Winter Creek

[Kathy O]

This photo was taken in November, I have not had a chance to practice on my composition since then . . . I am posting this photo more for feedback on the editing I have done on it (although feedback is welcome on the compostion of the photo also.) I am posting 2 photos the first is done without the graduated filter the second is with a graduated filter. I thought the first one looked drabish, so I added a little color to see if it would improve the photo. Would like feedback on which is better or what I need to do to improve either one.

without graduated filter



with graduated filter

[Donald]

Kathy

I think the graduared filter has introduced what looks like (to me) artificial colour into the image. I don't think it contrbutes to the image at all. For that reason, I much prefer the first version.

You don't say what editing you did do on that one and we don't know what the original RAW file looked like. So it is difficult to provide feedback on the editing. Just on the basis of viewing it here, it looks well-processed. It is appropriately sharpened. There is good contrast in it. The snow looks like snow (which isn't always the case).

For me it really comes down to the composition. And you invited comment, although pointing out you haven't been able to work more on this since you shot the picture.

The first thing, of course, is that object over on the right behind the trunk of the tree. That just shouldn't be there. No matter how good the rest of the scene, with that there and not being able to be moved, I would have walked away from the shot. 'See' the image with it not there and it is already much better.

The inclusion of a bit of the bank at the bottom left does give some useful detail to that part of the image, but I wonder if there was a location whereby you could have got more of that near bank into the frame so that we could see it running off into the distance (without you falling into the river).

I also wondered if we need to see so much empty space in the lower right half of the frame; i.e. all that featureless snow just lying there. How do you think it would look if you were to make it into a 2:1 aspect ration, preserving the top and the sides as is, but cropping a bit off the bottom to just below those twigs at the right hand side?

[Rob Douglas]

I agree with Donald's assessment and would like to ask if it would have been possible to position yourself slightly more to the right and angled the shot more to the left? That would have eliminated that object behind the trunk on the right and given the image a bit more depth with more of a down stream angle. Maybe even composing the shot slightly higher to eliminate the blank snow in the bottom of the shot.

[Kathy O]

I completely agree with everything you said, so I did go back to my photo and make some adjustments, not sure if it made it better or not. I cropped out the object behind the trunk of the tree, it may have been to much of a crop for the overall photo. I also played with the white balance, I thought that may have added a little bit of the color I was looking for.
I have also enclosed the original photo. Thanks for your comments, I really do see what you are talking about, now if I can actually apply it to my photos.

newly cropped photo




Original

[Polar01]

I like the new crop, very nicely done.

Allan

[Kathy O]

Thank you Allan, I just got my Lightroom software shortly after Christmas and am very new to taking photo's and editing so I am really feeling my way through this. Your advice and comments are very much appreciated!!