The things I’m wondering about specifically though are
1. how do the darks/ shadows look for you? (I have a habit of going super dark that I want to step away from)
This is a matter of personal taste, but to me the foreground is still slightly too dark. You are trying to create a mood here, but my preference is to see more in the shadows.
When processing images, it’s a common issue to make a series changes that our eyes get accustomed to as we go, and you can easily lose a sense of perspective. When others see the image with a fresh set of eyes, they notice things that you don’t.
Regarding image luminosity/darkness, I like to do a Levels Histogram sanity check at the end of my processing. The histogram is objective, not subjective like our eyes. I reprocessed your image to lift the shadows. I used a TK subtracted luminosity mask D2 minus D6 to create a selection and then applied it to an levels adjustment layer to lift the shadows. This increases details in the darks, but leaves the very darkest tones untouched, which maintains contrast. Here are 3 images, your original with it’s histogram, my rework with it’s histogram, and the final rework, with some vignetting. In your post, notice how the histogram is tightly bunched up on the left, but in my rework the histogram still has some deep darks, but many of the darker tones are shifted to the right, which opens up some detail. If you want to avoid Super Dark images, do a histogram sanity check is one good way to maintain a sense of perspective.
2. How does the S type leading line work for you, do your eyes shift to the bottom left a little too much?
I’m not sure it’s the S-Curve that draws attention to the Lower Left (LLC) Rather I think our eyes get drawn to areas with brighter luminosity. So the second image now has a brighter immediate foreground than the prior one because you included the water below the rock. I think the question should be does the water in the LLC compete with the falls, or does it add to the image as a supporting element. The falls is the brightest thing here, so I don’t think the LLC creates major competition. I could see a slight burning of the water along the bottom frame edge, but leaving the water at the base of the rocks untouched.
3. how do you find the colour balance? it’s pretty close to analogous but I don’t know if something is off
WB and colors look good to me, the green/yellow in the vegetation look good, and the white water in shadow is cool, the white water of the falls is warmer, which is consistent with the lighting in this scene.
- are there any other thing you think would help make the image better?
