Critique: Lake reflections - did I frame this well?

[johassler]

EXIF:
Tv( Shutter Speed ) 1/160
Av( Aperture Value ) 8.0
ISO Speed 100
Focal Length 18.0 mm

I'm looking for critique regarding my framing here. I've never managed to successfully photograph a reflection on the water before. I found when I started taking the photographs that I wasn't sure how to frame the shots.

Any help at all would be appreciated. My specific concern here is composition and framing. Other help is also appreciated.

Thank you!

(Deleted my message in the original thread in the non-critique section. Whoops! My apologies for the double post!)

[Sime]

I'd say get rid of the bridge - there's not enough detail in it / the path leading to it / leading your eye into the photo. OR pan around to your right a bit and bring the bridge a little further into the frame, maybe? It sort of looks more messy than like a bridge. I'd also say you've either crushed the blacks some in post processing? There are a lot of dark areas and loss of detail in the trees / water.

Hope this helps.

Sime

[johassler]

Thanks, Sime.

I'll look at panning more to the right next time we walk to the lake. I think my monitor must be generally calibrated lighter (that's probably not the correct terminology) as I often seem to edit thing darker than I should. I took a look on my husband's monitor and sure enough, the photo had a lot more dark/black spots than I see on mine.

Here's another edit for color only (the picture is fully sized as it was shot):



I also took this one (link only as I'm not sure about adding another photo in this thread) which I like very much (though I'll re-visit the color on my husband's monitor when he's awake).

[Sime]

Ahh, there you go - see, I much prefer that one.. A bit more lead in for the bridge, more detail. Yep, I like that one. Possibly clone out the tiny branches top right...

Sime

[tvoelcker]

Both are nice but the two big pine trees to the right keep attracting my eyes and leading me up and out of the frame.
Might try cropping just above the tree line of the row of trees to the left.
I think this will help direct the eyes back down into the scene.
Another idea is to crop just to the left of the very colorful tree to the left of the bridge and square it up.
This way you have the beautiful colors of the tree plus the awesome reflection of it and the bridge as a second focal point.
Just a thought.
I have a habit of looking at different crops and frames within a frame..