The Merced Tumbles+2CROP

Well done.  I like the composition and exposure.  Just the right amount of contrast.  I also like the shutter speed giving the water flow the blur, but still keeping some of the texture.

Beautiful B/W, Lon.  Love the flow of the river around the dark boulders. Very nice texture in the water.  I'm a little on the fence about the top of the image.  I'm sure it's a tough call on what stays and what goes.  I think I would crop to just below the cut-off rock mid flow at the very top.   It's dang good as presented, just throwing an alternative out there.

Lon: the b/w treatment is a great choice for this photo. No need to look at color; instead just look at shapes, tones and lines. The water is not a pure sheet of white and still retains texture which is appealing. While the photo is fine as is, it also works with a number of mental crops. Richard

This comp has a lot of energy from the water flow which keeps my eye moving in the frame.  The water has the right balance between texture and blur.  

That is really nice. Shutter speed is just right.  Smooth, but definite movement. Processing is perfect.  I don't even look at the top of the image; my eyes are glued to the rocks in the center and the water around them.

The conversion looks great, Lon.  The high key approach and ss choice work well here letting the water's movements dominate the view.  Like Gary, I toyed with the idea of a different crop at the top, but didn't find anything that I liked better than your choice.

thanks for the comments thus far folks, I really appreciate them.  Yeah, struggled with the top. This particular frame, the top is the top, I haven't cropped yet.  I think I already felt the image was top heavy to start with.  I do have a second image that has a tad more up top for some breathing room; unfortunately the water/texture isn't as good.  Perhaps I can combine by adding the top of the other image to this one.

Thanks again!

Hi Lon,

I like the comp with the rocks placed in the upper half of the frame and blurred water.  Bw works well here--no nits and I'm happy with this as presented........................Jim

I'm not a person of many words, all I can say "excellent"
 

Really nice, Lon. Excellent texture in the water and tones in the rocks. I'd probably vote in favor of Gary's crop suggestion, but the difference is minor. Certainly fine as is. 

Real nice, Lon. I am with Gary on the crop suggestion and you might play with brightening the highs just a little bit more?

Beautiful, Lon. To my eye, very well composed. The SS selection works great to create movement through the image from front to back. I think I would crop just a sliver off the top. I think it cleans up and simplifies the background.

I like! works well in B&W

I give! :-)  I've cropped some off the top.  I was worried it would be too cramped and top heavy, but now I see the crop simplifies and is much cleaner up top.  Thanks for the feedback!

@Harley - I also raised the white point a little bit too.  Good suggestion.

Thanks folks!

Although this image is about the flowing water, I do like the four boulders. Would it be possible to take a higher vantage point and isolate them? This wold also solve the top 'problems'. Apart from that the flowing water is very well captured and I also like the shine on the boulders. 

Nice water study Lon.  Sometimes you never know how water images like this will look until after you experiment with the shutter speed to get that perfect water action.  I was going to suggest  a slightly less aggressive crop off the top than the repost, but that may not be much of a difference. ANother option might be to select the top part of the rocks of your original and "pull" that portion up to the edge of the boarder using the scale tool in PS.  Might give you more rock up top without those dark areas and let the bigger rocks "breathe" more. Like the conversion, and wet feel of the rocks.  No polarizer?

Thanks Harry!  Learn something new every day right?  I had never used the Transform>scale feature before - well, at least as an alternative to cropping.  I think this worked pretty well, cleaning up the top edge, while leaving the extra room I wanted to keep.
 

Would it be possible to take a higher vantage point and isolate them?

Igor H., great question and one of those situations, Would have if I could have... ;-)  It's not possible to elevate (unless I used a ladder) ;-)  In order to get this angle looking straight up stream, you get to walk out on a huge boulder the size of a small house in which you're already elevated above the water 10 or more feet. What does change though is the water level.  This was taken in November when the water is low - which reveal the smaller boulders.  In May, you get this view that Preston captured.  He, Harley and I have all photographed.  We call it Harley's rock, but it's actually my rock. ;-)  More water, slightly different angle and the rock can be isolated.  I'm thinking much less of the top rocks would be visible during high run off. (Makes me want to go check right now!

thanks again for all the feedback. This has been constructive. Thanks!
 

Very nicely composed with a generous amount of moving water in the frame, and good techs, Lon.  Looks like the right shutter speed to get details in the stream.

I think your last crop is your best. This may look better in color, even if there is little color to it.