I took this photo at Desoto Bend National Refuge. It is very beautiful there. On the left and the right are giant lilly pads with cute green frogs. I got a few good shots of them too.
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Place: 365 out of 432 Avg (all users): 4.2872 Avg (commenters): 4.3333 Avg (participants): 4.2690 Avg (non-participants): 4.3056 Views since voting: 671 Views during voting: 374 Votes: 289 Comments: 8 Favorites: 0
I will attempt to critique your image on four basic areas. Keep in mind I'm not a trained professional. ;)
1. Composition: For this particular challenge, I can see where you're going with the placement of the branch. If the branch were not there, the composition would, of course, be stronger. Branch aside, the composition for a lovely shot is there.
2. Technical Details: Your focus seems a bit soft. Sometimes that's good, when you're wanting a dreamy feel, but other times it's just one more thing the voters will find to drop crucial points off of the score. Your aperture, ISO, and shutter readings are not on the shot so I can't speak to those directly. The image overall is quite bright, with a contrasting area of shadow in the foreground, which is a distraction. Shooting at a different time of day with softer lighting and less harsh shadows would improve the shot dramatically.
3. Aesthetics: This seems like a lovely place, rather tranquil and serene. I'm sure with work and reshooting, you can capture it's beauty and produce a great image that really reflects the beauty of the space.
4. Relationship to Challenge: Because of the muddied tonal range and overall brightness in the middle and upper parts of the shot, and the darkness where the actual branch appears, I'm afraid that the relationship to the challenge was weakened for some voters. I think it's a novel idea, but the voters on DPC like to be "wowed" with challenge entries. Your 4.28 score reflects that. The branch seems to be secondary to the composition, which detracted from your score, I'm afraid.
Overall, your image has some strong points and some points in which improvements can be made. Keep shooting and submitting and I look forward to your next entry!
Shots like this are always a struggle with light aren't they. The overexposure of the path and the under exposure of the foreground is the photographer's lament. It leaves this one strugging to find a point of interest
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