The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Sitting on the dock with the long lens brings me some interesting subjects and compositions. One day there was a big algae bloom (or maybe it’s pollen) that coated the surface of the river and made for some interesting patterns and the addition of these two maple leaves just put it into another class for me. I deliberately underexposed so that the water would appear more mysterious and the leaves stand out more distinctly in the afternoon sun.
Specific Feedback
Interesting or a total snoozefest? Any ideas for processing? Should I stay off the dock?
Technical Details
Handheld. May have had CPL attached, but I can’t recall.
Lr for most of the processing to manage the mysterious dark and the vibrant colors of the leaves and the algae. A bit of a crop and rotation. Photoshop to get rid of a lot of tiny specks that were really distracting.
I love this, Kris. The colors of the leaves pops so brilliantly from the dark water and the partially submerged leaf adds a lot to the image. I also like the amount of room the leaves occupy in the frame-it seems to fit the mood of the image very well. I do see one speck that it looks like you might have missed about half way up on the right side (a fuzzy white thing).
Thanks for spotting that, Dennis. Groan, sorry. It’s fixed in the OP. Don’t know how I missed it.
I hoped this would strike a chord - particularly the partly submerged leaf. I was very happy the current wasn’t strong and I could work with the composition a bit.
I love it! I did notice the partially submerged bits - I got the impression that the leaves were coming out of the water, not being subsumed by it. Probably because they are so bold; they pop right out of the frame. Very dramatic.
Kris, I really think you should continue to spend time on the dock. Give us more of this drama! I especially like the leaves and how they seem to float in the dark waters. The smaller leaf has a tiny creature on its edge if one looks at the enlarged image. It’s not that distracting unless someone is a pixel peeper. I also see just enough indication of motion on that leaf on its left edge. That was nice, too. The one thing I am not fond of is the dark green waters. They give me an impression of a lot of digital noise (unlike in ISO 160). That is generally not a big issue for me, but here it somehow takes away the wow factor this beautiful image brings to my eyes.
Very cool! All said above (I’m late again). Underexposing was a very good idea, and yes, the leaves are 3D – and are trying to tell us a story, if we could only listen carefully enough to understand their language.
Definitely don’t stay off the dock. But do watch out for spiders. They are all over places like that…
Not sure what you’re seeing is really noise, Egidio. I think it’s the texture of the algae and the water surface. Blacks and shadows weren’t lifted much and I didn’t underexpose by a lot. Hm…
Kris, I’m sorry for not being clear. When I said “they give me an impression of a lot of digital noise,” it was just an impression. I knew that ISO 160 there wouldn’t be any noise.
The leaves look like they are anchored by their stems and holding fast against the flow of the water (well, whether the water is flowing or not, I still see it like that.) The left side of the right leaf has a very intriguing shadow. In it I see lots of different images. Wonderful shot.
Thanks @Jim_Gavin - glad it’s appealing in all its dark strangeness. The water was moving very slowly, but I suspect it took a while for these two to go anywhere. I liked the shadows, too.
What a cool image, Kris. I love how you composed it, using the exposure to make the leaves show off their beautiful colors and making the water seem, as you said, mysterious. Well seen and captured.
