Fern & Spillway

[Stephen]

I'm struggling a bit for inspiration at the moment. I visited a reservoir above Marsden near Huddersfield the other day and only came away with 19 shots, most of which were pretty boring. However I picked this one out, no articulated screens or lying on my stomach for this one but it needed a bit of something else injecting into it and this is the outcome. All processed in LR3beta



Any comments are welcome

[Josh Bear]

Re: Fern & Spillway

The inspiration thing gets us all every so often. I know this as forum members have helped me understand this at certain points over the past few years.

As regards this picture. I do find it engaging. It is so sharp which helps grab my interest. Also the composition demands that you take time to look around the entire area to grasp what is going on. This also adds to the engagement.

Keep shooting and posting.

Best Regards

Josh

[Pops]

Re: Fern & Spillway

The processing gives it a whole lot of Ooooomph

[Barr1e]

Re: Fern & Spillway

The processing gives it a whole lot of Ooooomph

I agree Pops. Just a little too saturated for me, having said that I think it holds the attention of the viewer.

Cracking pic though.

Regards. Barr1e

[Horacio]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Hi Stphen, I agree with previous comments. Beautiful picture indeed. But I find that the whitish things (papers?) on the floor to the right of the image, are distracting and might be eliminated to be able to keep the attention in the center of the picture...Those things track my eyes to them. Regards, Horacio.

[Stephen]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Many thanks for the comments everyone, much appreciated. I wondered if someone would pick up on the 'litter', Its a fair point Horacio, suppose I should have shifted it at the time

[Caz]

Re: Fern & Spillway

With regard to the litter, I'm afraid that's the way it is in the countryside nowadays. I live on the edge of a village, and regularly have to patrol the hedge to remove unwanted paper, sandwich boxes and drinks cans thrown out from passing cars.

That being said, I don't think it detracts from what is a super image

[Josh Bear]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Hi

just a word on litter. I see people drop litter a least once a week, when did the keep Britain tidy campaign die out and why!

I was in London near the Eye about 8.00pm yesterday and it was like 100 bins had been tipped out and the contents kicked about. I was embarrassed to be British.

I think social responsibility should be taught in schools as some parents seem incapable and now we have a generation of people who don't give a monkeys!

Rant over I'll get off my soap box and retreat to the grumpy corner

Josh

[Autumn]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Nice composition Stephen, the eye is led right into the picture by the arch of the fern over a pond or water I think.

A pity about the paper, but you can PS it out. On my computer the greens look to be a bit oversaturated, in fact the foreground has a green tinge. The sky is beautiful.

Perhaps I need to calibrate my monitor.

[Stephen]

Re: Fern & Spillway

With regard to the litter, I'm afraid that's the way it is in the countryside nowadays. I live on the edge of a village, and regularly have to patrol the hedge to remove unwanted paper, sandwich boxes and drinks cans thrown out from passing cars.

That being said, I don't think it detracts from what is a super image

Thanks for your comments Caz, much appreciated, I agree with you about the litter problem too

[Stephen]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Nice composition Stephen, the eye is led right into the picture by the arch of the fern over a pond or water I think.

A pity about the paper, but you can PS it out. On my computer the greens look to be a bit oversaturated, in fact the foreground has a green tinge. The sky is beautiful.

Perhaps I need to calibrate my monitor.

Thanks Audrey, thats a small river at the bottom of the spillway. Not sure of my settings for the photo as I used my desktop machine and I'm using my laptop now, I'll check. Have to say though that there are times when a bit of more extreme processing helps the picture, and it was my intention from the outset to inject some 'attitude' into it

[Bear]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Sometimes Stephen a picture needs it, the greens are a little over-saturated on my calibrated monitor but that does nothing to detract from the image for me. The entire picture is about leading people into that dynamic sky and this you have done well.

[ash]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Hi Stephen, you should have popped in for a cuppa Im only down the road!
This to me looks far too overcooked, the greens are too green and what's the big stick of black? Also the white bits are anoying. I like the sky and the top half of the picture.
Not your best Im afraid!

[Stephen]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Thanks for your comments and opinions Bear & Ash
Bear, I think you have grasped what I'm trying to do with the picture, and definitely the original concept was one of leading the viewers eye, but the fern added some foreground interest. It's true the greens are greener, though infact I have not selectively enhanced them, its more a side effect of other settings. These are the LR settings and you will see that the Saturation slider is actually set at -17



Increasing Fill Light and Blacks has a more significant effect. Here is the original shot untreated, and you will notice the sky has no drama and is pretty flat, infact the rest of the image is pretty lacking.



The sky has been enhanced with the help of the adjustment brush and increasing Clarity, the setting you see above for clarity has been applied to the whole image. However this is a little trick I learnt for improving the shape and form of cloud.

Ash, I'm not sure what you are referring to when you mention a big stick of black. Maybe you mean the gap in the surface slabs

[ash]

Re: Fern & Spillway

Bottom left looks like a little step, I find it distracting, I like the folliage in the forground and the walls lead the eye into the valley, I think it would be better cloned out and then lose some of the unecessary slab at the bottom to pull the picture in a bit.
cheers
Ash.