Posted by Marc Dilley on February 22, 2008 at 3:34 PM
I shot this down by the Cashmere River Park yesterday morning before work, standing in the shallow rapids with my polarizing filter on the lens in place of the neutral density filter I don’t own yet. I’m on the fence about the color reflections of the water – I’ve played around with various tools trying to get it to agree with the sky color. What do you all think about the color?
Posted by David Schoen on February 22, 2008 at 4:14 PM
This is very nice. I'm fine with the color and the water reflections. The yellow sky and the transition between the yellow sky and the reds seems a little too sharp. I really like the way the water leads one into the image.
Posted by Mark Hudon on February 22, 2008 at 6:48 PM
The sky and the stream don't seem to fit well together to me. The stream looks calm and mild and relaxing but the sky looks nuclear. I might be tempted to tone down the sky.
Posted by Larry Gloth on February 22, 2008 at 10:56 PM
The water and reflections are awesome. I agree that the sky is a little too much for the water, especially the yellow near the bottom. Great composition and low angle. Beautiful shot.
Posted by Kevin McNeal on February 23, 2008 at 1:00 AM
I think this is a stunning image bursting with color ! I can not believe how nicely composed the stream of water is and leads in a S-curve - all I can say is WOW !
Posted by Darren White on February 23, 2008 at 2:04 AM
I like this but the green on the rock in the LLC ruins the shot for me....can you fix that?
Posted by Marc Adamus on February 23, 2008 at 6:44 PM
Marc,
My opinion is that you don't seem to be getting as natural a rendition as you could be from these blends. The dark yellow horizon here really jumps out at me. It should be much brighter, almost white, which would also draw the eye back into the sky more fluidly. The blend must have been hell around those fine details in the trees too, especially when printed big. You'll want to pay extra attention to those areas at full resolution. These blends are extremely difficult to get just right. I'd go to all lengths to use them as sparingly as possible.
I think you really do have a good eye for composition though, and you've shown you have the dedication.
That green rock would only take the sponge tool to fix easily. No problem there.
Good luck.
Posted by John Williams on February 23, 2008 at 7:04 PM
A good photo with great potential Marc. I agree with all the comments above for improving this, and that it will be a true stunner with adjustments. Can you feel your feet yet ?
Posted by Marc Dilley on February 25, 2008 at 10:56 AM
Thank you everyone for your comments. My wife had the same reaction to it as you did regarding the nuclear color.
I reworked this one over the weekend. Here is the result.
Posted by Marc Adamus on February 25, 2008 at 11:50 AM
Marc, I sent you an email with a rework of this image.
Posted by Marc Dilley on February 25, 2008 at 12:41 PM
Marc Adamus kindly reworked the shot. In his words:
"I've cleaned up the background quite a bit and smoothed things out to more natural levels. The saturation looked just fine in your repost, but there was an unexpained brighter area in the bushes that looked like flare or excessive dodging and the yellows in the background were still dark and more uneven than in the first post. Additionally, I darkened some areas within the treeline that were not fully affected by the blend work. I'll admit these are minor things that usually go right past non-photographers, and I've even had photographers that couldn't discern the adjustments I've made or suggested before. But to me, it makes a big difference."
I think he significantly improved it
Thanks Marc!
Marc Dilley
Posted by Jay Defigh on February 28, 2008 at 4:44 PM
The adjustments made a world of difference. Much better in 2nd and 3rd reposts. I like what Marc Adamus did with the lighting on the water and the yellow of the sunrise.
Posted by Mark Hudon on February 28, 2008 at 5:55 PM
Same photo, new crop? Yeah, it looks nice, the bright background isn't so hit-me-in-the-face.
Discussion
12 repliesComments and suggestions appreciated as always.
Sony R1, 3 exposure blend – 20 sec, 5.4 sec & 2.4 sec @ f/16, polarizing filter (as ND filter only).
My opinion is that you don't seem to be getting as natural a rendition as you could be from these blends. The dark yellow horizon here really jumps out at me. It should be much brighter, almost white, which would also draw the eye back into the sky more fluidly. The blend must have been hell around those fine details in the trees too, especially when printed big. You'll want to pay extra attention to those areas at full resolution. These blends are extremely difficult to get just right. I'd go to all lengths to use them as sparingly as possible.
I think you really do have a good eye for composition though, and you've shown you have the dedication.
That green rock would only take the sponge tool to fix easily. No problem there.
Good luck.
I reworked this one over the weekend. Here is the result.
"I've cleaned up the background quite a bit and smoothed things out to more natural levels. The saturation looked just fine in your repost, but there was an unexpained brighter area in the bushes that looked like flare or excessive dodging and the yellows in the background were still dark and more uneven than in the first post. Additionally, I darkened some areas within the treeline that were not fully affected by the blend work. I'll admit these are minor things that usually go right past non-photographers, and I've even had photographers that couldn't discern the adjustments I've made or suggested before. But to me, it makes a big difference."
I think he significantly improved it
Thanks Marc!
Marc Dilley