Zion Fall

I made this image in 2013 at Zion National Park, but it was cluttered with distracting branches in the foreground that I tediously cloned out. It was made with a kit lens than has compromised optics. Your views are appreciated.

Specific Feedback Requested

any/all

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Nikon D7000, 18-200 mm f3.5-5.6 lens at 48mm. 4second exposure at f29, ISO 100 with 2-stop ND graduated filter

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Larry, any time you can capture red rock and falling water, I think it has to be a good image. I’m not as up on landscape photography as many are here, mainly because I don’t get to travel anymore, so I can’t provide you with any ideas to improve, but I like the POV. We went to Zion in 2014, our last big trip. Loved it!

I agree with Shirley, anytime you can juxtapose a waterfall and redrock, you have the makings of a good image. You did a good job with cloning the branches, there is no evidence of that at all here. Larry, I think you have a very strong composition here. The way the waterfall cuts across the diagonal line of the rock creates a lot of visual interest. And I like the way you used the two bare trees, I think they play an important role in terms of how they fill space. The diagonal line cuts this square crop in half. And I like how the waterfall is heading down below that diagonal line, while the trees are heading above it. Oh, and the desert varnish isn’t bad either :grin:

Very nice image Larry, I like this a lot.

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This is a rework that eliminates the white spot in the m middle, likely bird poop.

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Thanks, Shirley. Didn’t you just post a terrific landscape of the NWR in Virginia. You know about landscapes. Thanks for the comment and compliment on this one.

Thanks, Ed. No nits from you means this is good. I appreciate it. I continuously learn from and enjoy your images. Thanks for the thumbs up comment.

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Thank you, Larry. I just feel like I am really out of practice on landscapes, and there are some really great landscape photographers here at NPN, and I would leave the critiques to them. I just love your shot. My post was for the Weekly Challenge, (favorite place), and I took it a few years ago. I appreciate that you like it.

I actually liked the bird poop (I’m pretty sure it’s desert varnish though, that would be one awful big bird :grin:). I think the bird poop created a repetition of the shape of the falls, kind of like a visual echo of the falls. To each their own though…

Fine waterfall view and I am pretty sure that is (and now was) bird poop. I like the scooped version. No other suggestions come to mind.

I love this image as well. When I first saw it I thought - a waterfall with antlers, how cool is that. But when I opened it in larger form the simile disappeared. This is a really marvelous image. There is an elegance about it. And it speaks on several levels. For one thing the water sort of disappears and that suggests other things besides water. I thought the left corner was too dark but when I cropped it out I realized how much that darkness adds to the image. This image suggests more than what you see. At least for me it does.

This was actually the first thing I noticed, echo is a great word for it. The flow of the image is completely different for me without it. It isn’t bad, just a difference in how I view the image.

Hi Larry. This is a really beautiful photo. I love the square crop and the diagonal line makes for a really strong composition. I think the rework is even better without the ‘varnish’. There is a lot of interesting aspects to this photo and so much depth. Very nice!

Thanks, Harley. I have to consider both the scooped and unscooped - what a decision. I appreciate your chiming in on the image.

Thanks, Igor. As I made the rework on the image, I realize how differently I see photographically today than I did in 2013 when I made the original.

Many thanks, Sam. It is the simplicity of the image that makes it for me - getting all the distractions out.

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David, the jury’s still out for me on which version is best. I appreciate the preferences in the comments. I really value your and everyone else’s input. Thanks.

I still like the antler falls idea. And I think the white crap would work well with it.

I kinda liked the bird poo. When I first glanced at the photo, I thought it was another small spray of water. :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes:Anyway, you have a lot of good critiques here, so I’ll just say I really like this shot!

Hi Larry, I too, like the original post with the ‘poop/varnish’ I’m 99.9% sure that it comes from turkey vultures,not just one but a whole family! They love living in cliff settings like this! I’ve seen the same thing on a climb I would regularly do back east that had cliff faces like this! I really like how you took this photo it’s a neat perspective on the falls and the cliffs in the background. It especially makes me want to go there and wait to see the vultures come to roost at night!

Terry, Thanks for comment. The positive responses are most helpful. I appreciate your chiming in.

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