Lochh Dunmore 01

[weepete]

-Tech Specs
Canon 5DmkIV with Canon 16-35mm f4L
1/100 sec " f8, ISO400

-Lighting
Overcast skies around 3pm

-Why did I take the shot?
I'd long been meaning to stop by here and explore this area when I've been passing by but never had the opportunity before. In this shot I was trying to use the boathouse as a bit of a focal point while cutting out the grey and uninteresting sky using the tall trees behind. I'm sure there were many other compositions in this place, but the lack of directional light was killing the wide shots.

Loch Dunmore 01 by wee_pete, on Flickr

 

[Space Face]

I think it's a nice shot of a nice location. The subject is slightly off center which I like and the minimal vignette helps pull the eye in. There's a bit of foreground interest too.

The only slight distraction for me and it is slight is the road. I dunno of it's possible to get a different pov to eliminate it or even clone it out. All in all tho, I think you've pretty well achieved your aim with this one Pete.

Is there fish in there?

 

[zombiesniper]

This is a tough one.

I like the image as shot. Cool looking spot and great colour.

The road is a minor distraction.
I would probable prefer this as a portrait with the boat house reflection in the lower right but then you loose the foreground. That tree to the right makes it difficult to get a better angle to the right to get the boathouse more to right of frame and eliminating the road.

Going to have to think about this one.

 

[weepete]

I think it's a nice shot of a nice location. The subject is slightly off center which I like and the minimal vignette helps pull the eye in. There's a bit of foreground interest too.

The only slight distraction for me and it is slight is the road. I dunno of it's possible to get a different pov to eliminate it or even clone it out. All in all tho, I think you've pretty well achieved your aim with this one Pete.

Is there fish in there?

Thanks mate, I agree with you about the road. I did see it and consider burning it down a bit but then I noticed the trees touching the reeds and felt like there's only so much time you can polish ...... Going back it's definatley something I'll keep an eye out for.

Yes, there's fish in there, run by an anglig club and a couple of guys were out with some wagglers. Looked like fun amongst the lilly pads but don't think it was big enough to hold any monsters.

This is a tough one.

I like the image as shot. Cool looking spot and great colour.

The road is a minor distraction.
I would probable prefer this as a portrait with the boat house reflection in the lower right but then you loose the foreground. That tree to the right makes it difficult to get a better angle to the right to get the boathouse more to right of frame and eliminating the road.

Going to have to think about this one.

Thanks zombiesniper, now that you mention it there is a bit of a split in the image. The loch was pretty accessible so I'm sure I could have found a spot to shoot the boathouse and leave the tree out. Looking at it now it doesn't work as well as I thought it did. I do have a soft spot for those ancient Caledonian pines, we've not got a huge number left.

 

[Designer]

Loch Dunmore 01 by wee_pete, on Flickr

Not having been there in person, I can only speculate on other possible shots. As it is, the exposure looks perfect, but the composition may be somewhat lacking.

The little building is nearly centered, which does not begin to "balance" the frame. I usually try to put the important things in important places, such as at the one-third position.

Also, you've got the tree branches there, but you're not using them to the best advantage. Try to frame the building with over-hanging branches, so you'll have some more foreground in the shot.

Of course, this means your DOF will become a factor to consider. The tree branches can be blurred if you like, as long as they are recognizable.

 

[weepete]

Loch Dunmore 01 by wee_pete, on Flickr

Not having been there in person, I can only speculate on other possible shots. As it is, the exposure looks perfect, but the composition may be somewhat lacking.

The little building is nearly centered, which does not begin to "balance" the frame. I usually try to put the important things in important places, such as at the one-third position.

Also, you've got the tree branches there, but you're not using them to the best advantage. Try to frame the building with over-hanging branches, so you'll have some more foreground in the shot.

Of course, this means your DOF will become a factor to consider. The tree branches can be blurred if you like, as long as they are recognizable.

Thanks Designer, I agree with you about the composition, it doesn't quite work and there's a few elements in here that are just there, as opposed to working together. I must admit, I find wide shots easier, but I do need to work on my compositions in the 24-70 range. I'll bear your advice in mind and try it next time.

 

[johngpt]

Pete, I really like your composition. I like that there is a line which follows the lily pads from low left frame to the boathouse. There is an implied line from the bit of land with the grasses at frame bottom which points in the general direction of the boathouse due to the taller grasses. I feel the tree at upper right reaching toward the boathouse.

The only thing about your image which niggled at me was that the patch of brown grass by the double trees just to the right of the boathouse and the boathouse are almost equal in color and in tone/luminosity.

Since you have your images as 'okay' to edit, I did so, slightly darkening that patch to the right of the boathouse.
And used a softlight blend mode of a pale yellow to accentuate that line to the boathouse along the lily pads.

I did this because above you had written that the boathouse was your focal point and these edits might help it be that. Below is the edited version and below that your original version.

.

 

[johngpt]

It doesn't look like very much difference, but if you open each in an individual browser tab and move between, you'll see the difference. Of course, those differences can be accentuated, but I didn't want to get heavy handed.

 

[weepete]

Pete, I really like your composition. I like that there is a line which follows the lily pads from low left frame to the boathouse. There is an implied line from the bit of land with the grasses at frame bottom which points in the general direction of the boathouse due to the taller grasses. I feel the tree at upper right reaching toward the boathouse.

The only thing about your image which niggled at me was that the patch of brown grass by the double trees just to the right of the boathouse and the boathouse are almost equal in color and in tone/luminosity.

Since you have your images as 'okay' to edit, I did so, slightly darkening that patch to the right of the boathouse.
And used a softlight blend mode of a pale yellow to accentuate that line to the boathouse along the lily pads.

I did this because above you had written that the boathouse was your focal point and these edits might help it be that. Below is the edited version and below that your original version.

.

It doesn't look like very much difference, but if you open each in an individual browser tab and move between, you'll see the difference. Of course, those differences can be accentuated, but I didn't want to get heavy handed.

Thanks John, I appreciate the feedback and I'll look out for that in the future, it's a good shout. And yes, you are free to edit my shots, that's what it for! Very subtle edit, and these small things can make a big difference in a final image!

 

[Tropicalmemories]

Nice, rich greens, good composition and relaxing scene. Just one query from me - is it level? With the trees at different angles and the sloping curve to the bank its not easy to tell - but I'm assuming the boathouse was not leaning, so I'd use that to align vertical, and it looks to be slightly off?

 

[weepete]

Nice, rich greens, good composition and relaxing scene. Just one query from me - is it level? With the trees at different angles and the slooping curve to the bank its not easy to tell - but I'm assuming the boathouse was not leaning, so I'd used that to align vertical, and it looks to be slightly off?

Thanks Tropicalmemories! Yes, it's slightly off level, the bank on the opposite side is curved and widening to the left hand side and the sides of the boathouse do have a lean to them. I think the roof is slightly off level as well. This creates a bit of an optical illusion where if I level the water the boathouse looks very squint and if I level the boathouse the water level looks off. If you look at the line of the roof, you'll see it's nearly level. I've tried to pick something here that looks nearly right for the overall shot and has a bit of balance beteween the two.

 

[bulldurham]

I went in a slightly different direction by darkening the darker parts of the water to place more emphasis on the boathouse, toning down the yellows in the trees, brightening the foreground flowers to help lead the eye directly to the boathouse. I did clone and content fill in the roadway and did a red channel adjustment to heighten the framing on the right side of the image to balance the brighter yellows on the left. As always, just another bloke's take on an already fine image.

 

[johngpt]

This works really well Pete. You've created a stronger line of luminosity along the lily pads to the house, and diminished that road, and you've brightened slightly the near grasses. Reducing the yellow in the tall left trees prevents the eye from drifting too much to there. Really well done!

 

[weepete]

I went in a slightly different direction by darkening the darker parts of the water to place more emphasis on the boathouse, toning down the yellows in the trees, brightening the foreground flowers to help lead the eye directly to the boathouse. I did clone and content fill in the roadway and did a red channel adjustment to heighten the framing on the right side of the image to balance the brighter yellows on the left. As always, just another bloke's take on an already fine image.

Thanks bulldurham, I really like what you've done with the water here, that definatley helps the shot. Very interesting how you've chosen to balance the colours in the shot, I'll have a wee look into that, it was something I didn't really know how to do.

 

[weepete]

This works really well Pete. You've created a stronger line of luminosity along the lily pads to the house, and diminished that road, and you've brightened slightly the near grasses. Reducing the yellow in the tall left trees prevents the eye from drifting too much to there. Really well done!

Thanks John, it was bulldurham's post so not something I can take credit for!