Springtime Creek

A shot from the local nature preserve this weekend. It's another one that might be a bit too busy, but I'll leave that for you guys to decide on Taken at Carpenter Park here in Springfield. I'm pretty sure this is one of my favorite times of year at the park. It's got a good amount of color, but is not totally overgrown with stinging nettle, poison ivy, and mosquitoes. C+C more than welcome.

Digital Rebel XSi
Canon EF 28-105 @ 38mm
1/4 sec
f/22 (think I lost some detail from this, but I think I needed it for the DOF)
ISO 100

I would have to agree that it is too busy. There doesn't seem to be much in the image that holds my interest.

I like the water flowing through the frame here, but the contrasty conditions are not allowing the flowing water to stand out and be the star of the show, so to speak. I don't think it is too busy, but the sunny FG and dark shadows in the BG are competing against each other. The water leads my eye into the frame, but as Phil mentioned, there isn't a lot in the shadows to hold my interest.

I agree with Brian--the light here is not doing this scene any favors at all. Compositionally, it's difficult to say for sure (not having been there and all ), but if possible, I'd like to see more of the far edge of the stream, to provide a bit more coherence and definition, thereby helping to guide the viewer's eye through the frame.

The high contrast is working against you here, Nathaniel. Rather than trying to capture the whole scene, are there any intimate subjects here you can concentrate on?