I'm on the fence about this image: This is a scan of a negative. I've worked on it some. Finally I printed it out. Now the print sits on my computer desk, and I have to admit it's...

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

This is a scan of a negative. I've worked on it some. Finally I printed it out. Now the print sits on my computer desk, and I have to admit it's growing on me. My first thought was that it was way too busy. I would probably title it "Through the Tangle." Please download for better colour.

Comments? Suggestions?

(Download)

DWU2 Loc: Phoenix Arizona area

The log in the foreground isn't in focus. Maybe edit it out?

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

DWU2 wrote:

The log in the foreground isn't in focus. Maybe edit it out?

Yeah. That's one of the things I've worked on. I didn't like it being OOF, but it is. But I found that I didn't like the scene as well without it. And my editing skills aren't wonderful, so it looked kind of mushy. I'll continue to work on that.

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

AzPicLady wrote:

This is a scan of a negative. I've worked on it some. Finally I printed it out. Now the print sits on my computer desk, and I have to admit it's growing on me. My first thought was that it was way too busy. I would probably title it "Through the Tangle." Please download for better colour.

Comments? Suggestions?

I don't think that either of the two foreground items. The oof log and the diagonal branch are doing you any favors. It is difficult for my eye to move beyond them into the rest of the photo that is nicely framed and, for me, has a lot of interest. I really like the little cascade in the foreground. I can understand your hesitance to crop that out. Cloning those two large items out of the photo would be a lot of work. You have a real conundrum here. Not sure what I would end up doing. It would ultimately come down to cloning or cropping; but I'm not sure which way I would go. Hope this helps.
Erich

Jim-Pops Loc: Granbury, Texas

I like this picture with your vibrant greens and the flowing stream. The picture has a lot of merit because it does look so natural and some place one might come across. Your eyes take you from the lower left and then up and thought the stream to the brighter opening.
The sharpness does trouble me but since you have a printed version and if its not objectionable to you don't worry about it. Try not to over think it. I did try my hand at cloning out the top limb of the three that go across the water. I did it with the spot healing brush in Photoshop. It worked rather well and opened up the picture showing more of the stream. I tried a different cropping to reduce the large branch on the bottom but didn't like the results a bit. All in all I think it is a sellable picture possibly a limited audience.🤔

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

ebrunner wrote:

I don't think that either of the two foreground it... (show quote)

Thanks, Erich. I guess I need to keep working. I'm more concerned about the lower branch than the other one. It's more out of focus.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Jim-Pops wrote:

I like this picture with your vibrant greens and t... (show quote)

Thanks, Jim. Unfortunately, most of my images are sellable to a "limited audience."

It's the lower branch I'm most concerned about. It's the light and the colours in the image that appeal to me.

kenievans Loc: Dallas

I like your image and I played with it in PS. I cropped out the bottom just below the little waterfall taking out about half of that log in the foreground. I then burned in a vignette in corners to help blend in what remained of the log. This darkened the waterfall somewhat but kept it in the shot. The crop also moved the branch across the water to more of a foreground position where to me it wasn't so distracting. The end result was like peeking out of a dark forest to see this little sunlit glen.

R.G. Loc: Scotland

kenievans wrote:

I like your image and I played with it in PS. I c... (show quote)

Sounds like the right sort of treatment. Either that or darkening the immediate foreground. I'm inclined to go with the suggestions that there are too many foreground obstacles. Perhaps a vignette like what Keni suggested but instead of just darkening, include just a touch of desaturation and reduction in contrast as well (done with a large, well-feathered brush).

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

kenievans wrote:

I like your image and I played with it in PS. I c... (show quote)

Hey, thanks, Keni. I hadn't thought about cropping it out. I'll try that. Actually in my print that log is pretty dark. I was hoping, I guess, it would sort of disappear. Not!

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

R.G. wrote:

Sounds like the right sort of treatment. Either that or darkening the immediate foreground. I'm inclined to go with the suggestions that there are too many foreground obstacles. Perhaps a vignette like what Keni suggested but instead of just darkening, include just a touch of desaturation and reduction in contrast as well (done with a large, well-feathered brush).

That just might work. If I can figure out how to do that.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I read all the comments before looking at the pic - backwards way to offer feedback

What spoke to me was Keni's " like peeking out of a dark forest to see this little sunlit glen..."

Uuglypher Loc: South Dakota (East River)

AzPicLady wrote:

This is a scan of a negative. I've worked on it some. Finally I printed it out. Now the print sits on my computer desk, and I have to admit it's growing on me. My first thought was that it was way too busy. I would probably title it "Through the Tangle." Please download for better colour.

Comments? Suggestions?

Yet another opinion:
That OOF log has received far more attention than I think it deserves. To my eye it falls into the realm of a shadow detail, the sharpness of which is immaterial to its peripheral role as a minor compositional element.
Don’t give it another thought. Viewed from NVD the image comes together nicely as posted. View any image from a distance permitted by the length of your nose, and you are bound to discover a plethora of “problems”.

Dave

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Linda From Maine wrote:

I read all the comments before looking at the pic - backwards way to offer feedback

What spoke to me was Keni's " like peeking out of a dark forest to see this little sunlit glen..."

And that's what I see exactly. Thanks, Linda.

AzPicLady Loc: Behind the camera!

Uuglypher wrote:

Yet another opinion:
That OOF log has received far more attention than I think it deserves. To my eye it falls into the realm of a shadow detail, the sharpness of which is immaterial to its peripheral role as a minor compositional element.
Don’t give it another thought. Viewed from NVD the image comes together nicely as posted. View any image from a distance permitted by the length of your nose, and you are bound to discover a plethora of “problems”.

Dave

Oh, thank you, Dave. That's encouraging.