I went back to my current favorite pond for some more understated reflections. The turbidity is starting to settle out, so the deep red color from a couple weeks ago is disappearing.
What technical feedback would you like if any? What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any comments welcome. I don’t want this to look muddy, but I also don’t want it to be really contrasty. Hopefully, I’ve struck the right balance.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
a7r3, 100-400mm @181mm, f/16, 1/30s, ISO400, on a tripod, single frame.
I really like this Bonnie. I like the softness of the colors and also the impressionistic/blur of the background. But at the same time the tree - and the limbs floating in the water are so clear and crisp. Wonderful capture.
Bonnie, this is a very pleasing image. I think your processing achieved a nice balance in the exposure/contrast, the image is not flat and not too contrasty either. I love the juxtaposition of the dead tree (sharp, crisp with stronger contrast) and the reflected trees in the water along the top (soft, unsaturated colors, lower contrast). The reflected trees in the water at the top look very painterly, it’s almost like they are pastel earth tones. While I like the image as presented very much, I could also see a telephoto extraction of the reflected trees to create more of a pure abstract scene too.
My only suggestion would be to burn down the reflection of the dread tree in the LRC, I think it would help focus the viewer more on the dead tree itself. But that is a nit, overall this is a very pleasing and well done image.
I am quite enjoying the reflection and composition, but the muddy look to the water is not quite the thing for me. I experimented with a B&W conversion with a big boost in contrast and it works quite well for me. Obviously that is very much a personal preference, but just food for thought.
Thank you, @linda_mellor, @Ed_McGuirk, and @Harley_Goldman for the comments. Ed, I do have some abstractions of just the tree reflections; maybe I’ll work one up. Harley, I know what you’re saying about the muddy color; I actually tried altering the tone a bit, but didn’t like the results.
I saw this image a few days ago on my phone and I really enjoyed it. Now I see it large, I like it even more, Bonnie. Thanks for sharing this. My only suggestion is to desaturate the plant and its reflection near the left edge of the frame, or at least make them to be the same color.
Thanks, @Adhika_Lie. It will be easy to desaturate that little plant, as I actually increased the saturation, thinking that I needed something prominent over there to balance the tree. Just have to turn that off.
Bonnie, this is a very pleasing image, as Ed mentioned. You really had the eye for this one. If I had seen it, I probably wouldn’t have even pointed the camera there, because I wouldn’t have seen it turning out like this. It is neat having the dead trees and the live ones, and the reflections of the live ones. Well done.
This is a lovely understated image, Bonnie. I really like the juxtaposition of all the elements in the frame and I think you were able to strike a nice balance with the processing. My only suggestion would be to tone down the bright lines in the reflection of the tree on the right. Great eye to spot this scene.
First, I gotta say that between you and @Mark_Seaver, I’m thinking that many members including myself are quite envious of your very own ponds…
I’m really enjoying this somewhat unique reflection with the very interesting and contributing elements across the frame. I see you’ve followed my rule of, “if you’re going to cut something off, make it on purpose” - as it relates to the burnt snag on the right.
Just enough ripples in the reflection to create some nice texture and toss the reflection in to a bit of the abstract.
Thank you @Shirley_Freeman, @Ed_McGuirk, and @Lon_Overacker. Lon, yes, I did cut that tree off on purpose. Originally, I wanted to include more of the top, but a pano crop was clearly better.
As far as envy, “my” ponds are pretty undewhelming and next to a highway. Not a place that one would go for a nice afternoon in the outdoors. Generally, I subscribe to Guy Tal’s philosophy that making a photo is secondary to the experience of being outdoors, but I’ll go to a specific place, even if it’s not the most “scenic”, if I think there might be something there.
Here’s a phone photo of the main pond - pretty dismal from a distance.
While I very much like the idea behind this image, a limited color palette with lines and shapes, I’m not entirely sold on the composition. The horizontal branches on the bottom clash with all the up and down within the frame. I have two alternative crop suggestions, one with the bush on the left and one without. This is with the bush.
