calm stream

[johnsonM86]

ok i tried to post process these as well as i could with my somewhat limited PS skills. i actually did a little dodging and burning, which i dont normally do. i also added, what i consider, a lot of contrast. please let me know your thoughts on these 3 images.
thanks

-mike j-

btw- if you prefer black and white or think these might look better in black and white, i have a couple of them converted to BW and up on my site as well, at www.pbase.com/mikej86 in the recent uploads section.

[julies517]

the first two are alittle busy, but nice scenic shots. i like the third one best. the branches at the bottom are a little distracting but overall a nice shot, the blurred water looks great. oh, and by the way- i ordered my lensbaby last night- thanks for the inspiration

[VAtechtigger]

I would say Im a little torn on all of these shots. The 1st doesnt have much of interest for me, and Im not a fan of what looks like blurring in the forground. The scenery of the second doesnt do much for me, but the blurring of the water is great. The third has the best scene overall. For my taste since this is not a waterfall, or very fast mover I would like to see clearer/still water and more selective bluring where it hits the "rapids" I think I bit faster shutter here would help. Good shooting.

[limeyg]

I like # 2 & 3 but i find the shutter speed has been a little too slow and the water has lost all it's character. Blurring of the water is great for showing motion but a little more detail would be nice.
Geoff

[johnsonM86]

thanks for the comments/suggestions!



-mike j-

www.pbase.com/mikej86

[Hards80]

i think the background really let you down here.. the weeds give the shot almost too much context and thus the viewer is made aware of how small the stream is.. you know.. and the early winter colors being quite muted feeds into this leaving the scene looking rather dull.. the water blurring tries to add some dynamicism, but ultimately the background wins out and ruins this one..

-dustin

[johnsonM86]

love the way you guys talk about photographs. i could hear grenades goin off next to my head as you described the battle between the stream and the background dustin. lol. this was a rather dull scene which was why i was trying to jack the saturation, contrast, and hopefully the appeal up a little more. unfortunately i think i've just dressed an ugly girl up in a nice dress, only to be reminded she's still ugly, lol. hope i didn't offend anyone.



-mike j-

www.pbase.com/mikej86

[Aumma45]

Mike, there is so much crowding in those shots. The eye just wonders about. The eye needs to be led some where and I think when you look at any photo -generally speaking - this should come at the first instance.

[johnsonM86]

thanks for the help