Microcosm Of Solace/With Repost

Very nice scene and I like the how the green comes out through the water. I would suggest a slight crop off the bottom to remove the bright spot. Great detail in the large version, too. Well done, Chris.

Chris,

I can't believe I've never spotted this! You'll have to let me in on your little secret spot next year...

This is beautiful and honestly could rival some scenes we might expect from the PNW! Compositionally, I might agree with Rudy and try a small crop from the bottom. It's not that I find the whitewater at the bottom distracting per se, but I think a slightly shorter presentation just tightens up the comp nicely.

My only nit here is that this appears over sharpened to me. I've seen this with images like this with teenie details of moss on rocks, tiny leaves, grains in granite, etc., where these small details are prone to oversharpening. Not as apparent or much of an issue in the larger version. Oh, the other suggestion would be a slight reduction in overall brightness; but that is always a personal preference and so much dependent on monitors...

don't get me wrong, this is a beautiful image and would love to have this in my portfolio!

Lon

Chris,

I agree with Lon that this looks a tad bit oversharpened, which has the effect of dampening the richness of the color I'm sure is there in the original file. You might try cutting back on the sharpening by 1/3 and reposting to see the difference.

I agree with Lon, this looks like a scene right out of the Great PNW! What a wonderful find, very well captured in a great comp.

Definitely oversharpened, but the composition is awesome and I bet if you went back and reprocessed this it could end up being a killer shot. A tad bright, but that could just be me...

Thanks guys,
I agree about the sharpness, especially in the smaller version. I didn't think it was evident in the larger one. But, I have taken your suggestions, and reprocessed them both. In addition to reducing the sharpening, I also darkened it a little via a mid tone curve adjustment, and cropped a little off the bottom. Sorry I can't include a larger version here. I think all of the suggestions made an improvement??

Thanks,
Chris

Thanks,
Chris

Chris,

Nice job with the rework in all three areas, crop, brightness and sharpening; although from what I can see, I would say a sharpening version between the two. Still a beautiful image and location - can't believe this is in the Merced river canyon.

Lon

Hi Chris, this is super solidly made, actually very elegant and I really have no nits regarding the composition and the rework looks better. I am a bit torn on the overall idea or impact, but this is now entirely subjective: (I know you appreciate when I am honest). Your previous posts all really grabbed me aesthetically and emotionally. Really special and beautiful stuff. This one, while without flaws, does it just a little less for me. But having said that, this shows once again your very safe hand in making compositions that work, so it is just a matter of personal preference or that "magic" factor that is maybe not so easy to incorporate all the time. (I don't feel good now... )

Dietrich,
No problem, I think you got it about right. I can agree that there is not anything mind blowing about this image of cascades and moss covered rocks. But it is the cleanest, and freshest little scene like it that I have come across. So it's the best opportunity I have had to photograph this kind of scene so far. One day, if I ever get to the gorge, maybe I can do something better.

Thanks for the input, and I do appreciate your honesty.

Chris