Hobbyist photographer trying to learn.
Gear: Canon EOS R w/ RF 28-70 f2.8 and Three-Legged Thing.
Software: Luminar 3
Image 1
f/16
0.6 sec.
ISO 100
32mm
Image 2
f/8
1/4 sec.
ISO 100
32 mm
The nature of this particular waterfalls is it will never have any direct sunlight. 75' falls.
One foot in the water and the other on a rock.
The day after this image was taken the State of Oregon shut down. It will be awhile before I an attempt a re-shoot.
https://www.oregonhikers.org/field_guide/Ponytail_Falls_Hike
I love the foreground, and mid, but background is out of place to me due to the waterfall going out of the ordinary. also edit the branches out of the mid-ground on the right they're distracting. I just did this crop to show you if you corrected the angle or crop, the pic would be stronger. That's my 2 cents.
I added a second image from a different point and settings.
My editing skills are not up to the level of removing intricate sticks and branches and have the results look real.
try pixel imperfect, he is an ace at this stuff and I've learned so much from him. I'm not a patreon but I've considered it as he has taught me so much. It's really easy once you get the hang of it, again let me preface that I'm not a pro, just a really pro-sumer kind of guy. I do it for the love of learning and a general desire to become better at the craft. If I monetize it, it'll become a job and not a hobby that I absolutely love. You're on the right track, I'll add a quick version that I've learned from the channel, it doesn't take much really but it has improved my photography skills dramatically. I think that the misconception is that the final images come out of camera, that's just not the case on 95% of the images. That's what makes us better, learn, learn, learn, and then pass it on to others. With the cameras providing a ton of pixels and dynamic range, we can really be much better than if we were using film. Film is once and done, you have to be pretty damn good, digital you can take a million photos to become Ansel Adams. It just cements that he was a great artist beyond his time. If he had a digital platform, he would have been at least 10x better. again this is a very very very quick run at it.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMrvLMUITAImCHMOhX88PYQ
Looks heavy on the Clone tool, but I do understand that you are getting at. Probably easier to get it correct in camera through composition, than trying to fix the image in post.
You might want to wait until summer solstice to get good lighting. South side of gorge is usually in the shade rest of the year
Or be raining.
Also are you shooting in RAW? if not you need to, it gives you the most bang for your buck in post.
Like that T-Shirt claims "I SHOOT RAW".
I am on a fixed income* and Lightroom was great until they started renting the program and the version does CR2 but not CR3, thus the need for Luminar 3. Learning curve of the nuances. I looked at darktable but again it cannot process CR3 files.
*In college full-time in Computer Science and also a Senior Citizen...that brutal! 🙃
From my standpoint, it’s about finding the formation of rocks that progresses naturally into the scene. Your technique in getting low is definitely a great start.
To empathize, I’ve shot these environments plenty and understand how slippery/misty they can be which adds to the challenge.
I had contemplated splashing water onto the rock, but I think the water would have dried and my hands froze by the time I hand water the the foreground.
Awesome pic, spot on with the water fall, great job.