Sedges in Lake

[Bill De Jager]

This is one of a number of images I've posted here in the last few months that leave me vaguely dissatisfied:

Sedges #2, Siesta Lake, Yosemite NP by Bill de Jager, on Flickr

[armando_m]

Hello Bill,

The bright greens in the foreground distract from anything else in the frame,
going past this , there is a slight reflection of the illuminated grass in the background that I like

What called your attention when you took the shot ?

[Bill De Jager]

Armando, I was struck by the contrast of the bright green sedges with their strongly vertical growth against the dark waters of the lake and the peaceful forest behind the lake.  I took other shots of just the sedges and the lake. In this photo I was was trying to present four contrasting layers receding into the distance: the foreground lake, the sedges, the next section of lake, and the more distant forest not quite in focus.  I think it didn't quite work the way I intended.

[Hugh_3170]

Bill, I find that the reflections off the water at the bottom of the image to be distracting for myself and for me they unbalance the image somehow.

How about selectively cropping the bottom of the image and see whether that improves matters for you?  I otherwise like the image.

[Jack Dahlgren]

The upper half of the image has nothing which stands as strongly as the foreground. Even the reeds at the far edge are subsumed in shadow and don't bear a relation to those in front.

Given your goal, maybe a very narrow vertical crop through the center of the image would work better at showing the layers you talk about.

[Andrea B.]

The idea of layers is good, but those particular layers don't hang together well, compositionally speaking. They seem to be too far apart. So the eye does not travel smoothly through the photo field.

So perhaps simplify the layering? Now there is less there but more to see. And the interesting reflections, almost un-noticeable in the original, are brought out. The eye travels through the sedges, lingering on their reflections at the base of the plants and then travels to the vertical reflections (now a bit mysterious) and then back to the sedges. A more satisfying journey.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Spot-lighted sedges in a lake is a scene rich in exercise in planning for line patterns, repetitions, and conscious use of layering. Strong directional light such as sunshine might not be optimal to bring out the nuances though, even when contrasts are increased drastically. The problem will then be the background and a maze of light spots within the trees.

Often waiting until the sun has set will help make the needed contrasts in light automatically, as the lake surface and its surroundings are darkened whilst the aquatic vegetation still receives sky light.

Cropping like what Andrea suggested improves the outcome, but does not solve the problem outlined above.

[rosko]

I tend to be agree with Hugh : The reflection on the water at the bottom of image is distracting and compete with the grass. Is Actually the result of back lit scene, making the sedges' patch the main subject at the detriment of the background (the opposite shore of the lake with wood).

This is just a matter of time in the day. From the same point of view, this image would be completely different few hours  earlier or later.

[rosko]

Oops...

Just seeing Bjørn' post which confirms what I tried to explain.

[Øivind Tøien]

I cannot agree to Andrea's above crop. The foreground vegetation is not particularly interesting and it takes away the the information that this a quiet forest lake. By cropping away much of the reflective foreground the weight is further into the image. Far from perfect as focus is too far forward and the water plants are too small - here is anyway an attempt:


 

[Michael Erlewine]

I would probably do something like this:

[Bill De Jager]

Thanks to all for the very informative and useful comments!  I'll have to get back to this tonight, but in the meantime you've given me good food for thought and future consideration.

[Akira]

Bill, to me, it looks a bit hazy and the overall lighting looks a bit flat.  As for the framing, I tend to agree with Michael, but I would rather make it a bit more horizontal.

Here's my humble take...

[Bill De Jager]

I greatly appreciate all the effort so many people put into analyzing this photo and making suggestions both as text and as crops.

I'm inclined to agree that that background can't keep up with the foreground, yet at the same time offers distractions in the form of light spots.  I'm also seeing now how the foreground reflections are distracting.  And yes, the layers just don't hang together well.  The scene as I saw it registered well to the eye but was harder to turn into a good composition.

I'm inclined to try again in different, softer lighting as suggested.  That will have to wait until the 3-5 meters of snow now on this site melts.  We've had an exceptional winter for snowfall in the Sierra Nevada, the mountain range where this small lake is located.

Meanwhile, this has been a great learning experience.  Thanks again to everyone!

[Erik Lund]

I'll add that the vantage point is very important for a capture like this, I would suggest to enhance the impression of the image components by shooting it much closer to ground level - compressing the scene,,,