Twisted Cedars + crop

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 13, 2017317 views23 comments

I made this picture at Gooseberry Falls in Northern Minnesota where the Gooseberry River flows into Lake Superior just a short hike from this falls. There are three falls all pretty close together and this is the middle one. I shot the picture in the first light of the morning before anyone else was around, which is not always easy at Gooseberry. I posted a tighter comp of this place before but wanted to post this wider view as well. It is a great place to hike around and the water level was very low on this trip so I could get a few different looks from previous trips there. Large view included for much better look.
Canon 5D3, 24mm, ISO 100, F/16 with 0.6 sec. exp.

Comments

23 comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on March 13, 2017 at 1:38 PM

Real nice warm light and scene. I might be inclined to remove the cyan from the water and make it neutral, but my tastes tend to favor that more often than not. This definitely needs to be viewed large.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on March 13, 2017 at 2:17 PM

Sweet light on the leaves and roots! The light makes the right side eye-catching; I'd be tempted to play with a crop removing some of the right to increase that focus.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on March 13, 2017 at 2:23 PM

The spot of light on the cedars and their roots clinging to the rocks is very nice, Nick. The falls provide a beautiful background. I think the right side is a little dark and empty. I would entertain a crop to just inside the green bush. Sweet image as is.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on March 13, 2017 at 3:28 PM

Nick, I do recall a previous image from this location. It too was very nice indeed. This requires seeing the larger version to really get the impact overall. With that said, the light is what makes this one work so nicely. Seems to really bring the entire scene to life. Another very fine image from this area.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Moreau on March 13, 2017 at 4:16 PM

Gotta love those quiet moments before other people show up! I like the light and textures here, but I feel that the emptiness of the right detracts from the image. I could see a landscape 4x5 or even a square crop to put the emphasis on the tree, falls, and large rock.

Registered on April 21, 2015, 64 Posts, 584 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 13, 2017 at 4:29 PM

Thanks guys! I was thinking I wanted to show a little more of the surrounding landscape around the falls and cedars but maybe this crop does work better overall. I also removed some cyan from the water as Harley mentioned. Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions! Click image for larger view. Thanks, Nick

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

Comment posted by scott lanz on March 13, 2017 at 5:30 PM

Excellent image with nice light on interesting twisted cedars, Nick. This image would not be as captivating without the strangely twisted trunk on the far right cedar and the roots trailing down. I definitely prefer the repost. The original for me had too much empty space on the right. I could see cropping even a bit more, to almost where the foreground raised rock begins, but it's fine as is as well.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Rudy Ruberti on March 13, 2017 at 9:18 PM

Nice light and I like the texture of the volcanic rock in the large version. I also agree with cropping some off the right.

Registered on October 28, 2008, 179 Posts, 1875 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on March 13, 2017 at 9:22 PM

Nick, not sure which version I like best, both are very fine. Really like the light on the trees. Good job with the exposure and compositions. It is hard to get there without many people around. thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on March 13, 2017 at 9:25 PM

This is really compelling.The roots/rocks/creek with the light ray is really nice..

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on March 13, 2017 at 10:31 PM

Nick: I like your crop and could see being even more aggressive with it. The light on the falls and trees is the star of this show IMO and I don't think the shadowed right side is adding much if anything. Would really like to see some tight views of those trunks. >=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on March 14, 2017 at 12:55 AM

Nick,

This is lovely; the light is especially delicate and well handled. While I like the broader view, I think the cropped view really condenses this scene down to it's important elements - and that would be the light on the tree framing the bg cascade; and actually the third element of the rock "shelves," roots and light.

The large view is especially sweet. I would still favor the crop even after viewing full view.

Beautifully processed! Oh, I would agree with Harly on the cyan, but for me that seems to apply more to the smaller version than the larger view (go figure......)

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on March 14, 2017 at 4:56 AM

The lighting here really pulls me in. I can see how a slightly tighter view off the right might be a little stronger but the light sneaking in is very nice. Well processed.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on March 14, 2017 at 11:25 AM

My initial thought was to crop off some of the right but now that you've done it I feel that something was gained and something was lost. The repost is more focused on the subject but the original has a sense of a stream of light in a largely shadowed area and morning feeling is now diminished. So, both images are fine. It's just a question of what you're trying to say.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 14, 2017 at 12:55 PM

Thanks to all for your comments and suggestions on this! I like both versions of this but do feel most might prefer the crop version. For viewing on the web that may very well be the best way to go. If I printed this large I think I would prefer the wider view with the feel it has. Actually I did have a tighter shot of this printed at 24x36 on metal and sold two of them right away so I guess it worked well that way too. Thanks guys! Nick

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

Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on March 14, 2017 at 2:41 PM

Really nice, Nick. Lovely lighting and wonderful comp. I much prefer the tighter framing of the repost.

Registered on December 10, 2015, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on March 14, 2017 at 3:08 PM

Both are excellent, Nick. The water in the rp looks much nicer. The color across the board looks quite nice, too. Well done!
--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on March 15, 2017 at 11:34 AM

<div style="margin-left: 40px;">Nick, the light on the trees and their roots is great and the view of the falls through the trees works well also. The repost takes care of the blue in the water. I find myself liking the tight look that cropping almost to the leaves gives.</div>

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 15, 2017 at 3:36 PM

Dave, Preston and Mark, Thanks guys! It is good to get your thoughts on this. Thank you, Nick

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

Comment posted by Wayne Jones on March 15, 2017 at 6:55 PM

This is alll so gorgeous that I can see why you want to keep it all. I am enjoying the way the light is making the foreground glow against the flatly-lit background, like a classic landscape painting. I am a believer in the idea that really large prints work better with "expanded" views, too. But in a small format, I think that cropping works better because it maximizes the impact of the real star of the scene -- that beautiful light showing us the twisted tree trunks.

Registered on April 18, 2007, 953 Posts, 6435 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Richter on March 20, 2017 at 12:33 PM

Nick, the tighter crop indeed works better for me, too. I think there is still enough room left at the right to explore the surroundings. The light is wonderful in the foreground, and I enjoy switching between the trees and the falls. It is really interesting to me to have them as a background.

Peter

Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on March 21, 2017 at 12:35 PM

I think I'll back track on this and give my vote to the repost.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 22, 2017 at 1:33 PM

Thanks guys!
Igor, Think I might be leaning that way too. cool

Nick

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