Welcome to the Marsh

This is just an explosion of awesomeness!

Its great Floris. The little bit of grey/white sky at the top doesn't do much for the image, at least at this size, so I guess I'd try to tighten up just a tiny bit. But I love the sweeping arrangement of the focal points. They form a nice curve guiding the eye up and around the image.

I think this is extremely well done Floris! It may have been tough because of the bugs and uneven terrain, but it looks so beautiful. Must have been great to wander around there. The composition is very beautiful, like a secret fairy-tale garden.

Thanks Mel - I thought about cropping out the sky, but I found it made the image too claustrophobic, and I don't find it distracting as is, I'm curious to see what others think.

Beautiful Floris. Love the mix of pinks and greens, great use of complementary colors. Richly detailed and all the compositional elements of the scene work well together. The grey sky at top works in my opinion -- it completes the sweeping curve in the image and gives the eye a logical exit point, and repeats some of the lighter colors found in the fern fronds

The thing that stands out the most to me is the variety of plant life you've captured in this image. It looks like a wonderful place, doesn't make me think of wading around in swamp water surrounded by bugs. Looks much more relaxing than that.

Nature's beauty! Like a garden setting - just better.
georg

Very interesting image - the busy scene is very well composed. Great color and ideal lighting too

Good job in getting this neat shot out of this "mess". The way you captured this makes it looks so calm and relaxing. I'm with you for the sky: it gives a "way out" to the viewer. Also the distortion works well: those tree trunks on the left bending away kind of emphasize the way out to the sky. Well done with the colours as well: the greens pop out of the monitor but look still natural to me.

Great stuff!

gio

Very beautiful, Floris. Great placement of elements in the frame. It looks lovely.

Wow, this is really amazing in terms of biodiversity.

Oh, Sweet! WOW! This has to be around Sapsucker Woods. One of my fondest childhood hang-outs. Used to go there with my father on various ornithology outings (both my parents and sister went to Cornell, and my mother's family comes from Ithaca). I've never seen any picture that really does it justice until now. I can look at this and feel the eastern humidity, and perhaps hear a roll of thunder in the background on a warm, damp afternoon. I'd gladly trade you for a print of this, especially if it's from Sapsucker. .

This is very intriguing, Floris. All of the varied vegetation is a feast for the ol' eyeballs. Like a few others have mentioned I get a feeling of spring freshness, rather than brambles and bugs. My only gripe is the distortion caused by the downward camera angle. It's not a huge issue, but kind of a pet peeve of mine. I don't mind the sky though. It feels just right to me.

Wow, that must be in paradise. How did you find this spot?

Floris - having wondered many areas like this myself (happily), I have to say this is one of the best images of this type I've seen. Really well done....and keep the sky please!

CJ

What a display of lush and beautiful vegetation! Everything is perfect here. Great work!

I see what you mean about it drawing the eye out. It does do that. Without the bit of white, my eye goes from the lower fern to the flowering shrub and then back down the left shore of the water making an oval and there really isn't any escape.

With the sky in place my view sweeps up the right shore and out at the top and it the left shore is less prominent.

Thanks everyone, glad to hear it's working!

Andrey - Marc was right, this is Sapsucker woods.. I went birding there almost everyday the last two years, and as soon as the fern fiddles were out and the azaleas were budding I spent a solid afternoon exploring this place for a suitable landscape. (When birding I was on the boardwalk.. this was out in the middle of the swamp!) While it looks like paradise, it's really hard to move through! After finding this spot, it still took me another couple tries before I found the right composition. Then I came back as soon as it sprinkled some rain.. without the rain the colors just don't even compare.

Floris,

This is beautiful! I'm amazed at how so many different elements can come together so nicely and make for such a concise, yet such a comfortable view. I can understand both views on the small patch of sky at the top, but personally I think it's better uncropped.

Fantastic color and great composition.

Lon

Really fantastic. There is so much for the eye to wander around and explore the different shapes, colors and tones. Such a great example of order out of chaos.

How i love this, my best image for a while! Congrats!
Paulo A.Lopes

Your patience paid off, very nicely composed and exposed.

This is great. Wonderfully composed. Not easy to organize all those elements and make it work. Wonderful colors and lots of great detail.

Beautiful intimate landscape, Floris. The ferns in the foreground are especially interesting. I love it.

Guy

This is a masterpiece. Very good arrangement of incredible variety of plants and colors. All I can say is Wow.

Hard to believe this is such a harsh environment. It looks so lush and inviting. Almost like a planted terrerium.

Chris

As someone who has spent a lot of time in wetlands on Long Island, I can attest to their beauty, even though they're a real pain to navigate sometimes -- but I don't think i've ever come across a setting as beautiful as that. To have the skunk cabbage, ferns, sedges etc. all in one place like that WITH good lighting is quite impressive.

A riot of colour, Floris, but somehow the image isn't quite working for me. The composition is rather busy, which can often work but you need a single strong element to tie it all together and it's this strong element that's lacking. A good idea but it doesn't quite exceed the sum of its parts for me.

It would seem I'm in the minority here, so feel free to ignore my comments.

This shot indeed captures the Marsh very well, well done, persistance paid dividends.
Ross

Wow, this is an amazing display of nature coming together as a whole. Composition, colors, elements. Beautiful!

Wonderful, Floris! The ferns in the foreground ready to unravel are sweet.

Thanks everyone! I'm really glad I dug this one up

Julian - thanks for the honest opinion, yes, it's very busy.. that's the nature of the place. I would probably regard this composition as one of my best, simply because it was so incredibly difficult. For some, chaos like this doesn't work, I find it one of the most exhilarating challenges there is. The single strong element may be hard to pick out here, I would say it's the dark pond, without it the image doesn't work. Then the isolated fern leaf, and other bits of isolated plants take it from there - for me at least.

Wonderful intimate image of a photographically challenging environment. Composition really sings. Worth all the bugs n mud. Super.

What a beautiful marsh. I love the color and perspective!

Floris: Since this is such a fantastic Flora shot I just have to comment. Superb shot. Count me in with those advocating a small top crop. Congrats on the EP. >=))>

Beautiful...makes me eager for spring.