Revised version: Out of the darkness

[phil24]

So this is a recomposed shot in the same location from the other day. A lot more cloud cover, and the color in the trees has faded but still looking for critique for composition, how to improve the overall shot etc.

I did adjust the f/stop per critique the other day and it seems sharp to me but what do you see?



Camera Nikon D90
Exposure 0.04 sec (1/25)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 18 mm
ISO Speed 200
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash No Flash

Thanks for all of your ideas, input etc.

[Infinite Monkey]

This is much improved over the original just in that you removed that large branch that was so distracting before. Unfortunately, with the overcast, you've lost all the compelling colors from the fall foliage that were prominent in the first attempt. That leaves you with a much duller image than you had before. So, some good news/some bad. I'd suggest shooting again late on a sunny day to bring back the dynamic colors and add to the power of the reflections in the water. And while the rock in the foreground is there to provide a visual anchor, the vast expanse of flat water does little for me. I think I'd make this a shot of the foliage and the reflection by zooming way in and losing most of the foreground while including as much of the trees and reflections as possible. The angle of the sun and time of day will really impact that as much as a sunny sky.

Good for you for going back and working with the suggestions from your previous post. We all need to do more of that. Keep working on it and you'll get it.

[phil24]

I agree it is duller, I thought about trying to brighten it in lightroom but chose to post it as it was shot. I will try and get back in the sunshine but I know we are at the time of year where the color can be gone any day so I wanted to at least get a second shot to work with.

Rain in the morning tomorrow but it may be a good in the late afternoon so I will see if I can get a "golden hour" shot.

Thanks for your input.

[EOBeav]

Compositionally, it's too bad you cut off the rock in the bottom, almost as an afterthought. Try using it to your advantage. Shoot lower, include it prominently in the foreground to draw us in, then knock our socks off with some stunning clouds and sizzling evening colors.

[Krusty79]

I was going to suggest not cutting off the foreground rock also. Beyond that, you're going to need some cool reflections or a colorful sunset to add some visual interest to the shot, as the colors are pretty mundane now.

[kcoppock]

Yeah, overcast weather sucks for landscapes, usually. I mostly agree with Monkey, but with Beav as well, in that I would try to get a much lower perspective to shorten the expanse of water, but keep the rock in the foreground. It does look nice and sharp to me, though!

EDIT: Just to add, you can probably still pull a nice image out of this with some post-processing, especially if the original is in RAW. I've attached a quick (which I'll gladly take down if you prefer) using just a few adjustment layers.

I used:

Shadow/Highlight adjustment (Shadows 16%, 8%, 15px; Highlights 47%, 40%, 20px)
2 Vibrance Adjustment Layers set to +100, both set to Saturation blending mode and 1 at 50% opacity
Levels Adjustment Layer dragging the midtones to 1.35
Levels Adjustment Layer raising the white point to 205 (masked out the sky)
Finally a Curves Adjustment Layer dragging down the shadows just a bit.

[flytyer57]

Originally Posted by kcoppock

EDIT:
I used:

Shadow/Highlight adjustment (Shadows 16%, 8%, 15px; Highlights 47%, 40%, 20px)
2 Vibrance Adjustment Layers set to +100, both set to Saturation blending mode and 1 at 50% opacity
Levels Adjustment Layer dragging the midtones to 1.35
Levels Adjustment Layer raising the white point to 205 (masked out the sky)
Finally a Curves Adjustment Layer dragging down the shadows just a bit.

I was going to mention pretty much the same thing about editing to make the colors pop more but you beat me too it.

[Krusty79]

The edited version looks better.

[phil24]

Thanks for the comments! Sorry I didn't get back sooner- work has a way of interfering with fun! This is actually taken from a bank so lower would mean in the water, not a good idea this time of year I posted it as shot, but I like the adjustments you did quite a bit. Fall color is gone and we are getting some snow now so hopefully will get a chance to try some snowscapes soon.