This is a section of Roaring Fork in GSMNP that a friend/photographer turned me on to. Bit of a scramble getting down here. I’ve taken this (my preference) and a vertical you see here too. This is from the same trip that my two focal lengths post…prime conditions with overcast light and no wind. A target rich environment too. As I’ve had a frustrating summer, I’m glad I’ve got some spring shots to work through that take me back.
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Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
24mm, f/11, varied focal points and different shots for H20 flow.
Lush. Wow. What a rich setting. The second one with the isolated rocks reminds me of the Plover river here in northern Wisconsin. It doesn’t roar like this one must. The great laurel on the right in the first version is tremendous. It has presence, but doesn’t overwhelm. I also like the brighter bit of trees in the far back - something I try to do myself either in the field or in processing (or both!). The water is bright and natural (not blue, thank you). If you wanted to try to grunge up the greens you could for a different look. This is vibrant and alive.
The second has a much calmer feel, more serene and the greens do seem a little off the chart to me and I wish you could have included the whole foreground rock, but I have worked many a little river like this and sometimes you can’t. Have you considered messing in the color panel and trying to bring up the rocks on the streambed? I’ve done it in the past with success. I bring it up because it looks like that was a main factor in your composition.
Jim, these are lovely. Perfect exposure and processing. The first image is much more impactful for me. It’s feels like I am there. The second one feels a little lost until you open it to full size, then, WOW.
I preferred your horizontal more. However, I thought the very large dark area in the lower half took too much space. I made this crop which removes emphasis from the fg and transfers it to the cascade of water. The subject is essentially horizontal so the pano look seems to work ok. It’s just a different option.
Thanks @Kris_Smith , @David_Bostock, @Igor_Doncov and @Harley_Goldman … I knew the vertical didn’t work too well, but loved the spacing of the mossy rocks. Cutting the one off as Kris pointed out is a deal breaker for me. The background is too cluttered for me as well.
The landscape version is much better cropped. If you couldn’t tell, the mossy rocks were of more interest to me, but the blocked up dark water is a trap and I’m grateful to you all, especially Igor, for the crop. I will definitely crop this from the bottom and will call it a keeper.
Roaring Fork is like welcome to the Emerald City, it has to be one of the greenest places on earth.
First, I think @Igor_Doncov rework of the first image strengthens it substantially. When you have wonderful mossy rocks like this, I’d rather emphasize them, instead of long flows of white water. Igor’s crop does that very thing.
I have essentially the same comment about the vertical image. If you are going to cut off that rock, then go all the way with it and make it look more like a deliberate crop. with that said, I still prefer Image #1, as reworked by Igor.
Thanks @Ed_McGuirk … I like your idea and it didn’t occur to me to crop further. I am constantly amazed at what a simple crop can do and have an internal reluctance (that I’m trying to work through) to crop from original…not sure where that comes from other than to delete as few pixels as possible. I know…silly, but true.
What a lovely scene, Jim. My clear favorite is the rework with a crop from @Igor_Doncov. While I like the original horizontal very much the crop places more of an emphasis on those lush greens of the moss covered rocks and the surrounding forest. Beautifully done!
