Coyote Creek

Here's an alternate, closer shot for comparison. Basically same techs (14-24 @14).

I like the first post best. In the second, the waterfall on the left feels a bit cut off to my eye. Beautiful image, with great color and fine composition.

Very impressive look from this site, Scott. I do like both takes here, but notice the second a bit brighter and you might lift the first in that area slightly too. Regardless, very fine images overall.

They are both very nice I like the slightly more muted brightness and tones of the first but much prefer the composition of the second which because of its ability to suck you into the pictures from the corners of the frame makes it feel more dynamic. A slightly more subdued version of no.2 would definitely get my vote.

Number 2 definitely feels more dynamic. Well done!

I like the laid back feel of the first post better than the higher energy #2. Feels like I can explore at my leisure. You caught some nice fall color which looks great against the sandstone.

Beautiful, Scott. I agree with Ian; I like the 2nd comp better and would prefer an exposure halfway between the two.

Great composition and contrasting colors. I like the first version for the sense of space, but in the second version I like the close up of the waterfalls on the right. I wonder how the second would look with the waterfall on the left cropped out. Anyway, your time was well spent on some beautiful images.

The first image is more powerful for me Scott. I think somehow it shows more respect for the scene as if it were a fine gift and I guess it was. Anyway I like this a lot. Well done. Chet

Scott, You really did a nice job capturing this place and I like the comp you came up with a lot. The first version works much better for me overall. I like that it is a bit darker and the wider view just feels better to me. Great colors too!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Both compositions are outstanding, and both have their merits. The first one feels more serene, which is nice. The second one feels more dynamic, which is also nice. I have a couple of questions. Why ISO 400? The scattering of leaves are different between the two compositions. Did you arrange the leaves in one or the other or both? Not to be critical, but I find that most of the time when I arrange leaves in a scene, they look arranged.

Thanks for the comments. Jim, I used iso 400 because I did not want to use a ss slower than .3 so as to retain texture in the water. I find images at iso 400 with the d600 (sensor upgraded via the recall) to be practically indistinguishable from 200. As for the leaves - yes, you caught me! I scattered most of the leaves. I first shot it as I found it, but I thought the rock seemed a bit bare, so I gathered fallen leaves from several trees immediately downstream and spread them around. The dark red leaves in the center between the two waterfalls in the second post were actually present when I came upon the scene, but I suspected they had been placed and I thought they didn't look like they belonged, so I removed them and reshot the scene. As I said, I had the place to myself, which was quite nice, and I shot this multiple ways.

Like I said, I didn't mean to be critical of the practice. Everybody does it. But speaking for myself, more often than not when I arrange leaves in a scene, and by that I mean adding leaves into a scene, they just look too "arranged" to my eye when I view the image. In fact, this happened to me on my last day in Zion. I photographed a nice scene with a large rock in the foreground and some yellow and orange maples in the background. Then I thought that the composition would be improved with some leaves scattered on the rock. So I gathered some leaves, and sort of held them over the rock and let them fall as they may, and then I tried to pretty them up a bit. But the resulting image just didn't look right to my eye. Maybe it's just a matter of perception. Since I saw and photographed the scene initially without the leaves on the rock, the same scene with the leaves on the rock just doesn't look right to me. But if I were to post the photograph of the scene with the leaves on the rock, even if I were to say that I arranged the leaves, other photographers viewing the image might be less inclined to think that the leaves look arranged.

I prefer the OP. Excellent work, the leaf arrangement doesn't bother me, it works well.

I like both of these fine images Scott,

I do enjoy the comp in the first image because it conveys a sense of openness, and I enjoy the darker tones. The feeling to me is just better in the first.

Beautiful capture

This is lovely and very inviting, Scott. I really like the scattering of leaves in the foreground and how the dark foreground rock is set off by the warm walls and trees in the background. I slightly prefer the second post because of the added emphasis on the foreground leaves, but both work very well.

It's a great scene. The color contrasts are very effective.

Another beautiful captured photo from Coyote. Well done, I like the colors from the first and the comp from the second.