Cataract Falls - Looking for feedback

[PrevailingConditions]

Hey folks,

I've been struggling with these shots :mad2: and just can't decide whether to keep them or dump them - so I'm looking for some solid critique and feedback.

Thanks in advance,

PC

#1


#2


#3

[daq7]

Overall I think they are quite nice. Nice texture and color in the moss and rocks, and the water is nice and soft. They are quite competent in my opinion.

[Jay C]

I think they look great, rich green colors and good shutter speed.

[Frog]

Keep the first two,(for a while anyway), and dump the third.
First two have better composition.
Water shooting out of the frame in the third wrecks it for me.

[PhilF]

#2 gets my vote....
care to share your setup? NDF?

[ksbryan0]

I'm with PhilF, I can see a future for #2. I like parts of the others, but they pale in comparison.

[clayhaus]

All are nice but #1 and #2 are outstanding. Colours, water movement, composition, sharpness, all appear top notch. I like the vertical flow of #1 a bit more so that gets my top nod. Not sure why you would consider dumping them!

[BlueRob]

Overall I thin 2 is the best shortly followed by 1....do to the composition IMO

[PrevailingConditions]

Thanks for the feedback.

daq7 - I'm glad you find them "competent"; I'm sure as photographers we all aspire to be "competent"

Jay - I'm glad you like them.

Frog - Any recommendations on how long I should keep those first two? Seriously, I can see what you're referring to on the third, but I think I'm more troubled by the overall composition - it almost feels too busy to me.

PhilF - I don't have the specifics with me at the moment, but I'll try to find that later. These were all shot with a polarizer with overcast skies in a fairly heavily wooded area. The conditions meant that I didn't have to use any ND filters.

Big Sky Ken - what would you recommend changing on 2 to improve it?

Clay - Thanks for the nice comments. I guess using the term dumping isn't completely accurate since I rarely delete any pictures, but they will be banished to sit on my hard drive(s) forever more without seeing the light of day. My main issue is that I'm really trying to improve my photography and I'm trying to learn what people like and why. Generally speaking, I think many of my shots are OK, but lack something to move them beyond OK.

Blue Rob - thanks also for the feedback. It sounds like 2 is the more popular of these 3.

Thanks again,

PC

[daq7]

Sorry i called you work competent.

[PrevailingConditions]

daq7 - Don't worry, no offense taken. That's what the smiley was trying to convey, but didn't quite overcome the limitations of this communication medium.

PC

[amorton1437]

I have to agree with daq about the third. When I first looked, I liked them all but the third I was not as crazy about. Not to say it is a bad shot, just not as good as the other 2.

[armando_m]

#1 and #2 are GREAT !!!

#3 is good anyway even when people can not tolerate parts of the subject might be out of the frame

you got the exposure time just right and the focus is top notch

[daq7]

I personally would be quite happy to achieve competence

[ksbryan0]

Hmmm, interesting challenge. This is free advice, so take it at face value! On #2 I would suggest dimming the light on the non-water highlighted areas just a tad (not too much). Right now the bright greens and the big shiny boulder are competing too much for attention. I would also try to tone down the red leaves on the moss covered rock at the 4 o'clock position. I would also clone out the red spot that is on the upper border, about 2/3 of the way in from the left. Again, these are competing for attention way too much.

This final suggestion may sound stupid, but in the very upper right hand corner there is something that to me looks like someone's face looking down. It might be the botom of a log, but I can't make out exactly what it is. I would blur it or darken it, anything to make it less noticeable.

My vision for an image like this could be either wall art by itself, or I can envision it with artistic script on the image itself with some kind of profound words of encouragement, motivation, or even biblical scripture.

[PrevailingConditions]

Thanks amorten & armando_m - all comments are appreciated. I'm glad that you like some of them at least.

I went back and found the info. All of these are 3 shot bracketed HDRs, although I could probably get by with just a single shot since the lighting was so subdued. On #2 specifically, this was at ISO 100, f/10, and 5 seconds exposure. Blended using the fusion option on Photomatix and then beat on in PS.

Hmmm, interesting challenge. This is free advice, so take it at face value! On #2 I would suggest dimming the light on the non-water highlighted areas just a tad (not too much). Right now the bright greens and the big shiny boulder are competing too much for attention. I would also try to tone down the red leaves on the moss covered rock at the 4 o'clock position. I would also clone out the red spot that is on the upper border, about 2/3 of the way in from the left. Again, these are competing for attention way too much.

This final suggestion may sound stupid, but in the very upper right hand corner there is something that to me looks like someone's face looking down. It might be the botom of a log, but I can't make out exactly what it is. I would blur it or darken it, anything to make it less noticeable.

My vision for an image like this could be either wall art by itself, or I can envision it with artistic script on the image itself with some kind of profound words of encouragement, motivation, or even biblical scripture.

Thank you very much for such detailed comments. I was playing with darkening the rocks and even had a version with that, but worried that it looked too dark overall. I can also see what you're referring to with the red leaves. I'll have to see what I can do there.

Thanks again for the great feedback.

PC

[PrevailingConditions]

I personally would be quite happy to achieve competence

I'm sure it all depends on how one defines competence. Since you've done a lot of very nice work here, yet still don't consider yourself competent, then I'll take that as a complement. Thank you.

For me, I have yet to achieve the level of quality and skill I would like, and frankly hope I never do (although it would be nice to get close now and again) .

PC

[Zachary]

These are my favorite kinds of pictures, nature at its finest. I love the other colors in the 3rd one but I do agree about the water coming our of the frame, it doesn't ruin it for me though. The second has the god features of the other 2 I think, the extra colors, nice composition and contrast between the soft water and hard landscape. Very nice work

[gahspidy]

PC, i'm with frog here. Dump the 3rd as there is no need for mediocre with two shots like #1 and #2 around.
1 and 2 are excellent, and while the general consensus seems to be that #2 is the better, I find myself ultimately coming back to the 1st one and feel thats my pick for best of the bunch.
The 2nd image is striking and has more of an initial wow factor because of the clarity and detail in the rocks and the water texture, but i find it can also get a little busy. The 1st has all the eye candy but offers a more tranquil and simple area of the falls that keeps me looking with no tension but rather a calming and enjoyable viewing.
Beautiful work