill_Chambers 's revision quite a bit. Subtle but significant. Nice solid image.
@Ed_McGuirk - thank you for your feedback. I do like the pano format as an alternative to the original comp. I hadn’t even thought of that as a way of placing more emphasis on the mossy rock on the right hand side of the frame, but I do like it.
@Bill_Chambers - Thanks Bill! I do like your edit as it balances out the contrast in the rhodies on the right hand side and I like the impact of your edits on the water as well.
@Igor_Doncov - there is more texture and definition in the water in the full size image. That detail tends to get lost a bit in the smaller web-sized image. I experimented with various shutter speeds and liked the balance between texture and motion at 1/6 second for this image. Sometimes I use a faster shutter speed depending on the image (around 1/10 - 1/15), but I liked the effect of the slightly slower shutter speed with this image. The water kind of got a bit choppy with a faster shutter speed.
