A few lake pics

[KJ_North]

Wife and I were out for a drive yesterday and stopped and took a few lake pics. Which shots do you prefer?

 

[PJM]

I think #2 with the trees on the left give the lake just the right amount of context.

#5 frames it better than #4 in my opinion, but could do without the branches in the foreground.

 

[KJ_North]

I think #2 with the trees on the left give the lake just the right amount of context.

#5 frames it better than #4 in my opinion, but could do without the branches in the foreground.

Thanks so much i appreciate the feedback

 

[wobe]

Nice set - No.5 for me but yes would lose the branches.

 

[KJ_North]

Nice set - No.5 for me but yes would lose the branches.

Thanks Wobe. I agree but not sure then what i could have done. If i zoomed in past the trees i lose the landscape view? I couldn't get out to the side enough to get past the trees due to the shoreline. But certainly open to suggestions. This is the only way i learn, hence the whole reason for getting active again on here.

 

[ClintLloyd]

I don't bother shooting open water landscapes with a cloudless sky, it simply leaves too much of the image bare. Nearly the top half of an image being a zero sky combined with a fair whack of the bottom half being a reflectionless water, it doesn't leave much going on. Not that it's awful at all but it's just not winning any awards, that's all.

I like number five the most but I think they're all pleasant. Considering my first paragraph, in these circumstances if you really want it to work, getting down low on a tripod with something in the immediate foreground taking the main interest of the shot, eg weeds, a tree stump, a tree etc is always valuable and makes up a bit of ground on an evil sky. That's why I always have a tripod in my ute, just in case.

 

[denum]

I agree that #5 is the one. Sometimes getting the best composition is just not attainable.

 

[Jeff15]

Nice set....

 

[MitchP]

I like #1, but it feels like it's very slightly tilted to the right, but I can't pin it down. It may just be the nature of the banks.

 

[mikbone]

I think #2 with the trees on the left give the lake just the right amount of context.

#5 frames it better than #4 in my opinion, but could do without the branches in the foreground.

I agree with that, the trees in the foreground are a barrier into the photograph

 

[ClintLloyd]

I agree with that, the trees in the foreground are a barrier into the photograph

The rule of thirds and leading lines are not absolute holy grails of photography. As has been demonstrated here effectively, you can use cross lines to create natural borders and segments in images.

I don't know, I just feel like sometimes that people have this little rule book in their mind, and as soon as they see something which goes against it they instantly think it is a problem rather than looking at the image as a whole.

I like the inclusion of the crossing log, it makes up for an otherwise vast section of plain water which makes an image look quite vacant.

 

[mikbone]

The rule of thirds and leading lines are not absolute holy grails of photography. As has been demonstrated here effectively, you can use cross lines to create natural borders and segments in images.

I don't know, I just feel like sometimes that people have this little rule book in their mind, and as soon as they see something which goes against it they instantly think it is a problem rather than looking at the image as a whole.

I like the inclusion of the crossing log, it makes up for an otherwise vast section of plain water which makes an image look quite vacant.

of course, it's all subjective

 

[KJ_North]

I don't bother shooting open water landscapes with a cloudless sky, it simply leaves too much of the image bare. Nearly the top half of an image being a zero sky combined with a fair whack of the bottom half being a reflectionless water, it doesn't leave much going on. Not that it's awful at all but it's just not winning any awards, that's all.

I like number five the most but I think they're all pleasant. Considering my first paragraph, in these circumstances if you really want it to work, getting down low on a tripod with something in the immediate foreground taking the main interest of the shot, eg weeds, a tree stump, a tree etc is always valuable and makes up a bit of ground on an evil sky. That's why I always have a tripod in my ute, just in case.

Some great points/ideas thank you!. Lighting was horrible for sure, too bright, mid day overhead sun not ideal in any sense. I should have brought my tripod along but then the wife would have got fidgety lol.

My biggest problem is i rush far too much. I need to take in the view think of a vision for the pic then make some camera adjustments if necessary and take the photo.

But heck fun learning and thinking of new things to try.

 

[ClintLloyd]

My biggest problem is i rush far too much. I need to take in the view think of a vision for the pic then make some camera adjustments if necessary and take the photo.

But heck fun learning and thinking of new things to try.

That's the beauty of landscape photography, you get to see such beautiful sights. It's important to stop and take it all in as well, it's not just about photography.

 

[DigiFilm]

Some great points/ideas thank you!. Lighting was horrible for sure, too bright, mid day overhead sun not ideal in any sense. I should have brought my tripod along but then the wife would have got fidgety lol.

My biggest problem is i rush far too much. I need to take in the view think of a vision for the pic then make some camera adjustments if necessary and take the photo.

Ok, but in your first post you said you and your wife were out for a drive and you stopped to take a few pics. That kind of outing is usually more rushed than actually going out for the specific purpose of photography. Given that your shots look pretty good. Try returning to the same spot, setting up, and waiting for the light.

I will be the lone dissenter and state that the tree branches in the foreground offer a nice frame for the lake, completed by the driftwood log along the bottom. One trick for landscape photography is to have something of interest in the foreground, something that draws the eye into the photo. The branches do that in spades, they force my attention away from the edges and make me look into the lake.