Claypit Pond

Alberto,

I think I prefer your previous post - even though I carved it up pretty good with crop suggestions.  I think this one is just as chaotic, but also more random.  Nice reflections overall and on each side.  I like what's going on in the left half, but find the branches coming in from the right a little disconnected from the rest of the scene.

The large view makes a big difference and the details really shine here - which wasn't the case for me in your previous post.  but again, I would consider a crop.  I really like the left half and think a square crop could be quite good.

Next to rain forest images, these type scenes perhaps are one of the most difficult to pull good comps from.

Lon

For me this image is considerably better than the previous one. The fall color amid an overall cooler image just provides much more impact. There is so much to see here: the floating leaves on the water, the leaves that seem suspended upper right, the scraggly trees and branches in the upper left. There is incredible detail and luminosity in some of those leaves. 

I can see how this may be interpreted as too chaotic. I think that's subjective. This is not a very ordered composition but there is clear order here. There is horizontal separation. There are repetitive vertical trees, particularly in the reflections. The leaves on right form a shape. It's just that shapes and patterns overlay one another. Works for me, but as Harley says 'your mileage may vary'.

Igor, I agree, I like this one more than the first one, and I also agree that this type of images tend not to engender "grey" opinions, you either like them or you don't.

Lon, I agree, they are very difficult to pull successfully. The branch on the right is a big issue with me too. There was just no way of framing the image without the branches while not falling into the muddy pond. If I crop the branches I also crop the reflection, which I like. And if I try to clone it I don't like the artificial result. My thought processes laid bare 

Alberto, I think this does a good job of capturing how much life there is in the Eastern Forests.  The colored leaves and their reflection are a good focal point, but I also like the overhanging branch on the right and the mix of leaves and lily pads in the water.  The bare trees on the left seem a bit stark and crunchy, some burning-in might help.

This is definitely the case of not only "either you like it or not" but also which one do you like better.  For my money, I like this image better than the previous one.  The colors are different and I prefer the arc of the pond vs the 50/50 of the other image. My only suggestion would be to burn the brighter areas in the reflection so they are the same or darker than the actual forest. That stands out to me as visually improbable for some reason. I like the chaos here.