Dean Ginther
January 2025 - Frio River Sunset
Original
About the Image(s)
I took this image on a recent camping trip to Garner State Park, TX. The sun was setting over the rippling clear water of the Frio. I cropped in to emphasize the horizontal and vertical golden reflections. I applied some of the usual edits (contrast, clarity, and a bit of saturation) and a vignette. I used a relatively slow shutter speed to add softness to the water.
The camera was a Sony A7R5, f11, 1/15, 24 - 105 mm, ISO 400.
5 comments posted
Diana Edelman
The cropped version has the feel of an abstract and provides a much more interesting image than the original, and the deliberate choice of slow shutter speed for softness is effective. The colors are fairly muted for a sunset or even golden hour before sunset. I wonder what enhancing them more might produce in terms of something more vibrant and abstract, even though that would move the photo away from its original coloring in nature, if that is a desired aspect to maintain. I also wonder if a different crop might be played with. The second set of stones at the left edge are redundant, and odd numbers of items are better than even ones as a general rule of thumb. The vertical reflection line is right on the right third line but cropping in from the left to remove that group of stones would still leave the vertical off-center. The disadvantage in cropping further would be the loss of what looks almost like a hand on the left part of the horizontal reflection, above the stones. The reflection resembles a human stick figure, so if that is what is to be emphasized, maybe the "hand" should stay fully, although the suggested crop would still leave the feel of three fingers. Posted: 01/03/2025 17:05:24
Thanks for your comments Diana. There are many ways this image could have been cropped and I tried several. The one I ended up with isn't necessarily the "best" but it did allow me to emphasize the reflections and pattern which I thought were most interesting. The color is enhanced a bit but one has to be careful to not overdo those type of adjustments. I didn't see the human figure but I do now. Posted: 01/06/2025 23:30:24
Erin Lamb
It is difficult to get the right amount of saturation. I like the cropping you did, Dean. I especially like the feeling of liquid gold running through the image. As Diane pointed out, the image feels abstract but then you can see the rocks under the water which enhances the sense of two distinct layers keeping the viewer's interest. I would probably be quilty of overdoing the gold saturation! Posted: 01/19/2025 16:10:53
Thanks for your comments Erin. A little bit of saturation can have a big effect for sure. Posted: 01/19/2025 17:40:20
This is such an unusual photograph. I appreciate the simplity of it and understand keeping it muted, as that is what you saw and experienced. The natural blues and gold are so beautiful in it, and I would like to see a more saturated version to bring those way out more. Nice shot! Posted: 01/20/2025 20:43:22