The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I have been working on this one for way too long and getting to a point I would like to move on. I think the composition could have been a little better but where I was standing was a super slippery awkward area where I had limited room to move around. immediately below the bottom of the frame it was littered with sticks from a beaver starting a dam so I had to navigate around that because it would have ruined the foreground. The beaver sticks helped build the water up and create a sort of shelf. a creative technique of the image was the swirls in the water. I noticed over time the bubble were swirling in different areas so I did several exposures and collected interesting ones to blend together.
Creative direction
The direction I’m going is a dark mysterious dreamy moody image.
Specific Feedback
All feedback
Technical Details
A creative technique I used was with the the swirls in the water. I noticed over time the bubbles were swirling in different areas so I did several exposures and collected interesting ones.
Hi Brett, my first reaction to your photo is that it is stunning! I absolutely love the muted orange & yellow tones you’ve used here. I think you’ve definitely achieved a dreamy fantastical effect, especially up behind the bridge. I like the hazy light up there that feels like it’s coming from the left side of the frame. The only thing I’m not a huge fan of in that area is the small patch of cloudy sky visible above the bridge. I don’t think I’d necessarily do it myself but what about cloning in some more foliage in that area?
The mid ground is fantastic & I think you’ve done a great job of managing a balanced tonality across the entire frame. The glowing water feels just right in tone & texture. Nice work here, I find that a difficult balance to get right!
The balance of the foreground works well for me, too. The dark water in the middle flanked by swirlies is another well handled balancing act. The left side looks perfect to me but the right side feels off. I’m only on my phone so it’s tough to tell but it seems like there are 3 or 4 areas that have different shutter speeds to them & it doesn’t feel like they’re blended as well as they could be. I see 4 areas of blurry bubbles but the ones in between them appear static with very little motion whereas the left side is more uniform. Maybe you could blend in some blurrier bubbles from your longer shutter speed frames?
Aside from the areas I’ve mentioned, I think this is a great photo! I live in southern New England & think you’ve captured the mood of a not so cheerful cloudy day incredibly well!
Wow!! I love the gorgeous scene and moody light here! I think @Kris_Wyman has a point about the sky through the trees bit it’s not blown out so I don’t think it’s a huge issue if you don’t care to clone some of it away. (Just removing some of it could be a possibility.) The different area in the LRC is the only one that catches my eye. I think you could crop up to just above it or it could be interesting to use the Transform tool and pull the LR corner down some. I’d hate to lose the swirl in the LLC. I think this is awesome in any case!
This is a beautiful dark, moody image. I love the overall composition, prominence of the falls, and then the interesting swirls to explore in the foreground. You achieved your vision really well! The dramatic stream setting, warm darkish lighting, and overall feel reminds me of a Hudson River School painting. I agree with Kris and Diane about the bright patch of sky being a small distraction from the main show beneath the bridge. You could try some cloning and/or a small crop down from the top, but that could throw off your composition elsewhere. Your image is superb as - well done!
From one Bret to another, this is simply masterful. Everything about this image speaks to me; the composition, colors, mood, textures - all of it. I’m partial to the original but the re-work is also nice. This has a very painterly feel to it, reminds me of the old masters. Nothing to critique here, IMHO.
