A reminder of warmer days as winter sets in. This is Whitewater Creek, just outside the Gila Wilderness in southwestern New Mexico. The sycamores down there are incredibly beautiful. I was attracted to the intricate branching juxataposed with the clean lines of the waterfall and the boulders, though I certainly could have lived without the bush in the bottom right. Does it work for folks, or is it too busy?
f/8 1/25, ISO 800, 23mm.
Posted by Bill Pelzmann on December 21, 2008 at 2:29 AM
I'm trying to figure out why this composition does not work for me. "Busy" and "unorganized" are probably the first words that come to mind. The bright water fall ends very close to the bottom of the frame. My eyes go there first, and I have to force myself to explore the beautiful sycamore. But that is just my quick impression of a small jpeg. Usually I find "busy" images much more appealing in a higher rez file.
When I crop 1/4 off the top and right side, leaving just the colorful leaves and waterfall, I find a better focused composition.
It is a bit busy. I agree with Bill on the crop suggestion. That will make the falls the obvious subject in the composition. I do like to colors and you've done a good job on the light - no blowouts or dark shadows.
Thanks guys! Bill, that does help. One thing I notice looking at it more is that all its potential compositional strengths-- branches, leaves and falls-- are on the left. The boulders just aren't interesting enough to provide any balance. Your crop suggestion works, but I'm not sure it leaves an image that really appeals to me. It's somewhat tempting to crop off the whole right side and make it a vertical pano.
Thanks for the feedback. Composing busy scenes and vegetation is always stepping out of my comfort zone. It's really invaluable to have a forum like this for a sounding board.
Posted by Phillip Noll on December 22, 2008 at 11:43 AM
Hi Jackson,
Is this taken near the "Catwalk"? That is such a cool place---just don't drink the water!!
As far as the image goes I feel that the composition is a bit awkward. To me, the main subject is the waterfall, with a secondary subject being the sycamore. With the waterfall so close to the bottom of the image my eyes follow the water out of the frame. By placing the waterfall so low, the rest of the frame does indeed look quite "busy" with no real focus (no pun intended). Also, the areas near the waterfall seem a bit dark. Maybe a midrange contrast boost and slight saturation boost would help somewhat. I agree that a hefty crop off the top (to nearly a square) would refocus the image on the waterfall and balance it out with the leaves.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is to be applauded! Keep doing that--experimentation is the key to growth!
Discussion
5 repliesf/8 1/25, ISO 800, 23mm.
When I crop 1/4 off the top and right side, leaving just the colorful leaves and waterfall, I find a better focused composition.
Thanks for the feedback. Composing busy scenes and vegetation is always stepping out of my comfort zone. It's really invaluable to have a forum like this for a sounding board.
Is this taken near the "Catwalk"? That is such a cool place---just don't drink the water!!
As far as the image goes I feel that the composition is a bit awkward. To me, the main subject is the waterfall, with a secondary subject being the sycamore. With the waterfall so close to the bottom of the image my eyes follow the water out of the frame. By placing the waterfall so low, the rest of the frame does indeed look quite "busy" with no real focus (no pun intended). Also, the areas near the waterfall seem a bit dark. Maybe a midrange contrast boost and slight saturation boost would help somewhat. I agree that a hefty crop off the top (to nearly a square) would refocus the image on the waterfall and balance it out with the leaves.
Stepping out of your comfort zone is to be applauded! Keep doing that--experimentation is the key to growth!
If I get back there on a warm day, I'm thinking that in that water might be the angle for this scene.