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Morkel Erasmus
12-13-2010, 04:16 PM
This image was created in August 2010 in the Giant's Castle region of the South African Drakensberg mountains.

All comments most welcome!

Techs:
Canon 7D with 10-22mm USM
f22 @ ISO-100
Blend of 3 exposures using Luminosity Masks in CS5

ken dyball
12-13-2010, 06:26 PM
Morkel, this is very nice, love the warm feel & the 1/2 covered wet rock really gives this image a lot of interest, well done
:cheers: Ken

Dave Mills
12-14-2010, 12:34 AM
Hi Morkel, You posted a similar image of this awhile back and I believe it was a tighter comp. In this comp you framed the bottom with the rocks which added another element. I feel it works but I lean towards favoring the tighter comp which I believe is stronger.
I might suggest your signature be smaller and placed where it's not quite so dominant...

Robert Amoruso
12-14-2010, 07:34 AM
I am with Ken on this one Morkel, I like how the FG is framed with the rocks. I would try for a deeper blue in the sky.

Roman Kurywczak
12-14-2010, 09:52 AM
Hey Morkel,
I was originally leaning with Dave on the tighter version.....the more I look at it though I do love the framing rocks. I wonder if lightening the LH dark one and the ones in the water a touch will help put this one above the tighter one. Something to explore. I think a few small tweaks will make this one shine!

Morkel Erasmus
12-14-2010, 04:23 PM
thanks for the kind comments guys...

I actually posted a landscape-oriented version and not a tighter one earlier...

Jay Gould
12-14-2010, 04:31 PM
I thought I recognized this scene - Mountain Streams: http://www.birdphotographers.net/forums/showthread.php?73054-Mountain-Stream-Drakensberg-South-Africa&highlight=Drakensberg

From Dave's comments is there a third tighter comp of the same images?

I know you are not asking for a comparison :o; I will give it anyway :p

Mountain streams pops and shines; this image is very subdued in comparison.

First, I think you need to clean up the area above the rock on the LHS. The brush is neither in nor out of the image and it looks dirty.

Second, I agree on the signature. In this image I would put it in the LLC so that it is not obtrusive. It does remind me that I have to include a signature in my images - so much to remember.

Third, I am reading Moose Peterson's new book: Captured - great book in a very interesting style. In it he talks about using light to grab the viewer's eye. You have three light spots that grab my eye almost simultaneously: the waterfall, the light grass above the waterfall, and the half wet rock in the foreground.

I would crop out the dry portion of the wet-dry rock; it is competing with waterfall which is beautiful. That does create the issue of putting the waterfall in the center; however I think it is OK because it is significantly to the right on the center line.

Dave Mills
12-14-2010, 05:07 PM
Hi, Jay's link was the image I was referring to. I meant there was a tighter view of the falls in the first post which I felt was stronger. In the other image there was more room on the rt which better balanced the image.
I don't usually refer to past images but I liked the previous image and felt this wasn't as strong...

Andrew McLachlan
12-14-2010, 08:35 PM
Morkel, I like this comp and how the rocks are framing the small cascade. I agree with Jay that the half wet rock is a tad distracting. I probably would have splashed some water over the foreground rocks to even out the wetness of them. Also agree with Robert on darkening the sky a little too.

Gerald_Gilligan
12-17-2010, 02:52 AM
Morkel,
I could go either way with the lower right rock, either half wet or completely wet. I really like the rock on the middle left and how it leads my eye through the cascade and to the flat water reflection...I would like to see the tree and shrubs just behind this rock emphasized and sharpened a bit to lead my eye through to the brighter brush to the right and up to a darkened sky.

To me all of the elements are here and what a great job blending three images together...

Jerry

Morkel Erasmus
12-19-2010, 12:47 PM
thanks for viewing and commenting Dave, Gerald & Andrew...

Jay - I will have to check out that book from Moose...I don't like cloning in images like these so will refrain from that :).