David Kepley
March 2025 - Frosty waterfall
Original
About the Image(s)
I took this shot on a very cold day a couple of months ago at Great Falls, VA. So, here is an exercise in trying to rescue a shot. It was overcast, but there was a lot more light on the scene than my camera cuold handle. I should have brought along my ND filters. Sigh. So, in the original the water is blown out, so can I rescue it? I sure tried!! What do you think? I also added some canvas to the top.
Settings: Canon R7, Tamron 70-200mm lens shot at 162mm, .4 sec, f32, iso 100, shot on a tripod. I used the usual LRC sliders and rendered it in B&W using silver effects pro.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted
Well, you managed to recover some detail in the water so that pretty much eliminates the blown out areas. However, for me, the tonal range is q bit limited and the image is very cluttered and just feels busy. The water shapes on the right and the mounds of snow visually look about the same. I also do not think that adding the canvas at the top helped, it just added to the busy feeling. Posted: 03/08/2025 14:38:21
I'm impressed that you were able to get detail out of that. My only criticism of the detail is that it looks "crunchy"- it should look smoother, silkier.
Compositionally, I think this would benefit from cropping in tighter to reduce the busy-ness that Larry referred to. There's a really nice flow and S curve to the water but it's a bit lost with all the other stuff surrounding it. Here's my idea about it. I'm thinking the color version might be more attractive too, since there's some nice shades of colors within the rocks that didn't translate in the b&w. Posted: 03/16/2025 18:36:27
Compositionally, I think this would benefit from cropping in tighter to reduce the busy-ness that Larry referred to. There's a really nice flow and S curve to the water but it's a bit lost with all the other stuff surrounding it. Here's my idea about it. I'm thinking the color version might be more attractive too, since there's some nice shades of colors within the rocks that didn't translate in the b&w. Posted: 03/16/2025 18:36:27
David, you took an image that was blown out and were able to define it's elements. My problem is there is no focal point. I see snow and rocks and water and, oh well. It does not move me. Sorry. Posted: 03/18/2025 15:33:45
First, I think you did a great job in recovering the blown-out whites. There is definitely more separation of the snow from the water. Me, the Queen of Blown-Out Whites, wishes she had that rescue talent :-)
I find that I was attracted most of all by the various swirls and directions of the water, and for that reason I like Cindy's cropped version, which focuses (no pun intended) on the most active part of your photo. It creates a dynamic focal point of the water, which isn't just flowing around the rocks but more like escaping from them. Posted: 03/20/2025 22:40:24
I find that I was attracted most of all by the various swirls and directions of the water, and for that reason I like Cindy's cropped version, which focuses (no pun intended) on the most active part of your photo. It creates a dynamic focal point of the water, which isn't just flowing around the rocks but more like escaping from them. Posted: 03/20/2025 22:40:24
I think you did a pretty good job of recovering the detail. As for cropping, I like the original better. Looks more balanced. Going B&W was the right thing to do. And the snow. That snow! This gives the image a better story. It's cold!! Posted: 03/26/2025 00:47:19
Kudos and going bxw, but the image is a bit busy and lacks a focal point, but I thought you did well in recovering lost detail Posted: 03/29/2025 22:28:10