Swallow Falls in Maryland

Image Critiques
1

Swallow Falls in Maryland
Swallow Falls in Maryland1400×935 984 KB

Swallow Falls in Maryland last fall when the colors were about perfect. This particular set of falls, in my opinion, look better photographed at a distance through the trees. Once you get to the base all you have are the falls with the one red tree above them. Not bad of course and worth the effort to shoot there. I was lucky to get some bright overcast that day. Sometimes it just all comes together. A rarity for me.

Specific Feedback Requested

I composed this to balance the pines on both sides of the frame and I liked the yellow leaves in front of the pine on the right. Without them I would have cropped off a bit more on the right. The red tree was amazing. Add to all this color a waterfall in the Fall with a nice flow.

Does the composition work for you ? I appreciate all input.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Nikon D750 Nikon 16-35 with a polarizer and tripod.

ISO 100, F14 , 0.6 seconds

2

Oh this is such a great location. The rocks are amazing. I’d love to see this in winter or stick season to see more of the cliff. But fall is tremendous! I like the composition and don’t feel like there’s a lot of competition for my eyes - the trees frame well, but there is enough light on the water to make it the focus. The shutter speed works well.

So I pulled it into Lr and -

Kristen_SmithOctober 13, 2020swallow falls (1 of 1)
Kristen_SmithOctober 13, 2020swallow falls (1 of 1)3000×2000 2.84 MB

Tiny crop off the top
Increased exposure +43
Contrast +7
Highlights -15
Shadows +15
Whites +13
Blacks -19
Texture + 13
Clarity -14
Dehaze -4
Vibrance +13
Saturation +2
Yellow channel luminance +26
Red channel luminance -8
Green channel hue +4
Adjustment brush in water - exposure .20, whites 12, clarity 40, dehaze 10
Very slight vignette

It isn’t a dramatic change, but I think it sings pretty well. Hard to go wrong with this shot.

3

This is a really nice image. I agree with the comments given by Kristen. Eventually I would have included some more of the leaves at the bottom of the image.

4

I agree with Kristen’s crop, though I might take it even further. A lovely composition overall. The sky is just a bit of a distraction for me, so I’d try to eliminate almost all of it or try to clone out the bits of sky left after cropping. I enjoy the processing as originally presented, though Kristen’s rendition gives a dreamy feel to an already gorgeous image.

5

I recommend that you use the leaves or branches of those trees as foreground.

6

I thank you for the extra effort here. I do like the changes and the explanation of what you did. Could not add to the bottom as there is a large walkway there and you can only hide so much of it.

Thanks again, Andrew

7

Thanks for the comments. There is a large walkway at the bottom of the frame and you can only hide so much of it.

8

Thanks Adam. I appreciate the input.

9

Nice shot. I would probably boost the saturation and contrast a tad. Maybe even crop the sky off the top. BTW, this is Muddy Creek Falls. Swallow Falls is further down the trail on the Youghiogeny River.

10

Thanks for the information. A really nice place to shoot and I doubt I will ever catch the color that good again. Online the name is listed wrong lots of times.