Poch Creek

Gallery: LandscapePosted May 23, 2010165 views11 comments

This has become my favorite local stream. Went twice as far as I had previously to find this scene. I found it interesting that the further upstream I went the less cluttered the banks were with branches and dead folige. By scaling the map it appears the stream is about 2.5 mile long flowing out of Poch Peak. I've probably explored a half mile so far at most. There's no trail and it's pretty tough going, but when the flow drops later this summer I'll hopefully be able to traverse its entire length.
I've been studying images of this type posted by others who have found the perfect balance (IMO) of capturing the details in the shadows whle still maintaining the the overall mood of a shady forest scene. Rick Lundh, Daniel Rappaport, and Paul Marcellini among others, seem to have it nailed.
The weather was gray with an ocassional drizzle. Cropped about 10% off the btm to remove a large unattractive rock. Still searching for that fine line between perfection and oversharpened. The bg seems a little soft in the original file. Thanks for looking, comments welcome.

D5000
24mm w/cp
f/14 @ 0.60 sec
ISO 100

Comments

11 comments

Comment posted by Mark Windom on May 23, 2010 at 3:31 PM

I like your composition, getting down low and emphasizing some of the FG rocks. I agree that the BG is a little soft....did you do any focus bracketing? I also might be tempted to increase the midtone contrast/brightness slightly. Gotta love the forest on a rainy day.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 176 Posts, 2302 Comments

Comment posted by Tyson Fisher on May 23, 2010 at 3:47 PM

What a beautiful stream. I bet you can't wait to explore the rest of it. I like pretty much everything about the comp except for the two large rocks in the lower left corner. I think cropping even more off the bottom - perhaps another 5-10% - would balance out the left side and create a more flowing comp. Looking forward to more from this place.

Registered on September 17, 2008, 44 Posts, 623 Comments

Comment posted by Benjamin Glatt on May 23, 2010 at 4:11 PM

A little off the top and you got a real winner. Nice job arranging this scene, I love the greens and the water. Great work, Bruce.

Registered on July 15, 2007, 171 Posts, 3566 Comments

Comment posted by Reno DiTullio on May 23, 2010 at 4:12 PM

Beautiful, nicely exposed, love the iridescent greens of the moss on the boulders, well done

Registered on November 14, 2003, 130 Posts, 1644 Comments

Comment posted by Dean Sauskojus on May 23, 2010 at 5:54 PM

Looks really good to me Bruce. I love all the greens with the white water flowing between them. The very background is slightly soft. You could do a little selective sharpening which would take care of that. Great image overall.

Registered on September 29, 2009, 137 Posts, 2659 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Marcellini on May 23, 2010 at 7:13 PM

Love those greens! I would say to just experiment for water texture. Bracket iso's and turning a polarizer to change shutter speeds and degree of polarization. I find that the water usually looks best only partially polarized, while the res tof the scene benefits from full polarization.

Registered on November 27, 2007, 250 Posts, 2468 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on May 23, 2010 at 7:48 PM

This looks like a great stream to photograph, Bruce. I like the angle and your comp here. A very pretty scene, and you did well with it. A little soft farther back as you mentioned. I like it! It will be fun to see more of your work from here.

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, Wi.

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on May 23, 2010 at 7:57 PM

Homerun Bruce. Awesome work! I agree with a slight crop in the fg suggestion and the background greens are a little oversaturated for my tastes, but that's a personal preference. Great work

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on May 23, 2010 at 8:41 PM

I think you nailed it too, Bruce. The shadows are full of texture and not at all blocked. Mid-tones and highlights look spot-on too. I don't see the need for a crop. I like this as is.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on May 24, 2010 at 7:56 AM

This is a beautiful scene. I like your comp and that you was getting low and included some of the fg rocks in your comp. I love the soft appealing water and the greens around it.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Roane on May 24, 2010 at 6:30 PM

Excellent comp and colors here, Bruce - Bravo!

Registered on December 12, 2008, 213 Posts, 2226 Comments