Waterfall images, feels like I could have been more creative CC/suggestions please

[chuck]

So whilst walking the dogs me and my wife walked past a waterfall the other day and while the shots are fine for social media I can't help looking back at them and feel like It was a missed opportunity to be a bit more creative. My wife is supportive but in terms of direction and posing isn't all that comfortable in front of camera - any tips moving forward? Suggestions on what you have had success with in the past?

DSC02926 by hardaker44, on Flickr

DSC02937 by hardaker44, on Flickr



DSC02981 by hardaker44, on Flickr

Any input much appreciated.

 

[boogie man]

Shot 3 works the best for me. I would still crop the very top edge as the dark line of the waterfall is a bit distracting but otherwise it’s a good shot. Nicely composed, good depth of field choice.

Shot 1 doesn’t really work for me. There’s no real central point of focus for the viewer, maybe it would’ve worked better if both dogs were right in front of your wife. My eye keeps getting distracted to the left by the Frenchie.

I don’t know why your wife is uncomfortable by the way, she’s very photogenic, seems a good model and looks pretty relaxed in front of the camera even if she doesn’t feel it.

 

[chuck]

Thank you for the feedback, with the dogs I kinda take whatever I can get If I'm honest!
With shot 3 I was a little conflicted but intentionally left it in thinking that if the image was used stand alone that without the top of the waterfall in the frame it would be a little more difficult to determine the context. I know it's obvious as a 'set' so I guess I thought it's easier to take out than put in

I certainly feel like the location has more potential though.
I was lucky she agreed, she seems to like all my photos but avoids being in any of them. With no one around she didn't feel as conscious I guess.

 

[flycaster]

I'd opt for 2 and 3. You're better than you think you are!

Chuck

 

[toohuge]

Good effort OP.

You are right, this particular location probably does have more potential. This is a little tricky to get right, the water behind your subject here is a like one massive reflector - as such your subject is in the shadows - as is shown in image 3, where your subject is slightly underexposed imo. Additionally lighting would have helped here - or using different pp techniques to solve this issue. It's hard as you can easily blow the highlights in the water.

A slower shutter speed would have helped to blend the moving water more.

I like the look of image 1 the most - re. lighting of your subjects skin etc. I agree that the composition is a little off

 

[ancient_mariner]

On general photographic principles I'd say the background is distracting and messy in 1 and 2:

Image 1 the top of the waterfall is a line through your wife's head and there are lots of other distractions of colour and tone.

Image 2 my eye wants to travel to the point where the water comes together in a white flow and then follow that down and out of the image - there seems to be a person in a red dress distracting me from the main subject in the image!

Image 3 you have removed the key distractions (cropping as suggested would be even better) and the photo is now about your wife. It helps that she's neither grinning at a joke as in 1, nor looking bored as in 2, but has an interested smile and a sense of mystery from the sun glasses.

Unless you're going for an environmental portait with the sitter as part of the landscape (which these absolutely are not) then the background should not be allowed to distract from the sitter, and simpler is almost always better.

 

[chuck]

Very much appreciated, I will do some more reading up on environmental portraits, sadly I think I've fallen in the middle, I wanted the waterfall to add to the shots but it's seems as though the way I've gone about it makes the two subjects conflict rather than compliment eachother.