Utah Falls

One from this spring in SW Utah. shot at F/16, 1/6 second, 70mm, ISO 100. Always good to have input!

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I think this is a very fine image, Jeff. I really enjoy the tonal variety on the stone, I think they really add life to the image. My only wish is to have a little more room on the left. I feel that the waterfall is too close to the left edge for my taste.

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Thanks! I hear what you are saying, though I sort of like that aspect as it is. I don’t mind people wondering what’s outside the frame, though in this case there isn’t much room and it’s just dark shadow. I really try to use cropping, in camera or in processing and the aspect ratio to get rid of anything I feel is a distraction. Sort of my version of the truth and nothing but the truth although it’s my idea of the truth I want you to see.

Beautiful image Jeff. The crop is fine as is, although I also would prefer a tiny bit more room on the left. Certainly not a deal breaker. My only real nit is that on my screen the sandstone seems a bit soft and could use more sharpening.

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Hi Jeff,

This image is a nice choice for a B&W. I agree with the others on a bit more room on the left. Content aware fill can fix this.

I would consider lowering the luminance of the rock on the right hand side of the frame. When my eye is looking at the falls the bright part of the rock is strong in my periphery which causes me to glance over to the right instead of settling on the falls.

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I moved the frame a bit to expose slightly more on the left and took a bit out of the luminosity on the right. Not big changes. I’m learning I’m not as fussy about little things it’s more the mood and emotion and overall feel that matter for me. I’d probably come up with a different image if I processed this today, well I’m sure I would. I am curious what you folks think of the value or sharpening for a guy who basically does mood, intimate landscapes? Frankly I never bother, I don’t mind softness I guess.

I like this sliver more breathing room on the left. I think it’s the right amount. That said, I would consider burning the brighter areas on the edge. It will help clean up that edge.

I think an image has to be either sharp or completely soft to make it work. It becomes a real stumbling block for me if focus is missed on an image that I perceive to show a well-defined subject.

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I’d still go with sharpness. In my view selective sharpening, like selective contrast can be effective at guiding the eye through the frame which helps the viewer enjoy the mood even more. I don’t think that the two are mutually exclusive.

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Yeah, I’ll buy that, will think about how to use that a bit more! Thanks. In this image would you work on the sharpening with a brush? Or in the detail panel with the mask? Or?

I’d sharpen the textural details in and around the ledge that the water is falling over and the parts of the falling water that have texture. It might provide a slight sense of depth compared to rockfall in the background. Painting in using a mask is a good option.

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When talking about sharpness I wasn’t talking about out of focus, what I’m talking about is making my image more like what I see. Things closer to me are sharper and things farther away are less so. I see images where you could pick out a leaf 100 yards down a stream! Marvelous technically but far from realistic. I did contact a friend who is a well known landscape photographer, he recently did a AMA here on NPN, about sharpening. His answer was he never sharpens for the web, he may do some for printing. I guess that’s my attitude too, though I can relate to using it in specific areas to help visual flow! I am trying to make my images expressive and still believable!