Magic Merced

Gallery: LandscapePosted August 14, 201084 views10 comments

This photo was taken a few years ago at Happy Isles in Yosemite with NPN’ers Lon, Harley and Jayson. We seen to keep going back to the same place every year and we always come away with something new. The Magic of the Merced. I felt converting to b&w conveyed a stronger image.
What do you think?

C&C Welcome Large version provided Thanks for your time.

Canon 1ds Canon 16-35mm L II F/22 1.3 sec iso 100

Comments

10 comments

Comment posted by Mark Stahlke on August 14, 2010 at 11:36 PM

I like the composition in this image. I think converting to B&W was a good choice. I'd like to see more contrast, especially in the trees.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 97 Posts, 782 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on August 15, 2010 at 12:14 AM

I really like the comp. Strong foreground element, and the sweep of the water is great. I do agree I would prefer more contrast in the trees also. Sweet shot.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on August 15, 2010 at 2:41 AM

I don't think converting to black and white was a bad idea at all, but I do think both the foreground rock and the background trees look flat. It gives the feeling of a lack of depth even thought the composition suggests depth very well.

Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments

Comment posted by Andreas Resch on August 15, 2010 at 6:15 AM

Awesome comp, Kyle. Love the contrast between the "steady" rock and the dynamic water. I agree with Kent about the somewhat flat background trees - no biggie though.

Registered on November 14, 2007, 322 Posts, 6101 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Siggins on August 15, 2010 at 1:57 PM

I like the contrast between the foreground rock and the soft water. I like the B&W conversion but have to agree on the background trees.

Registered on October 11, 2007, 115 Posts, 223 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on August 15, 2010 at 5:16 PM

Very nice. I really like the comp you chose. That big boulder looks great with the rushing water behind it. I like the b/w very much, but also agree with the others about the background trees. The water looks very nice to me. Nice shot!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on August 15, 2010 at 8:28 PM

Hey Kyle,

I've loved this scene since you first captured it - so much that we even tried to re-visit this spot this past May - with you luck of course; the original is always the best. The comp is excellent and the strength of this boulder is solid in the composition.

Have to agree with some others about not just the trees in the bg, but the overall contrast. Looks pretty flat to me. An example would be the cedar trunk on the far left - there is very little definition because I think of the lack of contrast. I would suggest a TK's "Dark Darks" mask with either levels or curves and dropping the shadow values down hopefully creating a bit more contrast. I think just a couple of processing tweaks and this will be SWEET!

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on August 16, 2010 at 12:26 AM

Very nice Kyle. I love how the rock seems to balance on the water. The B&W really emphasizes the textures. Great image.

Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on August 16, 2010 at 12:47 PM

On the laptop, at least, this looks real good. Some of the water highlight look a bit specular, but difficult to say on the laptop.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on August 17, 2010 at 9:03 PM

Kyle,

It is a strong composition and the B&W is nice but I feel like I want more separation and contrast in the trees.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments