I am a kayaking fiend and this is my favorite place to go. It’s the Spirit river. What? you say. Yup, it’s a river. It has a very shallow grade and is dammed just above where it meets the Wisconsin river. Once you get past the big lake it makes the river narrows and when the level is high, it spreads for acres and acres into the surrounding woodlands. Saying it’s shallow is like saying the other side of the moon is dark. Sometimes it’s less than a paddle-blade width and so you have to go slowly and will sometimes hang the boat up on logs like the one in the picture.
This was a shot I was frantic to make because the light on the log would only last seconds or maybe minutes if I was lucky. Maneuvering the boat into position was … interesting and I almost didn’t make it. Managing the dappled light is even more … interesting, but I think I’m getting better at it in the field and in post. What I wanted to convey here is the dichotomy of openness and intimacy. That’s what it’s like gently paddling through these secret backwaters. You can’t imagine they exist from the main channel and only canoes or kayaks can reach them. It’s like a secret world opens up and allows you inside. Totally amazing and I’ve had some wonderful wildlife encounters just sitting quietly, at peace with the world.
Ok. I’ll shut up now.
Specific Feedback Requested
First the dappled light. Is it too intense? Are there ‘eye sinks’ anywhere that are too much? I worked with the local adjustment brush to control a lot of it in the trees. I want it to show, but not be too much of a distraction. Also the log…it is the focal point, but is it not prominent enough? I don’t want to tip the processing into the land of fakery. Did I show too much of the opening in the back that leads to another open spot? Part of the joy of paddling here is when you see an opening like that and it beckons.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Panasonic DC-G9
LUMIX G VARIO 12-35mm F2.8
13.0 mm (26.0 mm in 35mm)
f/9 | 1/30 sec | ISO 400
Handheld (your knees work as a decent support in a kayak)
Lr processing to manage dynamic range, dodge and burned to even out highlights and shadows, texture added, but not a lot of contrast or clarity since it had it. Some lens correction and sharpening. I think I gave it a slight crop as well, but I’d have to look.
Hello Kristen, this is a wonderful place and it appears you’ve worked hard to position your kayak at the right place but the final result is fantastic. Your picture is very original; I like the composition, the light on the log and the colors. My only suggestion would be to lower the exposure of the brighter area at the base of the tree located on the right side of the image. This is an image I would be very proud to hang on a wall. Congrats!
I can see why you like this place so much. It looks heavenly. It looks … still. I can sense the silence of the natural world in this image. There are several suggestions that could be made but I will make the most obvious one. That tree on the edge of the left frame. You don’t want that. Crop that so there is green foliage up against the frame. That’s how I think when I compose. Others may think differently.
Thanks gents. It is my favorite place to kayak and hopefully if it floods again this spring, the backchannels will be available to me again.
I’ve posted a re-edited image with your suggestions for your perusal.
Oh and there is a bald eagle nest on the edge of the water about 10 minutes from my launch point. I’ve gotten a few shots of last year’s kids as well as the parents together on a couple of branches. I guess I have to put them in the avian section!
Kristen this does look like a hidden world, and a special place. Kudos to you for making the extra effort to access this location. This presents an extremely difficult exposure situation, but you handled it very well, the dappled light is not too intense. But is it really the backlight on the leaves that makes this image sing. The light and color of those leaves is wonderful. Once again the light drives the image, and you just need to fine tune the composition to present it best. I agree with @Igor_Doncov and @Richard_Tétreault suggested changes, removing that tree to the left is a big improvement in the composition. My only incremental suggestion to your rework would be to clone away the two small branches on the left side of the log.
This image somewhat reminds me of the Everglades work of Clyde Butcher, even though he works in B&W, this location made me think of some of his images.
Thanks to Ed for making the image even stronger. I’m a complete neophyte when it comes to Photoshop and I’ve only recently started using it with my Lightroom subscription. I forget we can do things like this in general and that I have the tools to do it myself. It looks a little cleaner now.
And also thanks for the undeserved comparison with Clyde Butcher. His work was one of the reasons I pined to get into cypress groves for years and years. Finally I got the opportunity and did a week-long workshop in Louisiana and Texas. We shot from kayaks at sunrise and sunset for 7 days. It was jaw-dropping and I came away with some of the best images I’ve ever made. They’re no Clyde Butcher, but I’m happy with them and may do another workshop because the experience was so terrific.
Beautiful place, Kristen! And you captured it well! It makes me feel like I’m exploring it too! I would be scanning the shores and woods for animals and hoping to see maybe a Moose! If you have those…
Kris, this is a very bucolic view of a “quiet backwater” that invites exploration in a canoe or kayak. Lightening the log and it’s reflection along with the modest crop are nice improvements.
Thanks Vanessa & Mark. I can’t wait to put the boat in the water here again.
Unfortunately, moose don’t seem to make it down this way which is weird. They’re all over southern NH where I’m from and so I thought they’d be here in north central Wisconsin, but they’re rare. Being in these little backwaters is good for wildlife. A few minutes after I took this shot, a local came in to see what the heck I was doing -
Where were you originally from Kristen? I mostly grew up in Walpole NH, in the Monadnock region. I should have known from your “Wicked Dark” website name.
Born and raised in the ManchVegas area - Bedford (parents & brother live there still) - and I lived in Londonderry for 18 years. The Monadnock region is a wonder. I’ve shot there a lot and all over the state, really (it’s so small!). While I love where I am now, I miss the mountains and the ocean sometimes. The highest point in WI is a hair under 2000 feet. At least they call it a hill. And we have two big lakes (Michigan and Superior) so I can get a ‘big water’ fix in less than 3 hours.
That’s a gorgeous scene! It reminds me of our area with that lovely green. I prefer that final edit; nice job.
Not everyone likes it, but I like the effect glow has on green scenes like this; I think it softens the contrast and gives a “fairy” feeling that I get when I am in a place like this. Here’s an example of what I mean (and I added a bit of vignette to tunnel the eye toward that center).
Great tranquil scene and I really like the progression of changes, culminating with @John_Williams’ version. The great mood really comes across well in the image and it is a beautiful scene.
Thanks for your input John - the soft look isn’t something I do a lot of, but it’s a soothing choice. I guess I’ll have to put up more Spirit overflow shots.
Kristen, I am late into this one and have no additional comments. Just want to say that your image is very good and capture the mood perfectly. The third repost is great.
