El Manto, Mexico - Secret Waterfall Entrance. Feeeeed me your feeeeedback

I love this photo and hold it dear. Now tear it apart and burn me in the fire of your knowledge so I may be re-born a better and humbler photographer.

Or yah know, some specific constructive feedback would be nice.

beautiful spot, well worth returning to over and over.

I like the photo overall.

My hang up is ---- what is the subject? it's a bit busy... well done to have everything in focus, but it also makes it a bit busy for me. I love the yellow pop in the center.. but then the purple drags me over to the right.. then the smoothness of the water.. then the feet/legs/person on the bridge doesn't fit well..then the green tree seems over saturated and drags me there.

so lots of competition for my attention.

Now, if you stuck a pretty gal in a long yellow dress right at the rocks under the words.. I'd think you'd have balance, and an obvious subject.

All JMHO.. this is always subjective.

Busy is not always bad. You did a great job finding some really special light at this spot.
I agree with ksbal about needing a focus; but rather than a girl in a yellow dress -- a nude on the bridge or in the stream would really rock!
Barring that, you might selectively desaturate the green foliage and see how that feels.

It's an interesting location.

The blurry people kills this shot for me. Also the printing. I would have waited for people not to be in the picture and cloned out the printing. What is the source of the yellow? It doesn't look natural. Did you boost the saturation?

So I used to be an anti-peoplxist in my photos.... that's kinda the norm. But then I had a change of heart....there are very few shots that haven't been done before, so how do you do something unique with them. I mean, a picture at arches, seen it, done it... so I am not against adding something into the image to make it say something new. In particular, people add scale. So on principle I actually like/prefer people in images now.

Are these the best captures of people.... not sure. For the most part yes. I guess I would like them a smidge more identifiable. The person in the lead is particularly faint. But I like it in that it gives the image a subject. It's a balance of having the people compliment the image without becoming the subject of the image.

The only thing that stands out to me that says "hey.... My colors have been jacked up" is the green in the plant above. If those greens could be brought down just a smidge.... or something. The green almost goes to blown in a couple of places. Not sure. Almost match more the leaves in the lower right corner in the water? I only say this stuff - and yes - it is a nit - because I think you can handle the subtle nuances.

A lot of it could just be the medium (screen) that causing that effect.... I am sure printed it is gorgeous.

Geat recommendations everyone! I have a lot to think about! It is super important to think about what parts of the photo draw the eyes and then adjust compositions to reflect that. Thanks for the feedback! Maybe I can go back and fix some of that in processing.

The main subject I wanted to be the person, but you can't really see the sign that says "prohibited to pass" in Spanish. I was going for a stepping off of the beaten path and having the person symbolizing the breaking of some rules to explore. Maybe I could focus that with hedging it so it is clearer.

I brought up the green to emphasize it in the rocks below but it made the tree look fake. as for the yellow, there is some sunlight shining through the canyon back there that gave it that effect. Did increase the saturation a bit though.

Let me take these ideas and rework it.

Also, I was travelling alone so I had no one to pose as a subject. I used the blur to hide the identity of a stranger.

Any recommendations for taking photos with people as subjects when travelling alone?

BokehBender wrote in post #18670665
Also, I was travelling alone so I had no one to pose as a subject. I used the blur to hide the identity of a stranger.

Any recommendations for taking photos with people as subjects when travelling alone?

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It is ok to have a stranger be identifiable in your photo, even if you post it to the internet. . There are no laws against that or anything. . If the person was in a public place or you could see the person from a public space, then they do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy.

Why is it that you thought her identity should be hidden?

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The reason is that when I moved from Mexico to Canada I did some research on photo regulations in Mexico and its ok to take photos of people in public but posting them or using them for commercial purposes is not allowed without their permission. I didn't want to limit my options. Also, I need to get over that fear of taking photos of strangers in general. Thats definitely a factor.

Also, on a side note, I freakin love the blurred walking person in this photo haha but I understand if I am going for a highly professional scenic photo that it does take something away from it.

I quite like the image, overall; the blurred person kills it for me, also. I think it's the 'way' they're blurred, ghosting halfway across the plank; I think if they'd been *just* slightly blurred, *really* blurred all the way across, I'd feel different. As it is, it seems more like a bad photobomb rather than intentionally included in the frame.

Cropped it in to focus and removed the person and text. Better? Are you entertained?? haha

BokehBender wrote in post #18670703
Cropped it in to focus and removed the person and text. Better? Are you entertained?? haha

Hosted photo: posted by BokehBender in
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forum: Critique Corner

To me, it still looks "busy". . Extremely busy.

By this I mean that there is contrast in many different spots all over the frame. . There is no place that my eye naturally falls to; no particular point of interest, or "focal point", as some call it. . Also, the colors of the green leaves and the yellow area don't seem to fit in with the overall color palette of the image. . There is just a whole lot of color and a whole lot of contrast all over the place ..... kind of like a kaleidoscope.

However, you have said that you really love the photo, so what works for me and what works for you are very different things. . I guess it is hard to give critique if so much is in the eye of the beholder. . All I can do is to say how I feel about the image, knowing that others may feel very differently.


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BokehBender wrote in post #18670086
I love this photo and hold it dear.

BokehBender wrote in post #18670681
Also, on a side note, I freakin love the blurred walking person in this photo . . .

You have clearly expressed a love for this photo. . That is good! . It is important to know what one likes.

Now for the hard part - figuring out just what it is that you like about it. . What is it that makes you like this photo so much? . I think that if you can identify exactly what it is that you like, then you will know what moves you as a photographer. . You will have a clearer idea of what you want to express with your imagery. . And that will help you to eliminate the other things in an image - the things that detract or distract you from the thing that you are trying to express.

Having something to express, and then figuring out how to effectively express it - is the foundation upon which you can develop your personal style - your way of seeing. . It is also the foundation upon which each and every image you take can be built.

You were on to something when you said how you wanted to show the sign, and then show someone breaking the rules. . If this is what you wanted to express with this photo, then ask yourself, "How do I best express that one concept?"

I think that if your goal was to express the rule breaker, then maybe getting closer to the sign and the girl would have helped you to express that more clearly. . Showing so much context - so much space all around the sign and the girl - is somewhat distracting, as all of that doesn't help the viewer to zero in on the very thing that you wanted to express, the story that you wanted to tell.


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"...Take photos of people in public but posting them or using them for commercial purposes is not allowed without their permission...."

Europe is also becoming this way as well. Caution is always a good idea.

And again, for me, I don't like the person-less image more. It's a beautiful image. I could see it on your wall as a trophy of some travels you did. It's very well executed. There just isn't a story there any more.... it doesn't have any leaders to scale.

From a technical standpoint.... great. From a story standpoint... it lost something to me. But I fully get that I am an outlier here. It's a beautiful image.

Well taken, OK picture. It just not my forte. As Winogrand used to say - "no drama".

https://cippic.ca …hotography_Law#​distribute
Basically, while Winogrand, Maier are exposed in Canadian galleries, they are not allowed to take pictures of public in public for distribution anymore. Some kind of hypocrisy here. Promoting genre and not allowing it by same time.

To me as person who admires Winogrand work and escaped from the dark side, the 1984 is double trouble.

Yet, some sparks of common sense are still in the air.
https://humanrights.fi​ndlaw.ca …-take-pictures-in-public/