This here is an image of Spruce Flat Falls in the Smoky Mountains I took yesterday. It is a little less than a mile hike. On the way up, I saw a mommy bear and her two cubs. I gave them no bother and they returned the favor. It’s all about respect.
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
3 images focus stacked. Taken with Fuji X-T30, 10-24mm lens and polarizer used.
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Really nice shot of the falls and capturing the flowing water. I love the sprinkling of bright leaves throughout the image. The adjustment I might suggest is to tone down the highlights on the yellow branch just to the right of the upper falls. For some reason my eye gets pulled to that branch instead of the falls themselves. Overall a beautiful shot.
A beautiful scene well captured with wonderful depth! I love the blur of the water. The focus stack is very successful and the polarizer was a great choice. My only thought is to wonder about cropping from the top to about halfway to the top of the fall. The overexposure there pulls my eye away from the wonderful scene.
Hey Shawn!
Really awesome capture & a nice composition of a cool place - good choice of shutter speed too!
I’d agree with Terrance in saying the highlights need to go down a little bit.
My suggestion would be to add a soft light layer with a black brush & brush in almost a U shape creating a vignette that helps focus the eye through the water & up the falls.
The other thing I’d suggest is using the spot healing brush & removing some of the leaves on the left hand side of the frame - primarily those that go off the frame just to help convince the eye to stay on the water.
I’ve done a little before & after with the above suggestions - I hope this helps!
Hi @Shawn_Grant, i think it’s a great shot. I love composition, there’s interesting leading lines that towards the waterfall. I also like post processing, great management of the lights. Beautiful image in my opinion.
I was just there on Sunday and also saw a bear (just one for me). This has been one of my favorite places in the park to shoot throughout the years and I think you have a nice composition here. It was a little harder this year with the fallen tree. It also looks like the color might have been a little better when you were there. It was past prime when I was there on Sunday. Nicely done!
