Mirrored reflection - Mono

[purplehaze]

No true blacks or whites in this, does it seem flat to you? Is the cloud in the lower left corner a distraction? I lightened it, but I think it went a little dark again in the conversion to JPG. I thought about taking it and its mate out altogether, but I think there is an argument that they help frame the scene. Any C&C welcome.

[dubaiphil]

I like it, Janis.

I may be tempted to crop 16:9 with the horizon in the middle, and then do a little graduated neutral density filter effect on the top and bottom of the image

[Shadowman]

Nicely done. I'm sure there is a hint of black within the image, just not large enough to add anything to the tonal range. No distractions for me.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Janis

[purplehaze]

Thanks, Phil, John and David.

Phil, the clouds in the original were quite dark and heavy and I applied a filter in SEP to lighten them up. Perhaps I could find a compromise that does not compete too much with the land.

[Mike Buckley]

I like it exactly as is and I would probably also like it with whatever subtle adjustments that you make. It's a good lesson to appreciate that true blacks and whites are not needed to make an effective monochrome.

[purplehaze]

Thanks, Mike. I don't know whether it is just personal taste or something inherent to the image itself, but I often find myself stopping short of covering the full dynamic range. Glad to know it can work for you, too.

[Kaye Leggett]

I like it - its a very restful image

[Manfred M]

A very nice shot / conversion, Janis. While I think the shot works, I had the same idea as Phil and wonder what it would look like in 16:9. That would result in less water and sky. I suspect if you go that way, you might also end up cropping a bit off the left side of the image.

[purplehaze]

Thanks, Kaye and Manfred. I will give the crop a try another evening; too beat for now.

[NorthernFocus]

I'm no B/W expert but it looks pretty well done to me. Ditto the comments regarding trying a different crop ratio.

[purplehaze]

Thanks, Dan.

Here is the crop without any further adjustments. It is now about 50% of the original.



I'm thinking it is not as sharp as it could have been. Shutter speed was probably too low for me at 1/20. (35 mm Nikkor 1.8 on a D7100; notoriously shaky hands).

[Mike Buckley]

Both versions are very nice. Even so, I prefer the original crop because of the increased detail in the bottom area of the reflection.

[John 2]

Cropped version for me I think Janis. It brings the FG rock into greater prominence and it becomes a stronger lead in for me. I think Phil's suggestion of a little bit of graduated burn in of the top and bottom might be worth a look.

[bnnrcn]

Hi Janis Lovely iamge, I like the cropped version . IMO softness is not a problem for such a scene because the image has a dreamy look.

[Stagecoach]

I like it Janis, that's the un-cropped version I refer to

[purplehaze]

Thanks, John 2; yes the burn-in would bring a bit of detail to the foreground that would assist the lead-in, I think. Thanks, Binnur, for finding the upside of my ineptitude. Mike and Grahame: thanks for validating my first choice. Obviously, I wasn't sure about the crop, because one of my colour versions of this shot is closer to mono #2. I have gotten too close to this one now and will have to put it aside for a bit so I can come back to it with fresh eyes.

[flashback]

Janis,
FWIW I much prefer the cropped (#2) version. Because of the bright sky ULHS and its reflection LLHS it reduced the 'gloominess' of the scene, which I feel is what you may have been after in the first place. I think there is a good balance between the sky and its reflection in the water to match that of the land and its reflection. What I see now is a 'wedge' of land interposing itself on the sky and water.
Frame it and hang it!