Lake

Obviously please ignore the Photomatix watermarks, just playing around to see what I could do with it.

Thoughts on the overall image, editing, etc?

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …102004286@N05/9​788408353/

Photo is well balanced as far as tonal range is concerned (so good job done with photomatix).
The image itself lacks any drama, there are no clouds in the sky, appears the be shot around noon, composition a bit meh.... looks a bit like a snapshot really..

Sorry to be missing the clouds. I ordered big white puffies for that day but apparently I forget to cross a "t" on the purchase requisition. I also ordered two baby humpback whales to add drama but they cancelled last minute.

wow,not sure if that reply was nessasary,u asked for critique and u got it,thats why u posted in this section u wanted critique,im no profesional and im very new here but i have to agree,its a ncice shot and the processing looks clear and bright but hes right its a snapshot.

So in all seriousness what makes it a snapshot?

The image seems a bit snap-snotty to me. Portrait orientation does not feel like it works very well for this. I would try the same snot again in landscape orientation and do it later in the day. Use a small aperture and try to get a little bit slower shutter speed. That will cause a different effect in the water.

Northwoods Bill wrote in post #16305314
So in all seriousness what makes it a snapshot?

It is a snapshot because it looks a picture that could have been taken while walking past. A quick "oh look how pretty" then quick shot in auto mode. There is just not much creativity to make it much more than that. Not trying to be mean about this, just trying to offer ways to improve and make it better.

as mentioned im no profesional but to me the first reply was acurate,had the shot been earlier the lighting may not have been so harsh or later in day or early eve and as mentioned some clouds in the sky would have looked great and maybe even caused a reflection on the water which in my mind looks great,also had there been a child fishing or something on the dock would have given the drama mentioned above,as mentioned its a nice shot but yes a snapshot,

The sparkle in the water was intentional. I will be the first to admit that I wish there had been some clouds but there simply wasn't. The image was taken in the early afternoon which I generally try to avoid but again I wanted the sparkle.

The image has a foreground element of interest as well as a nice background. It was composed that way.

Processing looks relatively good, although contrast seems a bit high; wouldn't know it had been run through Pmx if not for the watermarks.

As for the shot itself, there just isn't anything of real, visual interest in the frame; no 'story', no real emotion elicited, etc. The colors are normal, but not very exciting; it just sort of looks like something someone walked by and snapped off with their cell phone.

Tmz_99 wrote in post #16305136
Photo is well balanced as far as tonal range is concerned (so good job done with photomatix).
The image itself lacks any drama, there are no clouds in the sky, appears the be shot around noon, composition a bit meh.... looks a bit like a snapshot really..

I am going to have to agree with this. From a technical perspective with regards to the exposure, there aren't really issues. But the composition itself is nothing special, and the time of day that the photo was taken is probably providing the least flattering kind of light you could get. You've also chosen a rather strange aspect ratio for your crop, which further creates unappealing tension with the elements in your image.

Making excuses and getting defensive isn't really the best way to respond to critique in a forum that's clearly labelled as such. I realise that receiving critique isn't always easy, but it's best to see critique as something positive to learn from as opposed to getting defensive. Sometimes something that moves you personally doesn't easily translate into a photo; I've no doubt you found this scene appealing, which is why you chose to shoot it. But what your eyes perceive as beautiful and what your camera captures tend to be somewhat different, especially since our eyes adjust to light very differently to a camera. This is why patience is so important in photography - because waiting for the right light is really essential when it comes to landscape photography. The "golden hours" are called that for a reason.

Northwoods Bill wrote in post #16305277
Sorry to be missing the clouds. I ordered big white puffies for that day but apparently I forget to cross a "t" on the purchase requisition. I also ordered two baby humpback whales to add drama but they cancelled last minute.

I thought this reply was funny....I think some took it another way.

I will add...
I feel there is to much blue in the image. blue sky, blue lake..even the trees have a bit of a blue hue to them.
To me...that's the problem that makes it look snapshotty. There is nothing there to define the image.

My 3 cents.
Perhaps if you shot it in landscape rather than portrait, it would of been more interesting. I would of moved to the right and tried to have more of the dock in the forefront, but from a angle. Also lower to the ground with emphasise on the dock.

Don't know if that would of been possible, but if so, that's how I would of approached it.

Unfortunately there was not room to move to the right. There was an ugly looking half fallen over grille to the right. I understand what everyone is saying about shooting during the golden hour but I like how the sun is playing off the water. I had also picked up on blue tinge in the trees (after posting) and I will watch for it in the final edit.

Even after reading everyone's thoughts and criticisms I am still drawn to this image so I am going to do a final edit for a keeper and call it a day.

Thanks to everyone for taking the time to look and respond.

Oh yeah, the comment about the clouds and whales was meant largely in jest but at the same time I think sometimes a scenic shot can stand on its own without something to add drama. When I look at this image I think what a great spot to spend an afternoon!

I understand everything you said, but look at it from the picture window of the viewer, who has not been there... We do not get the fact that its a beautiful place to spend an afternoon, perhaps having lunch at.. I bet we would all agree, if we had been there, knowing the entire surroundings, but we havn't, and we are drawing our conclusion from the image presented. So your persepective is an individual one from being there, its not universal, and that's ok to.

Something to ponder..