Spring Thaw

This is an image of the Milwaukee River taken in early spring (Mid/late April) after a particularly severe winter. I liked the way the river appeared in afternoon light. This is about a couple of miles from my place. Thanks to the recent rains, this particular spot is now more or less inaccessible now due to heavy vegetation.


Regards,
-- Govind

I enjoy the light play off of the water, and I can certainly relate to the scene. It's amazing, as you noted, how much a river changes character throughout the various seasons. Each excursion seems to offer new opportunities. The foreground branches are probably my biggest hang up here (and I would wager for others who have viewed the image as well. While I don't necessarily have a problem with the idea of these branches being included in the framing, they aren't contributing here I'm afraid. Ideally, I'd like to see a stronger pattern in how they were arranged, or at the least, have them in sharp focus. As is, they come across as an afterthought - and something that simply gets in the way of what you were trying to communicate.

I've never had much luck with capturing the sparkles on water, but you did an admirable job here, Govind.

I agree with Joel's comment about the foreground branches. I would prefer the image without them. Otherwise, a nice job capturing the light on the river.

Thanks for your comments, all.

Now that it has been mentioned, I agree with the interference caused by the vegetation. Unfortunately, it wasn't possible to get past the vegetation at this location. There were others further along the river where this would have been possible, bit as I was there primarily for bird photography, I did not try these. Hopefully, I'll get another chance. Chalk it up to my lack of experience in landscape photography.



regards,

I'll express a contrary view--I kind of like the mystery created by including the soft branches, which almost take on the character of shadows in this presentation.