Critique

[marinaside]

I would like to get a little feedback on this image...I understand a basic compositional rule tells me I should have put something in the immediate foreground to add depth to the image but that wasn't an option in this case so I would like an objective opinion about the composition as is?

Also, I am only just starting to get familiar with post processing so any editing comments are definitely welcome

 

[Manip16]

It is technically very good. Nice colours and the reflection looks great. Unfortunately my eyes just wind up looking at the white wall running centre frame since the picture has no subject.

If you rotated it and then put half a tree at the edge of the frame it gets a little more interesting...

 

[Cedarhill]

Quite honestly, I just think the subject matter is uninteresting.

 

[CharpMind]

I'm just not sure what I'm supposed to look at. Nothing stands out as a subject.

 

[Mike Tansey]

Personally, I don't like it. The lighting is dull, and not in a nice way, the white edge divides the image in half, the water movement is too much to get a mirror effect that'd have been nice, none of the trees are in full view, I can't see what the picture is "of", it's just some dull uninteresting trees and a plane of rippled water without even a Goose to look at... Personally, I'd have deleted this.

 

[charleyd]

As mentioned, compositionally, it just isn't there. We know that the reflection looked interesting to you, we like them too. It is too dark. Maybe a vertical shot here would have gotten more of the trees and reflection. This is a hard photo to make interesting.

 

[jbf]

Your image consists of approximately 1/3 reflection and 2/3 trees. I think one way to make it more interesting is to put more attention on the reflection. If you have a chance to shoot this scene again, include the full reflection. Try different compositions moving the wall vertically in the frame. Keep the wall at the center or higher, or even try a version that's 100% reflection. Interesting lighting would help as well. Here's a quick attempt at editing to bring attention to the existing reflection. I cropped, sharpened, and did a Levels adjustment.



Hope this helps,
jbf

 

[LR219]

While by no means a professional photographer, I would have to agree with some of the other posts...I think that it's too dark and that it lacks a subject. I could see though the picture that you were trying to get, but I just think that you had too many other factors going against you (lighting, lack of subject). I have shot many photos like this and have had in my mind how it should look and then when I look at the actual picture, it's just not there. Maybe if the picture were not a dead on shot it would help? What if you got going down the body of water on an angle somehow (if that was possible)? Just keep trying though. I think everybody has shots like this

 

[José S]

Unfortunately I agree with the others here. If this is a crop you could bring the tops of the trees back in and have more of the reflections and try it in black and white. Keep shooting!

jose

 

[chuxter]

I would like to get a little feedback on this image...I understand a basic compositional rule tells me I should have put something in the immediate foreground to add depth to the image but that wasn't an option in this case so I would like an objective opinion about the composition as is?

Also, I am only just starting to get familiar with post processing so any editing comments are definitely welcome

Much too dark and has nothing to capture my interest...I can take it all in instantly.

The first thing I did was to use Levels to see what the histogram looked like (I had a pretty good idea):



Almost everything is left of the center! You threw away about 60% of your DR. I "fixed" it by moving the white slider to the left until it hit the first data:



I thought the image still looked dingy, so I also slid the grey (sometimes called the "gamma" slider_ to the right:



This made your pic look like this:



Hmmm...still not very interesting though...SO, I decided to "play" with it. Here is what I did:

1. Selected everything above the wall
2. Applied a Diffuse filter
3. Selected everything below the wall
4. Applied a Watercolor filter
5. Selected the wall
6. Applied a horizontal Motion Blur
7. Cropped to a 1:1 aspect ratio

Not a perfect job...just a quickie. What do you think?

--
Charlie Davis
Nikon 5700, Sony R1, Nikon D50, Nikon D300
HomePage: http://www.1derful.info
"Quantum Mechanics: The dreams that stuff is made of..."

 

[MaryGierth]

Not a perfect job...just a quickie. What do you think?

I kinda like it, especially the top half.

I agree with the other comments.

The white line down the middle attracts all the attention and its not the subject. If it weren't for this element in the scene I would say wait for better light and give it another try but I still think this would be a distraction.

 

[marinaside]

Thank you for the feedback...I think what you did certainly adds more interest to the image.

 

[marinaside]

Thank you all for your comments, I appreciate the feedback...I had a similar feeling about this image.