Julie Deer  


Billabong by Julie Deer

October 2024 - Billabong

October 2024 - Julie Deer

Original

About the Image(s)

A Billabong is a small lake left behind after a river changes its course.
My computer is having a large hiccup at the moment and I wasn't able to access Lightroom or Photoshop. I did some basic editing in a program that I'm not familiar with.
Please tell me what you would do with this image.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
11 comments posted




Martin Newland   Martin Newland
(Group 2)
Julie, I like the composition of this rather challenging landscape. The leading line of the creek takes the eye up the gully to the gum trees, which in turn connect the middle ground with the background sky.
The flat light has NOT been your friend. I would suggest playing with the "Curves" slider to create a some contrast and then painting on the image using a 50% grey layer to create some highlights and shadows.
It is a pity you didn't catch one of those kangaroos wearing a red jacket. I know are quite abundant in that part of Australia
  Posted: 10/06/2024 00:01:05
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Julie Deer   Julie Deer
Thanks for your comments Martin, I'll keep an eye out for those kangaroos next time.   Posted: 10/06/2024 00:18:40



Don Hill   Don Hill
Hey Julie, sorry to hear about your computer. My Mac is over 10 years old and is at what Apple calls "End of Life". They no longer update things, like photoshop. Anyway. I looked at your image and your description. I was not sure what you were trying to focus on. It sounded like maybe the water. I like your crop and realize you had editing limitations. I thought I would put another spin on it and cropped to a square format and focused on the water. I punched up the contrast and all those other "secret" things (just kidding) I like to do. I wanted to give it sort of a Sepia feel and maybe an old feel so, in Photoghop I used a Look Up Table (LUT) that simulated old kodak film. Again, I think I liked your crop better, but there did not seem to me to be a central focus. Not that there always has to be.   Posted: 10/07/2024 03:11:32
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Julie Deer   Julie Deer
Thanks for your comments Don.   Posted: 10/13/2024 22:01:38



Henry Roberts   Henry Roberts
Julie, I like your post processing but I would be tempted to crop in a little on the billabong.

Don and Martin have more complete suggestions that are worthwhile.   Posted: 10/13/2024 15:46:01
Julie Deer   Julie Deer
Thanks Henry, I'll re look at the cropping.   Posted: 10/13/2024 22:02:10



Andrew Hersom   Andrew Hersom
Nice to capture something like this. Good to have some reflections in the water and an air of mystery in the depths on the right hand side. I agree needs a bit more vibrance; I would be tempted to take a sliver of the left hand side as its a bit empty, but that's just me. Not sure I would have taken the top off though.   Posted: 10/15/2024 10:43:58
Julie Deer   Julie Deer
Thanks Andrew, I will experiment with that left hand side.   Posted: 10/31/2024 02:11:46



Janice Solomon   Janice Solomon
Hi Julie, now I know what a Billabong is! :-) You have a nice triangle shape coming from the top right corner. The grass at the bottom left gives me a sense of scale since I'm not familiar with that type of landscape, but you could crop off a little of the left side and still leave some of that grass. I recommend bumping up the saturation or doing that magic that Martin recommended when you have Lightroom again. To add a place for the eye to rest on, you could highlight (lighten) a specific rock or tree, or the water. It'd be interesting to see what it would've looked like if you had gotten down low near the water's edge and taken the photo from there, so it'd feel like the viewer is right there, and to focus more on the water as the subject.   Posted: 10/17/2024 14:51:35
Julie Deer   Julie Deer
Hi Janice, Thank you for your interesting suggestions that I will play with. The rocks on the right were about 20 feet high.   Posted: 10/31/2024 02:13:27



Catherine Honigsberg   Catherine Honigsberg
I like the whole picture because it explains what you saw. It looks a little flat, but it still shows nice texture and the colors of the outback.   Posted: 10/23/2024 18:24:45