Archive 2014 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

T-D-S
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p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

I'm really struggling with these photos I took recently of Eden Falls in Ponca, Arkansas. It's a gorgeous waterfall, but sometimes capturing that beauty in a shot can be a challenge. In particular, these photos seem to make the photo look small. See the last photo as a reference as I took a selfie with my nephew and I.

That being said, anyone notice something I could have done differently? The goal is to make them worthy of a fine art print, but I'm not sure that's possible.

1. The boulders are SO big that they make the waterfall look small.


	http://www.toddphotos.com/temp/eden-1.jpg

2. I like this composition better, but it still looks small.


	http://www.toddphotos.com/temp/eden-2.jpg

3. Just a little wider angle.


	http://www.toddphotos.com/temp/eden-3.jpg

4. Same shot, but vertical


	http://www.toddphotos.com/temp/eden-4.jpg

5. A shot with my nephew and I to give you a sense of scale


	http://www.toddphotos.com/temp/eden-5.jpg

I also tried shooting closer, wider, and lower, but the upper falls area gets cut off and made it even worse.
Thanks in advance for any advice!

Jun 30, 2014 at 09:13 PM

AuntiPode

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p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

On the plus side, the images are sharp and well exposed with good color and the shutter speed choice is excellent, blurring the water appealingly. It's tricky to capture waterfalls in a way that's appealing and not just another waterfall. They are very difficult subjects in that way. Sometimes the best images use the waterfall as context and setting rather than as the subject. From the right angle, the two little trees in the foreground of the second image might have made an excellent subject, with the falls in the background setting the stage and guiding the eye. Same for boulders. The pool beneath the falls is somewhat murky and probably not the best feature, especially from an angle that shows the turbidity of the water, but from an angle near the surface, it might have been appealing. Hunting for a good angle on a waterfall and finding good light can be a real challenge. On the down side, folks may think you're daft when you scramble all over the rocks looking for the right shot.

Jun 30, 2014 at 09:33 PM

ben egbert
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p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

I like verticals for falls like this that are much higher than they are wide. The pool at the bottom is not very attractive looking water, I would lose it. The Bright green foliage is attractive and I would work to prefer this to the rocks when closing in on it. I might speed up the shutter just a bit or expose darker to get more detail in the water. This is very close however. I normally shoot for 1/4 to 1/10 second on white water.

Cloudy days or before sunrise or after sunset helps waterfalls. But I am still learning about this too.

Jun 30, 2014 at 09:40 PM

T-D-S
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p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

Good thoughts. I cropped off much of the bottom of one of the vertical shots to remove the murky water. I also went with an 8x10 crop rather than 4x6. I hated to lose part of the tree on the right. Better composition?


	http://www.toddphotos.com/temp/eden-6.jpg

Jun 30, 2014 at 09:55 PM

FarmerJohn
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p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

I think your last edit (vertical) is the best so far. Definitely agree that it's hard to keep a sense of scale on the wide-angle and waterfall images. I think this one works well because the waterfall is a large portion of the frame.

Also - I see a bit of a pinkish cast on the edges of the upper falls that I do not see on the lower falls as much. Might want to check that.

Jul 01, 2014 at 07:09 AM

ben egbert
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p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Eden Falls - Advice on composition

I like this much better.

Jul 01, 2014 at 09:13 AM


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