Finally got out to shoot something for myself today. there was a short break in the rain today, so i drove over to jay Cooke state park, hiked down to my favorite spot and shot this.

Rip it, Like it, Hate it, etc...



An Edit for the Dodge the left side and brighten the upper portion guys

nice dude, I like it. My only crit would be I'd like to see something closer on the rock on the right with the biggest flow over it?

those rocks aren't a billion years old. 900 million maybe. definitely not a billion.

I personally find the grad line to be too obvious/distracting in this one, but I generally suck at placing grad lines and you don't, FWIW. This shot is really close to clicking for me, but doesn't quite, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

Originally Posted by Markitos

I personally find the grad line to be too obvious/distracting in this one, but I generally suck at placing grad lines and you don't, FWIW. This shot is really close to clicking for me, but doesn't quite, and I can't quite put my finger on it.

Interesting statements. I think the Soft Edge grad lines are faint. Where are you seeing the line?

IMO its not about the placement here but the fact that the water is brighter than the sky. It doesn't look balanced to me.

The drama in the sky is f'ing radical!, though! The comp is good, too.

Originally Posted by thomps6s

Interesting statements. I think the Soft Edge grad lines are faint. Where are you seeing the line?

The whole left side of the trees in the frame seem a bit dark, and just where the trees meet the sky, the first row of trees looks darker than the rest, and it appears almost linear. It's not that there's much of a line there, but in this shot more than most, I feel like I can "see" the grad line--I know I'm not describing this very well. I'm guessing your grad line follows the angle of the trees, with just a little overlap from the sky. If I'm not right, then I'm just seeing things.

I'll have to re-process it and see what comes of it.

i see what mark sees. left side too dark. half stop or so. maybe bump up in post?

I like it!

Originally Posted by case sensitive

those rocks aren't a billion years old. 900 million maybe. definitely not a billion.

exactly what i was thinking. people will claim just about anything these days

I don't notice (or see) the grad line. For me, the main issue I'd have with it is the water color... the brown isn't too pleasing and it's distracting. Have you tried a good b/w of it?

Originally Posted by Markitos

The whole left side of the trees in the frame seem a bit dark, and just where the trees meet the sky, the first row of trees looks darker than the rest, and it appears almost linear. It's not that there's much of a line there, but in this shot more than most, I feel like I can "see" the grad line--I know I'm not describing this very well. I'm guessing your grad line follows the angle of the trees, with just a little overlap from the sky. If I'm not right, then I'm just seeing things.

This^^^

Originally Posted by Stime187

I don't notice (or see) the grad line. For me, the main issue I'd have with it is the water color... the brown isn't too pleasing and it's distracting. Have you tried a good b/w of it?

I have tried a Black and White, wasn't too thrilled. I will try again.

Personally I like the water color. It is accurate and depicts the streams around here very well. I can totally see how people that have never seen it in person would feel about it.

"The river is root beer colored in the St. Louis River and some of the Northern Minnesota rivers due to the naturally occurring acids. These rivers start from the wetlands which support a wide variety of plant life, such as spruce and tamarack trees, evergreen shrubs, cattails, sedges, grasses and sphagnum moss. When these plants die and decay, they release acids which color the water a root beer brown."

Yeah, I'm with you Shawn on the water color. The rivers on the north shore are mostly this color, and to me it is what separates them from other river shots we all see from everywhere else. It just seems right.

I missed this shot when first posted, I like it but I'd crop of the leftern most rock and the top of the sky, focusing the shot more on the water and the action within it since the sky isn't really any more dramatic on the top edge than the middle.

If you don't crop I'd do a slight burn on the rocks on the left to get them closer to the exposure of the rock in the center, but not quite as light so it doesn't create too much focus on that side.

Originally Posted by thechickencow

If you don't crop I'd do a slight DODGE on the rocks on the left to get them closer to the exposure of the rock in the center, but not quite as light so it doesn't create too much focus on that side.

fixed!

Edit posted up top

Whoops, yeah I meant dodge.

THe redo looks good.

I like it better this way. A tad less moody, but a lot more natural looking.

Originally Posted by Markitos

I like it better this way. A tad less moody, but a lot more natural looking.

Agree again!

Originally Posted by case sensitive

those rocks aren't a billion years old. 900 million maybe. definitely not a billion.

Now here's an expert I tell you, EXPERT!!

Originally Posted by Stime187

I don't notice (or see) the grad line. For me, the main issue I'd have with it is the water color... the brown isn't too pleasing and it's distracting. Have you tried a good b/w of it?

Agreed. Excellent composure tho

Thanks guys.