Emil Davidzuk
April 2026 - Tranquility
Original
About the Image(s)
This is an Infrared Image that I took at Babcock SP in West Virginia many years ago. I attended a workshop to photograph the Glade Creek mill. I arrived early so I took a few side trips to check out the area. This image sat until this year when I was scrolling through images and stumbled upon it and thought it had merit.
Workflow: I rendered the image in BW using NIK Silver Efex, a touch of Detail Extractor and then the masking tools in LR to dodge and burn the image. I cropped the image to a square format and then decided to remove the platform by the shore, it distracted from the tree reflections.
BTW: I submitted this image to an juried art in a local gallery and it was accepted. (46 out of 96 images submitted). It won first prize and $100 A first for me.
Camera: 590nm Canon 5D Mk II, Canon 24-105 f4 lens at 24mm, 1/160 sec atf8, ISO 200, 0EV
9 comments posted
Naturally, with photographs like this that truly appeal to me, I took the liberty of playing with it. I decided to try to place the emphasis on the tree at the "point" of the land. This entailed cropping out much of the reflection and modifying the lighting a bit in Camera Raw. Your thoughts?
Posted: 04/02/2026 22:06:17
Emphasizing the tree (or the 3 trees) on the point is an interesting idea and certainly draws the eye into the frame. I would like to dodge the foliage if am able, with the tree on the point being the lightest. I would like to keep the darker tone on the right side of the frame just to have some mystery.
Regards
Emil Posted: 04/03/2026 00:04:20
Simply brilliant!
Br, A Posted: 04/03/2026 12:52:05
Emil Posted: 04/04/2026 19:44:59
I am curious - did you win the contest with the original color image or the B&W? While both versions are impressive and outstanding I feel the original draws me in more ( maybe it's the crop ).
Cheers
Mike Posted: 04/03/2026 19:50:02
Thank you for your kind words
The BW
Emil Posted: 04/03/2026 20:43:31
Not much to say here as this is really a nice image. I like the symmetry with the reflection of the trees in the water, the glow of the sky and stillness of the water. A very peaceful and tranquil image. Thanks for sharing. Posted: 04/05/2026 12:13:19
I understand that much of the tranquility in the image is in the reflection but again tend to agree with Pete on the cropping. The monochrome you submitted is very moody but almost too balanced and as such as the viewer my eye tends to wander a bit. However, it's still a great image and I'm surprised you haven't won more firsts. Posted: 04/13/2026 19:43:18
Greetings my friend.
A lovely image with reflection and symmetry. The conversion works great as presented by Emil. Surely this would be prize winner at the very least. I simply loved the composition, moment it cross my eyes. Thank you for sharing. Nothng more to add. Though in Pete's version we see a little different as the lower reflection was cropped to give a different meanong for the image, but I go with the Emil's monochrome which gives a sense of balanced presentation.
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers.
Kamal. Posted: 04/15/2026 11:32:52