Critique Golitha Falls

[Kernowgirl]

Only have access to very basic edit at present, have tried to sharpen image but would welcome critique. Thanks

 

[Kodiak Qc]

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Most probably, Kerry, it's the shady stream with
the light sneaking in through the branches that
caught your eye.

Your rendition shows a much brighter scene, may-
be too bright. The charm, the mood are not there!

 

[Shirleyr]

I've seen rivers in Wales like this, all colours of green, shadows and still water, the sun filtering through. Moss on the boulders and the branches touching the water. The water bubbling into foam and then flowing on. I see it like it is, if you edit it then its not natural.

 

[abandonedbritain]

Is it a waterfall for ants? lol Quite an ordinary scene that seems to be slightly OOF (to my eyes). Might have been more interesting if you tried to get a different angle, lower down, twist your body to the right and get more stream in? I think you have a picture there but thats not the one unfortunately

 

[viv1969]

I've seen rivers in Wales like this, all colours of green, shadows and still water, the sun filtering through. Moss on the boulders and the branches touching the water. The water bubbling into foam and then flowing on. I see it like it is, if you edit it then its not natural.

Perhaps not, but competent editing can certainly improve the recorded image.

 

[Byker28i]

I remember these, a beautiful walk along the riverside path. A waterfall for ant's? well, it's got small drops, not huge waterfalls, but it's a lovely spot to walk along. There's offshoots, small islands, bits for the kids to jump over, some rocks as stepping stones, then the occasional small drop. In the sunshine and amongst the trees it's a really pleasent place to visit.

As a composition it's a bit boring. Usually I've seen these shot from below the slight drops so you're looking towards the waterfall. There's usually some mossy rocks you can get low on to add some forground interest. The highlights are blown and it's a bit green, but thats probably the time of year.

Thanks for invoking memories of our visit there

 

[viv1969]

I remember these, a beautiful walk along the riverside path. A waterfall for ant's? well, it's got small drops, not huge waterfalls, but it's a lovely spot to walk along. There's offshoots, small islands, bits for the kids to jump over, some rocks as stepping stones, then the occasional small drop. In the sunshine and amongst the trees it's a really pleasent place to visit.

Thanks for invoking memories of our visit there

Completely agree.
And if you're lucky, you might spot an otter or two.

 

[Kernowgirl]

I remember these, a beautiful walk along the riverside path. A waterfall for ant's? well, it's got small drops, not huge waterfalls, but it's a lovely spot to walk along. There's offshoots, small islands, bits for the kids to jump over, some rocks as stepping stones, then the occasional small drop. In the sunshine and amongst the trees it's a really pleasent place to visit.

As a composition it's a bit boring. Usually I've seen these shot from below the slight drops so you're looking towards the waterfall. There's usually some mossy rocks you can get low on to add some forground interest. The highlights are blown and it's a bit green, but thats probably the time of year.

Thanks for invoking memories of our visit there

We love it there especially with the the dog and all in a short drive too!
The shot is very green, there was no getting away from it, I have other shots from further down the river which have the rocks and moss, will look at posting one of those.

 

[odd jim]

I've seen rivers in Wales like this, all colours of green, shadows and still water, the sun filtering through. Moss on the boulders and the branches touching the water. The water bubbling into foam and then flowing on. I see it like it is, if you edit it then its not natural.

Can't say I agree with that last bit per se - by "editing" you can bring it back to what your eye saw, not as the camera saw it (the camera blows highlights and kills shadows and contrast, and decides its own colours), and therefore an 'edited' version may be more natural, as your eyes see it.

To the OP, I cant help but think it might have been better shot from the other direction with the water coming over the rocks towards the viewer. What equipment do you use (before I start talking about grad filters etc!)?

 

[Kernowgirl]

Can't say I agree with that last bit per se - by "editing" you can bring it back to what your eye saw, not as the camera saw it (the camera blows highlights and kills shadows and contrast, and decides its own colours), and therefore an 'edited' version may be more natural, as your eyes see it.

To the OP, I cant help but think it might have been better shot from the other direction with the water coming over the rocks towards the viewer. What equipment do you use (before I start talking about grad filters etc!)?

I have a lumix FZ45, shooting raw as no other equipment at that time, only have UV lens now. Just starting out, will be looking for recommendations about which equipment to prioritise.
Do have shots up stream, will sort out posting one for critique.

 

[odd jim]

I have a lumix FZ45, shooting raw as no other equipment at that time, only have UV lens now. Just starting out, will be looking for recommendations about which equipment to prioritise.
Do have shots up stream, will sort out posting one for critique.

First tip - bin the UV filter, it does nothing but will degrade the image quality!

 

[Nod]

Have to agree that rapids and turbulent water usually look better when looking upstream than down. Shooting that way might also keep the highlights under better control.

Kerry, next time (and I'm sure there are fairly frequent revisits!) try bracketing, either automatically if your camera can do it or by going to manual mode and using the camera's meter's suggestion as a baseline exposure, use a slower shutter speed (which will overexpose the scene) and a faster one (which will underexpose it.) Have a quick "chimp" at the rear screen to see the results and adjust the exposure to suit your taste.

Have to agree with Jim, don't use the UV filter! Back in film days they used to reduce haze but pretty much every digital camera has a built in filter somewhere that makes the screw on ones redundant.

These days, with digital, experimentation is pretty much free. Try loads of different settings and see what difference they make to the results. Try to get the result as close to what you want at the taking stage then gently tweak the results in post processing if necessary.

 

[Byker28i]

UV filters get sold as lens protection these days, but unless you're in a harsh environment I never use them. A circular polariser would be a good addition.

 

[aserota]

A bit of movement in the water using an ND filter would add more drama - I still think it's a nicely composed image though