The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
Another Yosemite image, and another taken during the wet day with heavy fog. During a brief break in the fog we pointed our cameras toward one of the falls and/or cliff sides. I took several shots of this comp and selected this one because I felt it showed the power of the falls better than the others. I cropped off the bottom to a 4x5 format to emphasize that power.
Feedback Requested
Did the composition and processing effectively support the notion of power in the water? Would you recommend any changes?
Yes, I think your composition does show the power of the water. Especially that portion of the water that looks like an arrow head pointing down. It looks like amore dense body of water that is about to crash down hard. The small trees also lend that sense of power in the water by appearing diminutive in scene. If I were to change any thing it would to burn down the water just a bit in the area above the arrowhead shape. It seems a bit hot.
Very nice! I love the power of water really comes through in this image - it really does. Going B&W here is perfect as there are no colours to distract the viewer and I absolutely love those trees and stand out so perfectly against the waterfall and really help convey how massive that waterfall really is.
What a marvelous image. My first impression is how similar this is to the light on a southwest canyon I shot a couple of years ago. What I’m trying to say is that yes this a spectacular vision of a waterfall but it is also a vision of light plunging down from above. So that’s what interests me. Light with texture. Clouds have that same quality as well. There’s an idea - clouds falling from above. But really it’s that enormous arc that swoops around it with silhouetted trees in front that adds so much. Lots of good stuff here. The glistening rocks on the lower right add to the mixture. The changes in the revision were exactly what came to mind at first glance but I debated whether they were necessary. I’m still not sure.
Not much to add Steve, except WOW! You definitely achieved the impression you wanted to make with this image. I like Igor’s description as well. It’s the power of water, but also of light. The trees (such perfect trees) backlit by the water work wonderfully. I also think the revised version improves processing on an already fantastic composition.
ML
Great capture and image Steve. While a classic comp, it’s always fun and a challenge to accomplish exactly what you did - capture the immensity and power of the falls; and with a story-telling scale with the “little” trees.
Not much to add other than I think the revised edit nails it. I think you just did the burning as was recommended. I think the result actually gives the appearance of a slight increase in contrast globally - even though that might not be the case. The result is excellent!
Thanks for posting… I’ll leave mine in the folder… ha ha!
Absolutely! Those trees are likely not small at all and yet the look diminutive in scale next to the water crashing down from above. I really like the texture of the water crashing down between the two leftern most trees. I also like little ribbons of water cascading down on the very right side of the rock face. You had great light hitting the rock wall on the left portion of the image. I must have blinked when that happened because I don’t think I have that kind of light on my images. A quick break in the cloud cover and you capture this beautifully. I might dodge the LRC and maybe a little bit of the dark shadow in the LLCon rock wall. Excellent image Steve.
Love the repost Steve! Not that there was a thing wrong with the OP.
I double zoomed in on the image and found there could be another version…much cropped to show the beauty of the less forceful. Just above the trees. It’s gorgeous.
One more tiny speck of a nit. There is a shiny rock surface mid way down on the right side. I’ve seen it, and my eyes go straight there.
Steve. this definitely and definitively shows the power of this falls, taking advantage of both the details in the water and those trees on the slope in front. While the burning-in of the upper left does push the focus more to the falls, the brightness coordination between that area and the rocks in the lower left feels like it fits… The extra detail in the bright area of the falls is a good improvement.
