Posted by Brian Vance on March 28, 2009 at 5:33 PM
This is a shot from late last summer, taken at the mouth of the Brevort River along Lake Michigan's north shore about fifteen miles west of the Mackinac Bridge. I walked the bridge on Labor Day with 50,000 other people, and took the opportunity to photograph the area. All comments and critiques welcome, as always.
I love the sunlight on the foreground plants, it makes a nice highlight of the subject. The white NPN background really isn't doing you any favors here, especially in the upper-right corner. It also looks a tiny bit soft. Other than that, a very serene image.
Brian, I do like the light on the FG growth and the color scheme in general, but the rest of the frame isn't really coming together for me. There's a very large, essentially blank area of water that's dominating much of the right-hand half and the sliver of shore coming in from the upper right-hand edge makes me wonder what I'm not seeing. Of course I have no idea you had to work with so I realize that you may well have had reason for excluding whatever may be outside the frame to the right.
Posted by Brian Vance on March 31, 2009 at 8:58 AM
Thanks for the helpful comments! As always, they are much appreciated and most welcome.
Nathaniel, I agree the sky was hazy and bright, and I really needed more than the CP filter I had on.
Kendall, I do love walking the Mackinac Bridge on the annual Labor Day bridge walk with thousands of others, from toddlers and babies being carried to 80 somethings walking for the 50th time...great family fun and the views of the straits are amazing!
Kerry, thanks for the thoughtful critique. As it was Labor Day weekend, there were people all over the place watching the sunset and several people were stationed right outside the frame on the right, top. As for the blank water in the middle, I was drawn to the S curve feature (incomplete but suggested) and the fact that the color of the water moves from dark blues in the FG to high key sky blue as the river moves into the lake.
Thanks again for the feedback folks,
Brian
Posted by Chuck Beatty on March 31, 2009 at 1:53 PM
Beautiful colors, Brian. I like the highlight on the FG flowers and the curve of the shorelines. The out-of-focus BG doesn't work for me so much. Is that a sharpening issue, or did you shoot with a shallow depth of field?
Posted by Brian Vance on March 31, 2009 at 3:29 PM
Thanks, Chuck. I think this is a combination of sharpening and poor technique. Let me know what you think of the following in field situation:
Canon 40D, 24-105 L/IS 4.0 @24mm, f14 with my focus point 1/3 into the frame (approx), B+W CP filter, tripod, mirror lock up on, 2 second delay.
I try not to go beyond f16 in any situation with this combo because of lens diffraction and I generally have good, sharp results w/ landscapes using similar techniques/fstops. I also had this image in my portfolio review at the recent NANPA summit in Albaquerque, and nobody mentioned the OOF issue or any other issue related to softness with this image. I will go back and check on my desktop monitor tonight, do a little pixel peeping and see what's what. Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated.
On a related note, I am planning on being in the CVNP area in the days following easter (visiting family), can you recommend any specific locations that would be good for mid-April? How often do you get out there this time of year?
Posted by Chuck Beatty on March 31, 2009 at 6:04 PM
Seems like DOF shouldn't have been an issue with those settings and equipment. Maybe it's just a compression issue for the screen. (Maybe I just need new glasses.)
Mid-April is mostly about wildflowers in the CVNP. The trees won't have fully leafed out, so iconic places like Brandywine and Blue Hen Falls won't be as nice as they will be a few weeks later. A lot depends on the weather over the next couple of weeks. If you want to send me an email so I have yours, I'll send you an update of what's going on--and possible shooting locations--before you leave.
Discussion
7 repliesNathaniel, I agree the sky was hazy and bright, and I really needed more than the CP filter I had on.
Kendall, I do love walking the Mackinac Bridge on the annual Labor Day bridge walk with thousands of others, from toddlers and babies being carried to 80 somethings walking for the 50th time...great family fun and the views of the straits are amazing!
Kerry, thanks for the thoughtful critique. As it was Labor Day weekend, there were people all over the place watching the sunset and several people were stationed right outside the frame on the right, top. As for the blank water in the middle, I was drawn to the S curve feature (incomplete but suggested) and the fact that the color of the water moves from dark blues in the FG to high key sky blue as the river moves into the lake.
Thanks again for the feedback folks,
Brian
Canon 40D, 24-105 L/IS 4.0 @24mm, f14 with my focus point 1/3 into the frame (approx), B+W CP filter, tripod, mirror lock up on, 2 second delay.
I try not to go beyond f16 in any situation with this combo because of lens diffraction and I generally have good, sharp results w/ landscapes using similar techniques/fstops. I also had this image in my portfolio review at the recent NANPA summit in Albaquerque, and nobody mentioned the OOF issue or any other issue related to softness with this image. I will go back and check on my desktop monitor tonight, do a little pixel peeping and see what's what. Thanks for the input, it is much appreciated.
On a related note, I am planning on being in the CVNP area in the days following easter (visiting family), can you recommend any specific locations that would be good for mid-April? How often do you get out there this time of year?
Mid-April is mostly about wildflowers in the CVNP. The trees won't have fully leafed out, so iconic places like Brandywine and Blue Hen Falls won't be as nice as they will be a few weeks later. A lot depends on the weather over the next couple of weeks. If you want to send me an email so I have yours, I'll send you an update of what's going on--and possible shooting locations--before you leave.