After the Storm

[Ed Vatza]

After three days of rain, the streams around here were running high and dirty. The skies cleared today and the water levels started to drop back. I stopped by my local stream and shot a few images just before dark. The water was still churning and off-color so after just three images, I packed it in. But once I got home, I went to work with what I had.

The image was made with a Canon 30D and 50mm f/1.8 (Nifty Fifty) lens, tripod-mounted.

5.0 sec @ f/22; ISO 100; +2/3 EV

Processed with Nik Viveza 2.0, Topaz Adjust 4.0, Topaz Simplify 2.0 (starting with the oil painting preset) and Nik Sharpener Pro 3.0.

I took a little creative license! :D

[denise ippolito]

Ed, Nice colors and the effect applied looks nice. I'm back and forth about the comp.

[Paul Lagasi]

I like the water, I think it would work by itself...no shoreline. I find some of these images are works in progress, a few little tweeks can really make a difference....TFS

[Christopher Miller]

Hi Ed, Up here it's been raining almost constantly the last few days too. So nice to see the sun today! :)

I'm with Paul on liking the water and wanting to lose the shoreline. I don't like though that would leave next to no room between the froth and the top of the image. Maybe cropping out the shoreline and then adding more canvas on top would work. The image does have a very nice feel to it.

[Kerry Perkins]

Ed, I like this as presented and would also like it if a bit were taken from the bottom. I think you need the shoreline (and the tree) to explain the big shadow of the tree. Also, I just like the contrasting colors. This is one of my favorite looks in Simplify.

[Ed Vatza]

Thanks folks.

I too puzzled over the crop which I have already done here. I started by cropping a slice off the left side because there was some junk there that I wanted out of the image. I could have cloned but there was a bit much for that. Then when I looked at the image, I felt there was too much dead water area at the bottom so i decided to crop up a bit. That was when I started playing with how much to crop and whether to crop out the shoreline at the top. To my eye, it just didn't look right as all water. It seemed to need something (the shoreline) to anchor things. So to make a long story short, I ended up with this crop which brought it up from the bottom and left the shoreline intact.

[Mark Fuge]

Nice image and application, Ed.

I like the comp, with the bank. I see the bottom “still water”, the center “rough water” and the top bank, dividing the image. I might evict the branch on the left if it were mine, but like the image as otherwise presented. If I did anything to the image, I might have left a little more bank area on the top. But it is not the theme, as you note it. But having a minor element of the bank just stabilizes the top. I think the water alone would lose the intent as you note it. It would make it look like flood waters or ocean waves. The bank adds dimension and place to the image, in my view. But …

Your image, your vision.

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I like it as presented and the tones in the water are beautiful. Just might clone ou the bright twigs left and right if you are so inclined.