Cathedral Beach

I know this beach and you've gotten a terrific image from this place. It captures everything I love about Yosemite. After living next to the Rockies, how did you find Yosemite and the Sierras?

- Dan

Nice textures and elements. Bottom third seems to be a bit messy compared to the rest of the frame to me. Less water means greater emphasis on the mountains.

Very nice David. The trees and mountains look beautiful. I agree with Tony about the "messiness" of the FG. IMO, you could actually crop from the bottom and make this a square format and it might be stronger (just my opinion of course).

Thank you gentlemen, I agree the foreground is a bit muddy. I needed the vertical format for a client but I will certainly crop square for the final version.

Dan, I only had a few days here and it was my first time so I don't feel like I was able to experience all it's glory. Plus many of the roads were closed. I hope to be back again someday soon to experience more, so far what I have seen is much grander than rocky mountain but equally as beautiful

The top 2/3rds is very strong and I too would crop. Beautiful contrasts, especially between the clear middle and the foggy top.

I would give additional thought to a square crop. When I look at it in a square crop, the spatial impact of the image is greatly diminished. I don't find the foreground as objectionable as others seem to. I like the different textures and sense of water motion that it suggests. But as for me, I wouldn't suggest more than a 4x5 crop. Really fine conversion.

Personally, I would crop up to almost the edge of the shore on the LHS. It becomes a much stronger image IMO David, focusing on the beautiful forest and dramatic misty peaks. Then you have a winner in my opinion!

David, wonderful scene. IMO,if you were to crop the lower to middle part of the image it would make it such a stronger image. Yosemite is a magical place. Good job, the b&w works well.

I really like the water leading into the image, both the texture in the foreground and the shininess in the mid-ground. The softness in the water on the left in the very foreground is a bit of a distraction, but for me, the river make such a strong statement that I'd be tempted to crop off sky and leave the mountains as the background.

Thank you for the feedback, what do you all think of this crop?

David, This is a really wonderful scene, and it looks great with the b/w processing. I love the tones here. Your crop version looks perfect to me...just what it needed imo. Nice work David.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Definitely the crop David. I'd like to see a version that's cropped up past the white ripples in the water as I had mentioned, if you're so inclined. I think that would make the strongest image for me. I love the way it looks that way! But of course, that's just a matter of taste.

Fantasic image Dave! I love the black and white and the texture, especially in the river. You might consider cropping this image as a square. For me, there is a little too much foreground river. Great work!

David,

I thought this scene looked familiar. Looking east from Cathedral beach? I think you've captured the mood of the valley in winter. Snow, perhaps rain, a mix of wet and fog clinging to the valley walls. The larger view is excellent as it shows the details in the river and forest so much better. Even though there's a lot going on in the river with the debris and large tree in the low water, I still find this very appealing.

The only suggestion I have really would be a crop off the bottom. The out of focus sand/water at the bottom is mildly distracting. I actually think a near square crop from the top would work very well. Oh, and I'm wondering what's going on in the upper corners? Noise? or some intentional processing? I kinda like the effect as it also gives this an old-time look to it. Might try a sepia rendition.

Lon

ps. I wrote before reading any comments or seeing the repost. Excellent! Just what I was thinking. Thanks for taking the time.

Dramatic B&W! Cool ripples in the water and the snow on the mountains make this a killer shot! Excellent! Love the repost!

Thanks guys, I'm really happy with how this turned out. The crop is much better, I personally prefer square crops but I never think to do them for some reason. The client was ok with a square print as well so it all worked out for the better!

Lon, I did intentionally add some vignetting which is what you're seeing in the top corners, I was going for a bit of an aged sepia look.

I was going for a bit of an aged sepia look.

And I think you succeeded nicely! Great job! thanks for the follow up.

Lon

David,

The cropped version is perfect compositionally. The photo captures a great mood and really highlights the Sierra well. I only wish the blacks in some of the trees was not so detail-less black.

I definitely prefer the cropped version...brings your attention to the mountains and fog. Gorgeous shot, a different view of Yosemite for me. Love the black and white.