What changed: Not much happening in the lower right to balance that part, but I tried and I also darkened the still bit of shoreline across from the rocks. It’s too subtle to really make a difference.
Added after receiving feedback from the community.
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
It feels like an age since I did any landscape work at all, but I know it hasn’t been that long. It is a different thing with many more choices for consideration than macro and it would have been funny if you could have watched me flail a little while positioning myself and the tripod in this river.
You may have guessed it’s the Prairie (I’m going to try for the 3rd time to paddle the headwater lakes this year, hopefully the logging is now done). The clouds didn’t stick around as long as predicted and so I didn’t get many landscapes before packing it in. This one though I quite like. It’s looking downstream which a lot of folks don’t do, but I think can make for just as compelling an image if the water action at the surface is interesting. I quite liked what it’s doing here as well as the balance of the big rock on the left with the slower pool on the right. When I was out there, I switched to 16:9 aspect ratio and also Leica Monochrome to really visualize what had to be there for it to work. I think I got it.
Specific Feedback
Does this feel balanced? It is late spring for most of you, but really just the start of the greening for us and though it was soft, I thought a more contrasty view would work. It does exist in color, so I can show you that if you want. Should I darken that still side on the right? I hadn’t considered doing that until now so maybe…oy vey. So many decisions.
Technical Details
Tripod in water, photographer on rock. Or maybe we were both on rocks. CPL on lens.
Lr for all processing - global and masking to raise some shadows and improve the contrast in the water itself (dehaze). Left the crop basically as it was in camera and added a touch of a vignette. I still have room to move with the crop if needed.
Kris: I don’t do much B&W but when I see a good one I think I can recognize it and this is a good one. I like the water action for sure and the flow through the frame even though it’s going right to left. You mentioned logging in your write up and this took me back to my early childhood. My grandfather owned and operated sawmills in the Oregon Cascades in the 40’s and early 50’s and he had some B&W pics of the stream around one of the mills that this reminded me of immediately. Nice work despite your layoff. >=))>
Firstly, great job in seeing this comp - and then going thru the machinations of getting set up in such a precarious position! The viewpoint/perspective really made a difference in this strong river/stream composition.
The comp to me absolutely feels well balanced. I couldn’t suggest anything better. The b&w approach and resulting contrast works perfectly for this scene.
If I were to suggest anything - and maybe you hinted at it already, I’m not sure,
If you mean the LRC, lower right corner… I wouldn’t darken per se, but I think a good spot for painting some additional contrast to bring out the foamy white streaks a bit. And by “painting contrast” - that’s my reference to Tony Kuyper’s “painting contrast” in his panels. I guess if you don’t use the panels, you would create and paint contrast however you might do that. Very minor suggestion btw.
Lovely scene with some quiet drama in the cascades flowing downstream.
Thanks @Bill_Fach , @Lon_Overacker & @Gill_Vanderlip - glad this presents well in monochrome. Another scene not far, but facing the other way, doesn’t work except in color.
Lumber is Wisconsin’s largest crop and so there is a lot of it about and there is nothing you want to do less than get in the way of a crew, so I stay away whenever I run into one, even if they aren’t right there. Maybe this will be my year.
Balancing act. Way to go Kris. I can see you now. Using the tripod as a walking stick hoping not to slip and fall in the water and if you do, simply hold the camera up over your head while the rest of you gets all wet. The things us photographers do to get the shot.
As for the image, your chosen crop makes this a perfect composition. Including that little bit of white water in the lower left corner adds so much to the scene and could have been easily missed. Nice job on that. The balance is just right. The white water leads the eye through the scene beautifully allowing the viewer to catch the large boulders and the trees along the shoreline. The shutter speed is to my liking providing just enough texture and movement. I like that you darkened down the LRC just a smidgen. I have no other recommendations. Now, how do you get back to shore?
I agree with @Lon_Overacker on the LRC, it needs more contrast to bring out those subtle white streaks, that will line up and flow with the lines in the rest of the photograph leading the eye nicely into the frame.
This is a lovely shot. I liked the original and like the revised version better, though I am hard pressed to really recognize the differences.
I just wanted to pop in and congratulate you on this shot and say that you are not alone in flailing when you return to a genre or subject you haven’t shot in a while. When I go from abstract and ICM to landscape, I’m like–oh yeah, there are a lot of decisions right out of the gate. I fumble with the tripod, Oh, and the IS button. I should switch that!
Thanks @David_Haynes , @Youssef_Ismail & @Marylynne_Diggs - I am very careful about getting out into water like this, believe me! Since I’ve been a weightlifter forever it would be hard to break a bone in a fall, but not impossible so I watch myself and my gear pretty closely. Watching me would be really funny even if I don’t fall. Got back over nicely because of the tall boots - no rock hopping, just a little wading. The worst part is the size of the rock sometimes doesn’t let the tripod sit as securely as I’d like at certain heights, so setting up takes a lot of time for certain shots.
Thanks Youssef for the edit - you magically brought out a little more of the agitation streaks. I wish there had been more to work with there, but alas there wasn’t.
A lot of my flailing was mental because I sometimes forget some of the secret sauce with landscape photography and a lot of it has to do with camera features. For example I could have done a high-resolution shot of this scene and others, but totally forgot about it. Not 100% crucial, but a nice feature in the camera. The kayak rack is on deck to go on the Jeep so some watery landscapes might be in the future again as we come into ravenous bug season.
I’m late here so can just echo the comments above for this image, with no ideas to add – it is wonderful, and the B/W conversion looks just right! Keep 'em coming!!
Thanks @Diane_Miller I’m glad you like it. I may go out again today…not sure. It’s overcast and not raining, but it did overnight. Lots of stuff blooming and the river is just such a great spot. Maybe I’ll go down the other side.
Ah, the joy of flailing in a river! It worked out well though, so glad you stuck with it. I like your revision, and @Youssef_Ismail did a great job with those streaks.
Thanks @John_Williams - as the old saying goes ‘use it or lose it’ and that definitely applied here, but things did trickle back into my consciousness. Chores and errands kind of took over and the general area is now invaded by summer people (as happens every year so you’d think I’d be used to it), so I’m sticking here for the next few days.
