Pewits Nest Redux

Greetings,
I've just started scanning my images taken a couple of weeks ago, at the height of color here in southern Wisconsin. I was at Pewits Nest a few days before Philip and have a different perspective...

Fuji G617, f/22, 8", pol, Velvia 100

Enjoy,

Tim!

I really enjoy photographs from this place, and this image is no exception. I would imagine it would be a very enjoyable place to photograph during the autumn season. Probably my favorite part of this scene is how the light is bounced into the water in the gorge. That said, I think there could be more done to reduce the apparent harshness of the light, and emphasize the light on the water. I hope you don't mind, but I did a bit of contrast masking, dodging and burning, and a bit of curves work to give you an idea of what I sort of envision when I look at the potential in this image. I also cropped to 6x17 to tighten up the composition slightly. With a bit of refinement, I can see this making a really nice print. Good work Tim!

Here's the very quick (and rough) edit I did:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v390/truckyj/Random/23388edit.jpg

Tim, I agree with Joel on the light here. I really like the way the reflected light catches on the cliff, but the bright light in the left quarter pulls my eye away from the focal point of the image. I see a couple of cropping options: one is a vertical of the second quarter of the image, with the stream running down the center. The second is horizontal cropped inside the FG trees. Either would reduce the dynamic range of the image and allow the viewer to focus on the stream a bit more.

Good thoughts, guys! I've just been busy scanning and not editing much during the process. The harshness of the left side bothered me, but I just left it as is at this point, again, having my mind more in scanning mode than editing mode. I also have some other shots that I'll be scanning that aren't pano shots, so we'll see what comes up.

Tim!

I would imagine it would be difficult to find even lighting here, unless it's on a cloudy day. Nice view, Tim!

Yes, under these conditions, the lighting is broader than I wished. I've shot at Pewits Nest in early October and the light is more even, but also there's a bit less, because the canopy is more yellow and complete. There always seems to be a bit of open light directly over Skillet Creek, since there's no canopy there! ;) I suspect that I'll try to go in early to mid October in the future for fall shots, rather than later October (this was taken on the 22nd).

Oh, and Joel, there's a warm bed and meals if you ever want to come down this way. I'd enjoy showing off the Baraboo Hills, as I've discovered several new locations this fall. I'm looking forward to checking them out more in spring...

Tim!

Definitely issues with the lighting in the gorge. Joel’s editing adds to the picture and makes it look more like some of earlier shots Tim has taken at Pewits Nest. The pano gives you a good picture of the gorge.