Dead tree in a lake

[Kerrits]

Which do you prefer? B&W or colour?
Any other comments?
Shot with a polarizer, 450D and kit lens.

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp121/Carrottor/boommidreflectionBWsmall.jpg

http://i404.photobucket.com/albums/pp121/Carrottor/boommidreflectionkleursmall.jpg

[channyk]

I love mystery the b & w gives. The color seems too cheerful to me.

[usingthejohn]

The B&W looks much better. Great composition

[Nathan]

I think the tree is too centered and much of the frame is empty around the tree and its reflection

[dkord]

All those birds in the tree, too bad you couldn't shoot from a lower angle and crop tighter on the tree. To me the background distracts from the form of the branches and birds.

[td67mustang]

B & W

[darosk]

I think the b&w is better for this shot...

[patlannon]

All those birds in the tree, too bad you couldn't shoot from a lower angle and crop tighter on the tree. To me the background distracts from the form of the branches and birds.


Yes I agree with cropping for the branches and the birds. B/W does it for me.

[gmacmt]

I think it is a good picture. I would like it to focus a bit more on the subject though, so less distracting stuff on the sides. In order to accomplish this I would do a few things:

1. Reduce the aperture. Bring it down lower and blow out the background a bit. The texture on the hill distracts.

2. Change your angle. I would probable get a bit closer to the water. I could be completely wrong, but this photo looks like it was shot at about 5'5". It is the angle that everyone sees. Get lower down to the water.

3. Take ten steps to your right. If you cant, just move your camera. Dead center isnt ideal for this shot.

What you did right!
-Great exposure, nice sky.
-Good and contrasty black and white.
-You had the right idea with the image in the first place, it just needs a couple of tweaks. Great job!

[Cdeming]

I like the B&W better, but I agree with Reign and gmacmt, it's too centered.

[hecster]

B&W looks better for this shot.

[Kerrits]

Thanks for the comments!
I did take a couple of others with the tree moved more or less to the 3rd's intersections, but that just didnt look right.
Going back there in a month and a half, will see which of the suggestions I can incorporate.

Going lower is going to be hard, as its on a raised platform.

[SF Lights]

It looks good the way it is. I prefer the color version.

[JuiceBox]

I like the black and white much better. The conversion is good, and ditto on the composition; rule of thirds please :D.

[1shot4u]

B/W looks great

[Bill Boehme]

I applied some color filter effects before doing a B/W conversion to accentuate the clouds in the sky, darken the sky a bit, and also enhance the details on the opposite shore. Of course, in film photography, all of these color filters could not possibly have been used simultaneously, but with Photoshop ...

322265

As others have said, you should consider cropping the image to move the tree away from dead center, but I hate to crop any of the image. You could argue that you have legally complied with the "rule" of thirds by good placement of the horizon and that you are, therefore, released from any further obligation relating to any other "thirds" that might exist.

My rule is: don't let any rule cause you to pass up an opportunity for a shot that appeals to you.

[willblackwell]

B & W for me. And I agree on the centering.

[JuiceBox]

Cropping the image would, IMO, ruin it. Also, why does the black and white appear so noisy?

To take care of the composition issue, just reshoot it.

[Bill Boehme]

.....Also, why does the black and white appear so noisy?

I think that is just mainly the amount of jpg compression when the image was saved for the web. At least, that was my impression when working on the edit.

[Kerrits]

I think the noise came in while I was playing with the sliders in the BW conversion. And I think the ripples in the water makes the noise look worse.

While I was shooting this, I kept thinking that having some ground level fog would make for a great shot ...

[tonydee]

The black and white works well better because of three things:
- the background isn't interesting and B&W stops it becoming distracting,
- the dusty dry background colours and the unusually beautiful saturated blue in the lake just don't harmonise (to my eye),
- the sky is overexposed, which is more noticeable in colour

It's a real pity to waste that blue, but it's the lesser evil. There's a little bit of me that wants to see the background done in the B&W conversion with the colour left in the foreground, but that's too point-and-click gadget-y to be halfway credible, and I wouldn't admit to the instinct in public ;-P.

Look forward to seeing what you do next you visit.

FWIW, having a 30" 4MP monitor has its advantages: I can easily try cropping from the sides by dragging firefox right and left: you can lose quite a bit from either edge with only an improvement in the image (though more comfortably from the right). Still, I'd stop well short of the classic Line of Thirds placement... at approx. right edge of the bright cloud (and naturally its reflection in the water).

Cheers, Tony

[Kerrits]

After visiting it again, this is what I came up with. Still not the "perfect" shot, but I think a step in the right direction. I have no idea why I didnt get one with a decent reflection this time. (apart from me playing with the CPL too much and not taking one without it.)

1. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/3232051204_8acb38e54d_o.jpg

2. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3105/3232051096_75759dd423_o.jpg

3. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3087/3232050980_72449c9a57_o.jpg

[Carerra]

colour for me

[tonydee]

Very, very nice. I'd be delighted with colour or the B&W conversion if I were you. Top two trump the very last one in my mind, as the former has more detail to satisfy the viewer, and approximates Rule of Thirds placements for foreground, lake, sky. Cheers, Tony

[LeuceDeuce]

After visiting it again, this is what I came up with. Still not the "perfect" shot, but I think a step in the right direction. I have no idea why I didnt get one with a decent reflection this time. (apart from me playing with the CPL too much and not taking one without it.)


Not diggin the harsh light on the tree. A different time of day would be a big help for you.

Edit: I also think you're trying to make the tree the subject of the shot, yet you're framing it so it's a weaker player in a larger landscape shot. It's too far away to really be considered an interesting foreground element of a landscape image. Yes you used the rule of thirds on the waterline, but it's not enough. The tree has to be a bigger player in the frame so do what you can to get closer to it; longer lens or canoe. There's definate potential here.

As for why you didn't get a good reflection? Yeah that's exactly what the CPL does... eliminates (greatly reduces) the reflections on non-metallic surfaces. If reflections on water are your goal, ditch the CPL.

[vpnd]

black and white

[dpark]

After visiting it again, this is what I came up with. Still not the "perfect" shot, but I think a step in the right direction. I have no idea why I didnt get one with a decent reflection this time. (apart from me playing with the CPL too much and not taking one without it.)
Number 1. I think it's better than the BW conversion and the other color. The conversion to BW just makes it harder to see the details you captured. Number 3 loses the underwater detail as well, and the weeds at the bottom of the frame seem out of place. All three are better than the first two shots.

I really like #1. It's a nice shot.

[Kerrits]

Thanks again for all the feedback.
The "I dont know why I didnte get the reflection" was more meant as "why didnt I try to get it". I only realised that I have no reflection shots when I got back to the PC.

Anyway, Im glad that you all think that these turned out better than the first ones. That means I am at least moving in the right direction. :p
I still think there's a better shot in that tree somewhere. Looks like I will have to go back again to try and find it!

Its hard framing it tighter to make the tree the centre as this is in a hide in a game reserve, so I cant really get it from a higher, lower or other perspective. The tighter crops of these images didnt really do it for me, but I will revist them and see if I can maybe make something out of the shots I got.

[dpark]

Thanks again for all the feedback.
The "I dont know why I didnte get the reflection" was more meant as "why didnt I try to get it". I only realised that I have no reflection shots when I got back to the PC.
For the record, I think the images without the heavy reflection are nicer. With the strong reflection, you lose all the underwater detail, and in its place, you get a mottled surface that's neither texturally interesting nor serenely smooth. I suppose it's all subjective, though. :)