River of Gold +alternate

Love the reflected light in this image, Lon. I would love to see more of that area on the top of the frame where the light is so rich. The simplicity of this image is what impresses me the most :)

Very beautiful image Lon. The smooth water in the bg from which the light reflects is highly appealing.  I admit that, perhaps, I would like the foreground area to be of the same type, i.e. the fg is a bit of a let down compared to the bg. But the different texture in the foreground is interesting enough, and I also like how the light reflects of the two nearest rocks, which compensates for the greyish water.

You are just knocking me out with this one Lon.  Perfectly placed boulders, just right shutter speed, and those wonderfully colored reflections.  Excellent!

Very nice, Lon. Well composed and otherwise captured for the light, the nicely spaced rocks, the water texture, and the nice diagonal flow. No suggestions. 

The light is quite beautiful but I prefer the previous image.  I think the foreground softness is a little distracting for me but just in the left lower corner.  I don't know if a crop would work because the remainder of the image is just fine.

Lon,
This is subtle but beautiful. The shutter speed you selected has given the water a dreamy quality without losing all texture (I like the softness)which contrasts well with the rocks. It looks a tad dark on my monitor so I might bump up the exposure slightly.  

I like this one more than the previous one with the stick. And I like the fg moving water than the gold reflections in the back. You have a great eye for spatial arrangement and this is a fine example of that. It could not have been cropped any better in my opinion. There is seldom an opportunity to make crop suggestions with your images. I find the LLC intriguing.

Lon this totally works. The fg softness is not an issue for me.

Your gold is spread throughout this view very well, Lon.  Your ss choice has smoothed the flow enough to let the reflection shine (pun intended) while keeping a fine bit of action in the water crossing that central rock.  For me, there's enough motion in the water up front to keep me from feeling like the softness is focus related.

Thanks for your comments and observations folks.  A number of comments motivated me to go back and work on this more. More room up top, a little too dark, and the foreground softness.

So actually I have many frames from this area, of course all very similar.  I recall taking 3 images in succession and thinking that I even focused on 3 different rocks for a potential focus stack.  Well, anyone doing these knows that anything moving in the frame you're just not going to be able to blend these very easily.  I tried....   Now I know better.

This is a different frame, processed from scratch.  I included more of the original foreground which I think has more texture and less of a feeling of softness (although DOF is an issue with this single frame, even at f/29)  I used a couplw of different Luminoairy masks (lights, midtones) as well as Tony's Lights Triple Play to eek out more texture and detail in the foreground water, as well as his Saturation masks and some selective burning.  For me, getting the colors right and believable is my biggest challenge.

I wonder if anyone prefers this version, and why or why not.  Thanks!

I much prefer the original Lon. The repost seems to have abandoned the blue light of dusk that I find so appealing in the original. I have no issue with the softness of the FG moving water either so it seems you are trying to fix a problem that most wouldn't notice if you hadn't pointed it out.

Hey Lon.  After studying both, I definitely prefer the alternate version because it's more open and has room to breathe, so to speak.  I think it flows better too (no pun intended).

Hi Lon, strange, but I prefer the original, although the repost makes the fg water less "different" from the bg, by leading into the scene less steeply, if that makes sense. But the original has the more intimate feel and being close to the light in the bg is an asset. I am not so much bothered by the soft fg anymore. Maybe, another suggestion is to lighten up the fg in the original composition?
I know, I am not of much help this time...

Lon, This is really nice. I love the comp / crop and the light is wonderful. Your shutter speed worked perfectly to capture the flow and golden reflections. I'm fine with the foreground water...actually I like it. 

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Thank you everyone for your comments and observations.  This particular image has had me spending more time on than any other single scene.  Turns out I have 3 different frames I've worked up; each one slightly different than the other.  I just may repost another version down the line, but for now will leave these alone for now.

I appreciate the feedback!

I prefer the original framing slightly. The gold in the second version seems to overpower the cool tones which find a better balance for me in the first.

I prefer the original, Lon.  The fg doesn't bother me and the comp draws me into the scene, love the rocks and bg reflection.  The repost has my eye walking all over the scene, I don't need to see any more of the fg; the original is all about the rocks and bg reflections.  For me, more is not always better.  Well done.