Back in the saddle, sort of...

It's been a while since I've posted. Got all wrapped up in the end of the school year and visiting folks back east, and I'm a bit rusty. Nonetheless, I have been getting out here and there.

Here is a shot of Smith Rock from late last month. I'm not sure what bothers me about it, so please....fire away with suggestions.

Canon 7D, Sigma 10-20mm at 10mm
ISO 100, f/13, 1/200s

Welcome back Marylynne! We've missed you around here. Glad to hear you've been out a bit.

This is very nice. The comp works very well, and I like the puffy clouds. The blue may be just a tad strong at the top (polarizer?), but it's a minor nit.

Hi Marylynee - I like this a lot. You have some nice light and shadow play, particularly along the line of trees at the river's edge and the formations in the distance. The colors are rich, which is not always easy to come by mid-day. And I like the way the river and formations lead the eye through the frame.

Not sure what's bothering you either, but in the world of nits, I can see that having the river truncated mid frame by the rock outcropping isn't ideal. Not sure you could have done much about it, unless moving further up or down stream would have given you a less obstructed view of the river. Having it bend out of the scene naturally as opposed to being cut off would be ideal.

I might also crop down from the top, eliminating about 1/3 to 1/2 the sky. The sky isn't a problem as much as the cloud, which is very conspicuous and in such contrast to the blue sky that it pulls the eye away from the more compelling parts of the scene. Cropping to just below the very small cloud on the far right maintains the overall feel, and for me focuses my eye below, where it's more richly rewarded.

Thanks, Rick and John. I didn't do much with sky (just high altitude blue, I think, but I'll check the global saturation adjustments). I like the suggestion of cropping out some sky...I waited and waited hoping that cloud would break up, get thready or something, and I think the size, shape and centrality of it is what was bugging me. I know what you mean about the river too. I'll check other shots...i walked along the edge looking for better persoectives, but the depth of the canyon combined with the tight curve of the river where it hits the formations made it hard to find a better sweep into or out of the frame.

I cropped the image above at 8x10 with less sky and it is much improved. Thanks a bunch. Here are two other variations on the location with the river and the rocks in different positions. Not sure either of these are better. The flowers added a nice touch, I think, but even at 12 mm, I couldn't get them larger in the frame, so I ultimately felt that they distracted as much as anythng.

Let me know if you like either of these better than the one above and any suggestions for further processing. I'm trying to get back in the swing of things, and this is helping me more than y'all can know.

....and last one...I swear ;-).

Of all three comps - including the cropped version of the first that I can imagine - I think I like the last one the best, primarily for the reason that the river isn't truncated so abruptly; it does look like it's just curving around the formations nice and natural. The right hillside feels a little bright, and since that's the least interesting part (that sounds unkind, but compared to the trees, river, dramatic formations... the hillside clearly isn't the focal point) burning it in a little would help. I rarely mind having the strongest part of the image brighter than the rest, but having the least compelling part brighter than the rest is something I try to avoid.

The processing on #2 feels a bit more lively than #3, and I think that's a good thing. In addition to burning in the hillside on #3, some subtle adjustment to contrast and saturation would be the perfect final touch.

Thanks, Rick. I really appreciate your detailed response. I'll play with this tonight and tomorrow. This is closer to my other most favorite composition of this site from a year or so ago, and I was trying to do something different, but I might have found the best comp that first time. I will thoroughly enjoy playing with this and processing it anew now that I know which file I'm focusing on. It's always hard for me to get to that point when I'm out of practice, so again, muchas gracias.

I'd have to go with the third one. I like the splash of color at the bottom left, the comp with the diagonal cut of the creek and trees through the rock cliffs.

Thanks Rick and Cliff. Here is #3 in a re-do. Did I go too far?

Nope, not too far at all. Looks great to me! Looks like you burned in the hillside perfectly. The added contrast makes the trees pop, and that - and the stream - make for an even stronger lead-in into the scene.

Nicely done!

Thanks again...couldn't have done it without yall.