I discovered this forum recently and am really excited to be a part of it. I’ve been focusing on small scenes recently. I’m sharing a late fall scene from a wildlife refuge in Maryland for feedback. Thanks in advance.
A couple of questions and comments that might help you decide what might improve this image:
What is your subject? What do you want the viewer’s eye to be drawn to and how could you make that happen (e.g. light transitions, leading lines, etc).
Have you included too much that distracts/detracts from your primary subject?
It’s easy out in nature to feel like everything one sees is wonderful. But at a particular place and time, there can be many subjects and angles of view (i.e. compositions). This means there can be many images you can create, each with its own statement, message, feeling, or experience. Many of those images might be rather mediocre, but some may be sublime.
Carry On!
Mohib, I think @Rick_Alway has given you some good advice. There is just a lot going on in the original image as presented, and this scene would benefit from more emphasis on the most interesting elements, which to me are the fall colors at the base of the tree, and the dark tree trunks covered with lichen. To me the water becomes a distraction, it is so bright that it pulls the viewers eyes away from the trees and fall color.
I downloaded your image and recomposed it to change the emphasis.
I don’t find this to be very busy. There are 3 distinct diagonal shapes/layers here - 1) the fg ground foliage 2) the water 3) the opposite bank. Crossing these layers are the strong repeated verticals of the 2 clump of trees. It’s a very strong and yet sophisticated composition with a mesh of branches overlaying this all of it. I feel that simple compositions are inherently boring. A dominating main subject rarely works for me personally any more.
When I first saw this I felt that the light foliage at the bottom was the biggest issue. It was drawing you out of the image a bit. Cropping it out I found was not the solution. I would burn it in a bit. I like Ed’s crop also.
What is the subject ? Different eyes different aesthetics different stories.
At first glance, the water is not polarized. Image shot on overcast or weak sunlit after a rain day. The trees block going thru image. Having viewer eyes travel thru photo is very difficult. The weaving water S curve is interesting but cannot be followed. The riot of color (purple, red, yellow, green) against dark bark in foreground is very interesting and perhaps the subject.
It took several views, but this grew on me and I like this very much. While I do like Ed’s alternative crop, (It works in simplifying and I like the waterway as a backdrop in the crop,) I really like your original as presented.
I actually really like the composition, which I’ll explain in a sec, but a strong element to me are the diversity of colors. Sometimes the word kaleidoscope is used to describe such a wide array of color. The purple is most intriguing as then really spells spring… so it seems unusual. I like the comp as presented. Yes, little heavy on the right half, but what helps balance out are the branches reaching out to the left and connecting with the two trunks and autumn leaves in the upper left, UL. And I think a slight burn down of th e foliage at the bottom would take care of Igor’s concern, possibly. and I like the stream meandering through the scene, giving this a more pastoral, relaxing and peaceful sense.
Busy, lots going on, yes, but at least for me it comes together as a whole.
Another welcome, Mohib. I am with Lon and Igor on this, I like it as presented. Yeah, it has a lot going on, but for me, it comes together nicely. Great color and my eye nicely wanders from front to back, with a lot of interest all along the way. Igor and Lon’s suggestions might work nicely, but it works for me as presented as well.
Friends - Thank you so much for the warm welcome and thoughtful words. I really appreciate all of you taking the time to review and provide feedback on this image. It is really helpful to me. I especially like the comments about the bottom foliage too bright. I’d work on that.
I was trying to channel Eliot Porter when creating this image. I understand the image comes across as chaotic with too much going on. However, I thought it would work overall. It seems I may have been successful to some extent but probably not as much as I thought. Great to hear different perspective nevertheless.
Additionally, I had created three images at the time (kind of triptych) with this image being the centerpiece. I’m uploading the other two images as well.
