(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Took this shot last fall in Harimann State Park, NY, while balancing myself on the rock in
the foreground, precariously close to the water.
Single shot, 17mm, F/11, iso 500.
If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
For me the subject is the wonderful flow of water with the colors of fall a magical background. Like your choice of composition which could easily have been the fall colors as the subject with the water as a secondary subject. Right now in MA the water is flowing nicely but have no leaves to enhance the scene. That will change soon as the weather warms. I am enjoying this image. Thanks for posting it.
That sure is a lot of water! Looks like it is flowing quite strong. I like how the shutter speed really gives a sense of the flow of the water, and the fall color in the background is really nice.
The rock with the lichen in the foreground provides some nice color contrast to all that blazing color in the background. I almost wish I could see a bit more of it since it helps to ground the shot. I don’t know how the rest of that rock looks, and perhaps it isn’t extremely photogenic, but I think having a bit more negative space at the bottom of the frame would be nice. It would let the river be a bit less dominant, and it would also take down the visual tension of feeling like I’m too close to the raging river.
In that sense, I think a wider view of the foreground would be good, but I also see lots of possible compositions if a longer lens were used. The larger boulder on the far bank with the three dominant trees set against the fall foliage would make a great composition with a bit of the river in the foreground, especially with the detail of some of those fallen leaves on the rocks. Likewise, I see some possible composition further up stream (the right fork), as well as some close up shots with the water flowing over the rock kind of on the left side.
In short, this photo does a really good job showing the power of the river, but I almost feel like that flow and the proximity of it to the foreground gives a bit of an unsettled feeling. A bit more breathing room down below might help, but I think you could tell that same story by finding some more intimate compositions within this scene.
Wow, I love this! The power of the river in combination with the fall color makes for a very strong image overall. What I find most fascinating is the volume of water - and relative to the time of year, we typically expect lower water flows since all snow had long since melted. So I’m guessing this was from heavy rains? No matter, the results speak for themselves.
I see Ben’s point about the foreground rock and space. For me, you have included enough of that rock to contribute to the composition and as the viewer I know it was intentional. I think the comp works beautifully as presented.
I know this is not a great analogy, but I feel like the triangular rock at the bottom is like a log splitter… splitting the river, even if just diverting a tiny amount…
The only suggestion I have might be to raise the shadow detail in the tree trunks a tad. Yeah, I get the overall diffused light and being deep in a forest, but I could see even dodging the upper right area a small bit. Of course we’re in the tweaking stage and not really a nitpick or fault.
Love how you expressed this water. It’s violent in a brutal way. Most of us try to capture graceful curves with the slow ss but here there is just this force. Nicely done.
Color is a subjective thing but for my point of view these strong colors take away from the water, which is the main focus here. I tried desaturating the reds and yellows above the water and liked it more.
This is great Arjen, the fall colours are so vibrant and make me want to visit such a place! The rendering of the water is perfect, a longer shutter speed would have smoothed everything into a blur and you would have lost the drama and ferocity of the water. I wonder if a slightly lower camera position might help to reduce the amount of the river visible in the frame? Lowering the viewpoint might also bring in a bit more of the lower foreground rock into the scene. I love how the water is flowing around that rock and perhaps seeing more might add another dimension to the work. Well done, and worth the balancing act to capture!
