Snowy Pond, Composition?

[Tylera7707]

My questions regarding this photo I took are composition related. First off, what I personally like about it.
1. The roundness of the pond on the bottom is centered.
2. The trees are fairly evenly spaced, and similar in size and nature.
3. The pond
What im unsure of.
1. Does the dark area to the right upset the flow of the picture?
2. Does the distortion of the trees take away from the picture?

Personally Im cool with the distortion, I love any chance I get to open my lens to its widest setting.

Any other advice or critique will be greatly appreciated! Thanks
Tyler

Exif Data -
Nikon D7000, 18-55mm VR Kit lens
18mm, AF-A, F/3.5, 1/320s, Aperture Priority, +1 OEV, Spot metering (maybe matrix would of been better?), ISO 800 (again, complete oversight, probably should have been 200), auto wb.
Processing -
14bit Raw image, Nikon colorefx pro pro contrast filter, slight distortion correction, and bw conversion.

[dalmorloson]

No photo here

[Tylera7707]

Sorry, its my first post here. I've created a Flickr so I can post a link, maybe that will make it show in my post?

[Tylera7707]

80 views....no comments....oh well!

[Sistereinstein]

Yeah, I get that all the time. Lots of people looking, but no comments means...what, that the image was not thought provoking enough? That's generally the conclusion I decide on. However, you had the forethought to ask specific questions.

What im unsure of.
1. Does the dark area to the right upset the flow of the picture?

Yes it does, imho. So does the bottom branches.

2. Does the distortion of the trees take away from the picture?

No, I didn't think so. You could have used the distortion to your advantage here.

Overall: The photo itself doesn't really say what you found so special about it. Trees are a difficult subject for me, as they rarely behave and I don't know enough to manipulate the DOF to my advantage yet.

Suggestion: Come back after a fresh snow, cross the trees line and capture a shot across the lake. I see some potential reflection right now that are hidden from view. Good Luck!

[danbaileyphoto]

I think perhaps that reason that there are so many more views than comments is that there is no definable subject matter in this shot. There's nothing that jumps out, grabs viewers and draws them into the shot. Your exposure and framing are good, but I just think you need some additional element that defines what this picture is about.

[SteveFromOhio]

Originally Posted by Sistereinstein

Yeah, I get that all the time. Lots of people looking, but no comments means...what, that the image was not thought provoking enough? That's generally the conclusion I decide on.

FWIW, I look at critiques all the time trying to learn what to do or not do, but I don't feel like I know enough to offer anything constructive. I suspect there's more people out there like me.

Originally Posted by Tylera7707

What im unsure of.
1. Does the dark area to the right upset the flow of the picture?
2. Does the distortion of the trees take away from the picture?

Keeping the above in mind, I'll give this a try.

The dark area is what keeps grabbing my attention, so that is what becomes the subject of your picture. (For me, anyway.) I think next time you need slide it out of the frame.

I can't say the distortion bothers me.

If it was me, I'd move a little to the left and try to capture a sunrise or sunset coming through the trees. (Assuming that's possible.)

Hopefully somebody will come along and tell you if I'm right or not.

[Krusty79]

I agree with Dan's comment. I find my eye wandering over the image, as there is no focal point or subject that holds my attention. It's a nice scene, but is the subject the trees or the lake? The viewer should not have to guess.

I don't mind the distortion or dark area on the right.