Quiet Time

Well, now I'm gonna eat crow, cause mostly what I think is 'Great shot as usual!' LOL.

These trees, and scenes like this made me hate my 13 years in north Georgia. So, I'm biased and may not be able to make a good critique.

Here goes. This is hard....
1-Maybe lighten the reflections. Might take away from the actual trees, but I'd like to see what it looks like.
2-Try to increase contrast on the trees, especially towards the top. Increase vibrance on the reds/greens on top half.
3-I'd like to see a wide crop, maybe 2:1 ratio.

Overall, it's pretty dang awesome. I especially like the yellows.
Al

For me it is just about perfect David but I love soft light, understated colour and low contrast. The trees are magnificent.

Now this is what I'm talkin' about! Not even going to try to analyze or critique - just admire. I do love the neutral grays and the warm foliage - not sure which enhances which, but they sure make a great marriage. Still planning on my first trip to your area sometime soon.

David, these have to be the most photogenic trees on the planet. I can never get enough of these scenes. My eyes wander through this entire photo again and again. Pure visual pleasure. Subtle, complex, and amazing.

Stunning as always, David. The magnificent pillars of these trees and their subtle reflections. There is what appears to be a sawn off stump in the middle-left; maybe it isn't, but maybe clone in some leaves to break up the straight lines ????? Just a thought.

Beautiful - not a nit or suggestion from me.
Sandy

I will never cease to be amazed at the number of incredible images you have coaxed from these lovely trees. Really like the contrast between the colored foliage and the drabber tree trunks. The reflection is quite nice too.

superb - i like it as it is. (actually, there's a little clump of turquoise green leaves that acts a little too much as an eye magnet ...) but really very good. i wonder, however, how YOU feel? There's a part of you that we see in other, more experimental posts and this could just be seen as "fodder for the masses" - but lovely "fodder" it is! What do you think or, perhaps more importantly, feel?

Thanks for the feed back everyone.

Vance,,,,I had to go back to the high res original to figure out what that line was since I was positive there was no sawed off knee. The line is a bit of floating vegetation below the reflected clump of foliage. It does create a distracting straight line and if I ever print this I might do a little creative cloning.

Alan,,,,thanks for taking the time to really look at the image. This was taken in dusk light which is low contrast and I wanted to keep that low contrast feel. One reason for the darker water is that it causes the color to stand out without having to jack the saturation. Besides, this water was almost black to begin with. As for the crop, its always a compromise. I appreciate the feed back,,,,,it made me look at the image critically once again.

Stuart,,,,,this image gives me a sense of peace. I love paddling in these quiet places when things are still and this image is a reminder. Some of my recent posts have been about the opposite. The last one made me feel decidedly uneasy and kept me coming back to figure out why. Images that bring positive emotions will usually be more appealing for the larger audience but its no fun singing the same song all the time.

BTW,,,,,now that you've pointed out that one leaf its bugging the hell out of me and I'll fix it in the master file.

The way the splashes of color stand out against the almost colorless bark catches the eye. Great composition.

Wonderful image! Great sense of peace and calm in this image and I love the glow of the leaves.

The colorful foiliage interspersed among the more monochromatic trees is striling.

David, Your large version is just amazing to look at and it is hard to leave it. I can feel the quietness in this image and I absolutely love it.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

I love this shot. Wonderful under all aspects.

D&L

I'm sooooo jealous of these beautiful takes of the cypress you post often here, David. The thought of jealousy is strictly positive all the way around and might more be stated as envious. They are such a gorgeous subject, at least the way you present them. The detail, color, composition, all very well captured.

Maybe not as challenging as Storm Light, but the balance and detail this kind of light allows for is why I love it. This really is a sweet shot, with loads of detail and depth. I love the chocolate milk colored water in many of your reflections, and this black water is great too!

Chris

well, yes, i can imagine that paddling through this space would be bliss ...

Classically awesome image, David. A great sense of calm

The large version is wonderful David with great colors and tones and a very relaxing feel. Wonderful.

Gorgeous David. I love the splashes of gold and yellow.

A superb image David !

Wonderful work to me, David. Your composition leads my nicely into the depth and I enjoy exploring the whole scene.

Peter

This is a wonderful capture. I've been trying to capture similar shots here in Florida. Nice job!

Like magic...