A Light Touch

hmmm, on 2nd and 3rd thought...

Makes sense. You guys have been hit so hard this year by winter. The light indeed adds a lot to this one. I don't see how it could all be sharp when viewed larger at f/6.3 though. I think you'd need more like f/13 or smaller aperture to pull that off.

While I'm still on here, thank you Marc. After looking at it again and looking at the specs, I did notice the BG is certainly not nearly as sharp as it should be but posted it anyway--great advice, thanks as always.

Bill, my recommendation is this. If you enjoy shooting landscapes, which you clearly do, I wouldn't even bother with a 6.3 aperture unless you absolutely have to have the speed for something and even then you have to pay ver close attention to the hyperfocal distance involved and it still may not work. In general, I would shoot at f/11 and smaller for 90% of scenes.

Thanks again Marc. Yes, for example, when shooting water I've been concentrating on the shutter speeds I wanted, and and then shot with whatever aperture is dialed up in shutter mode. And this was at full 55mm on the lens. Time to take the next step(s)...

While I like both images, the water in the re-post stands out a lot more. Probably because my eyes are not pulled to the brighter background. This is however a tough composition because of all of the quirky angles and lines.

Second version. The tighter comp focuses my attention on the water instead of the plants.

The second comp is more effective for sure Bill. The light on the top tier is lovely. Marc has some great advice there. Cheers

Bill,

Excellent job with the details, light, color and processing here. I really like the highlights in the upper cascade. Well seen.

I can see your attraction to the light and greens in the upper corner. However, at least for me, the viewer, it conflicts and detracts from the main subject. Or at a minimum competes. The water is so graceful and the light so sweet in the cascades so that's what I want to look at.

Having said that, I also like the inclusion of the top corner of the upper cascade. So perhaps a good compromise would be some selective darkening of the ULC, and I'll say it, cloning out the white spot - bird droppings?

You've got a great subject matter and hopefully this is a place you can return to in the spring.

Lon

Hi Lon, thank you for your comments, I value them highly. And thanks for picking up on the "white spot", darn birds are everywhere--except when I want them to be!!

As far as returning, yes, this is a place nearby... a very tiny section of it... that has become one of my favorite locations to shoot. Think I'll revisit the larger picture in M&N for a nice green, warm-weather thought, thanks again!