this composition has potential. I think that your ratio is off between top and bottom. I feel that it is very bottom heavy. I would like to see more of the sky and less of the light foreground. Maybe if you cropped to a 9x16 format leaving all of the sky. Then on the shadowed area you have some bright spots that need to be toned down. Of course these are only suggestions and you need to make yourself happy with the picture.
Thank you. I went with a 2:1 crop, reduced the bottom portion and toned down the bright spots. I also brightened the bank line a little. I'll let it sit for a few days and take another look. Thank you again for the input.
I can tell it was a time exposure. I like that. I would go back to the raw version and pull highlights down to get the details back in the tree branches. Boost contrast a little more and make it even more high key. Don't change the sky water ratio. I think that gives depth. Add more Clarity if you are using Lr or LRC.
I think a different format might work better. For instance, the two attached examples are cropped to 900x900 with the tree related to the diagonal and also to the golden spiral.
I also think that the bank might be lightened just a bit (which I didn't do).
I like the right-handedness of the composition, but there's too much water. I like Patrick's suggestion of the high key, with this subject, I think you'd stand a good chance. As for the crop... I might squeeze the bottom up and make the crop a really wide landscape, otherwise, the options that Chaz had offered look interesting to my eye with this subject.
Not saying that what I did is necessarily the best; rather, I'm more suggesting that looking at the different standard ways of balancing should be looked at--Rule of Thirds, Diagonal, Golden Spiral, etc. The Crop tool in Photoshop has a button that allows you to look at several of them overlaying your crop. You can change the dimensions of the crop to see which looks best.
With you long and narrow crop, Darin, the Rule of Thirds probably works best while I think the Golden Spiral works best if you have an equal sided picture.
It's basically what you like, intend to show, but it also depends on whether you want to stay with standard-sized frames (if framing applies).
Great suggestions. I couldn't bring out more detail in the tree. But I did bump up the contrast and go with a more panaramic crop. Thanks and have a Merry Christmas.
this composition has potential. I think that your ratio is off between top and bottom. I feel that it is very bottom heavy. I would like to see more of the sky and less of the light foreground. Maybe if you cropped to a 9x16 format leaving all of the sky. Then on the shadowed area you have some bright spots that need to be toned down. Of course these are only suggestions and you need to make yourself happy with the picture.
Thank you. I went with a 2:1 crop, reduced the bottom portion and toned down the bright spots. I also brightened the bank line a little. I'll let it sit for a few days and take another look. Thank you again for the input.
Did you shoot this in Raw?
I did shoot in raw.
I can tell it was a time exposure. I like that. I would go back to the raw version and pull highlights down to get the details back in the tree branches. Boost contrast a little more and make it even more high key. Don't change the sky water ratio. I think that gives depth. Add more Clarity if you are using Lr or LRC.
No right, no wrong... Just my take on it. ;-)
I'll give that a try. Thank you
I think a different format might work better. For instance, the two attached examples are cropped to 900x900 with the tree related to the diagonal and also to the golden spiral.
I also think that the bank might be lightened just a bit (which I didn't do).
I like the right-handedness of the composition, but there's too much water. I like Patrick's suggestion of the high key, with this subject, I think you'd stand a good chance. As for the crop... I might squeeze the bottom up and make the crop a really wide landscape, otherwise, the options that Chaz had offered look interesting to my eye with this subject.
Not saying that what I did is necessarily the best; rather, I'm more suggesting that looking at the different standard ways of balancing should be looked at--Rule of Thirds, Diagonal, Golden Spiral, etc. The Crop tool in Photoshop has a button that allows you to look at several of them overlaying your crop. You can change the dimensions of the crop to see which looks best.
With you long and narrow crop, Darin, the Rule of Thirds probably works best while I think the Golden Spiral works best if you have an equal sided picture.
It's basically what you like, intend to show, but it also depends on whether you want to stay with standard-sized frames (if framing applies).
Great suggestions. I couldn't bring out more detail in the tree. But I did bump up the contrast and go with a more panaramic crop. Thanks and have a Merry Christmas.