Two NC Waterfalls

I personally really like these shots, but I'd like honest opinions from others. Comment on anything, but I'm especially curious on the processing as I tried some techniques I don't normally do. I'm going for a more dreamy feel. Does it work?

#1 Falls on Middle Prong (Great Smoky Mountain National Park) - This one was special to me. I was on a trip with other photogs spring of last year, we had just left the river. We saw this and pulled over, and it was POURING rain. Our guide said yea so, most stayed in the car while a few of us gathered our gear and walked up the bank and shot. I really learned not to be afraid of rain, and do what it takes to get the shot you want. I'm trying to convey what I felt that day. And honestly I didn't touch the greens much.

IMAGE LINK: http://www.dmallenartw​orks.com/waterfalls/e7​485cb82

IMAGE LINK: http://www.dmallenartw​orks.com/waterfalls/e7​5af3f62

I looked at these images and then on my white wall. The wall appeared green.

Ya walked up to the bank and, bang, took the shots and wonder what you might have done better...dah
You might have tried working the shot a bit more...https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=G3y94C4CEwE

With respect, your comment isn't very helpful. On the first shot it was pouring rain as I said, and I didn't have proper rain cover gear for my camera so I tried to get a good shot and run to cover. For #2, it's shot from a fixed raised bridge position, all you can do is walk left and right slightly. It sits way back in trees and cover, and over a narrow slot where its visible. I want to take the time to hike to it to get a better, but I know how to work the shot and did my best given my limitations. Anyway, thanks.

I have a rule...if the shot is worth taking, it deserves some thought.

I really like these and looking forward to camping in the Smokies hopefully next year.

The first one I like. I am thinking if it was possible getting a little lower would have been better - closer to the water, and and looking up a bit at the waterfall. In the second one, the stream kind of vanishes into the bushes, so I don't think that really works. Plenty of scenes look cool but can't be turned into a satisfactory photographs.

(try to ignore chauncey, he's pretty much like that with everyone)

I'm not sure what you used for the PP but I would try toning it down. It looks excessively green and warm to the point I look at it and it starts to burn my eyes (exaggerated) lol. By toning it down or fixing the WB it should bring out some of the other colors in the scene.

For the second shot I would crop some of the left and top out, more so the left. It should make the waterfall a bit more notable as it is currently tucked away in the distance surrounded by a huge green border as the stream is interrupted at the bottom.

The images are well exposed and the shutter speed was good for smoothing the water.

It's clear what the subject is - the waterfalls. The rest of the composition is very detailed - but I think since there aren't a multitude of colors, it doesn't overwhelm the waterfalls.

The almost horizontal log about 1/3 from the top left on #1 is a little too dominant. It seems to be pulling my focus there. I think it would look better if you cropped some out - keep the two trees in the foreground, but crop just to the left of them. The log will be smaller and won't have as much visual weight.

I'd play around with cropping #2 a little tighter to the waterfall and creek - see if that works better.

I do agree with the previous comment on toning down the greens. I think making it less intense with less luminance will make the images more pleasing. (They almost look like they could glow in the dark.)

Yea I kinda did that on purpose, going for like a dreamy effect of sorts. But ok, I hear everyone, I will pull it back and play with some cropping on #2 and repost. On #1 I liked the balance of the log on left and fall on right, but I see your point. These aren't my best shots but I wondered what others thought of the processing (playing with new techniques). I took some basic LR processing into PS and did a lot to them. Thanks!

Ok here you go, see if these are better. These are pretty much out of camera, just some standard LR vibrance about +15 or so, no saturation boost, contrast, etc.

#1

IMAGE LINK: http://www.dmallenartw​orks.com/photos/waterf​alls/efae0c04

IMAGE LINK: http://www.dmallenartw​orks.com/photos/waterf​alls/e1cabfca2

IMAGE LINK: http://www.dmallenartw​orks.com/photos/waterf​alls/e1c304332

chauncey wrote in post #18110062
Ya walked up to the bank and, bang, took the shots and wonder what you might have done better...dah
You might have tried working the shot a bit more...https://www.youtube.co​m/watch?v=G3y94C4CEwE

chauncey wrote in post #18110252
I have a rule...if the shot is worth taking, it deserves some thought.

It seems to me that the OP did give this shot some thought. He explained that he was in a car with others, saw this scene, and had the presence of mind to anticipate a good shot. He got out and walked up the bank to get the right perspective. That is giving some thought. He could have shot from the car window without thinking. Your supercilious advice points the OP to a video about a guy taking pictures of railroad cars on a flat field with repeating shapes and lines who had complete 360 degree freedom on level ground to roam and compose as he pleases. The OP had no such freedom. If a critique is worth giving, it deserves some thought.

OP, Backing off the saturation did improve your shots. I think you have some wall-hangers here. Nice work.

Photoguy,

I like the nearly overdone greens for the very reason you did it originally. I do the same thing sometimes.

I lived in Hendersonville for many years and still get back to western NC every few years. One of my favorite things to do is hike into the mountains to remote waterfalls.....and there are plenty of them.

You've got some nice ones on your Flickr page.

Don't know if you've ever done it but Courthouse falls is pretty remote and well worth the work to get to it.

I'm glad you got out of the car and braved the rain. For me I sometimes think about the shots I missed because I didn't put in the extra effort more than I think about the shots I nailed.

I think the composition of the first shot works as it is. Too often I see waterfall shots that have no context, it's just a shot of the waterfall itself with none of the environment included. Those types of shots lack depth as there is no natural path for the eye to take through the photo. For that you need to include, as you did, the environment that the waterfall is in. However, as is often the case in waterfall shots, you are shooting in flat light with lots of foliage that makes for a very "busy" scene . When all of the foliage is receiving very flat light so that it is all evenly lit the eye doesn't know where to go and bounces back and forth all over the frame. I think that is the case in your shot.

For these types of photos I like to "simplify" the scene first by darkening it in RAW with the ultimate goal of shaping the light to create a path for the eye to take through the photo. By first darkening it you create a canvas on which you will paint your light and you also remove a lot of the distractions that the busy scene inherently has.

Each photo is different, but in general for these types of forest waterfall shots I would first decrease the exposure in RAW until it looks even a bit overly dark. After taking it into PS I create a path for the eye to travel through the photo. In your photo that would be by dodging the waterfall and the area on either side of it. This is of course a broad oversimplification but I think it gets home the general point.

There is only so much you can do with a jpeg but below was my stab at doing that with your photo. I hope you don't mind but if you do let me know and I will remove it. There was a strong green color cast which I removed/balanced with a green curves layer and a color balance layer. I found that the reddish brown color of the dead leaves and their overly bright appearance distracting so I cooled them with a photo filter adj later, darkened them and decreased their saturation with a Hue/Sat adj layer. The greens in the leaves looked overly punchy so I decreased the green saturation with an adj layer.

Then it was all about shaping the light with some dodging and burning, trying to keep the focus on the waterfall and away from the edges of the photo. I also added a tiny bit of a bright blur to the very top of the photo in the center. The edits can be more easily seen by clicking the little eyeglasses on the top right of the photo to view it on a dark background.

I think you have a really nice composition here.

That's a nice edit and a very thoughtful critique.