No Mans Island

First of all, great compliments and a big bravo for this masterpiece! Light, color , depth, clarity and quality , all are top good and perfect. And secondly just some thoughts and suggestions, though minor and for improvement ( if any ) of an already perfect shot: I think left small island and its tree is the main focal point here and most of the beauty of the scene belongs to it ( at least 60-70% ), and in this regard, its reflection is a real prerequisite for completion of the scene. f/g bushes specially at left added no more beauty to the whole scene, and just cut the reflection off. Just a few steps left and turning the camera right would resolve this issues ( though i'm not sure about that and even that possible or not, just thoughts ). Another suggestion is a vertical format, including the island, its tree ( and reflected image ), and just small portion of right trees, as well as f/g bushes and an ample part of this beautiful and rich sky. Wish you dont mind these minor critiques, as i already jealous for this beautiful capture!

Hamid.

MIKE

I will consider myself suitably admonished : - )

Many thanks for your vote of confidence Mike,  very much appreciated!

Regards

Alf

ALBERTO

Sincere thanks for your interest and continued support.

Best Regards

Alf

RASHED

Many thanks for your visit, thorough analysis and positive feedback. I am very pleased you liked this.

Best Regards

Alf

JAMIE

Ahhh if only it had been that easy......moving left lost the tree reflections to the right, moving right lost the tree hugging the hillside......I tried pretty much every permutation of camera angle, height, left / right position ....and always lost something that I would have liked to have retained......this was about the best compromise, although there is another I might post just as an indicator. Many thanks for your imput Jamie, very much appreciated!

Regards

Alf

JOHN

Many thanks for your visit and positive feedback, much apprreciated. Great walking country up here John........though on the down side perhaps a bit more crowded than North Wales.

Cheers Mate

Alf

PATSY

Sincere Thanks for your interest and continued support, very much appreciated. Actually this is one that I might consider printing for hanging at home.

Cheers Patsy!

Alf

GAIL

It wasn't me I never locked em in honest!  : - )

I didn't explain myself too well in the foreword lol. The bit of scenery that I'm referring to that I couldn't get in on this particular shot was the full reflection of the island tree. I tried every permutation I could think of in terms of positioning and camera angle, to get all the box's ticked, but didn't quite manage it. In all honesty it was another shot that was destined for the recycle bin, but this time I asked the opinion of a freind and they seemed very keen I should keep it. After the great response I've had from everyone I'm kinda glad I did.

As for the errrm "Rubbers and Brolly" well thats standard photographer equipment .....isn't it? lol......."ALF Island"......now thats got a certain ring to it.....I shall forward your suggestion to Lake District Tourist Board for thier consideration : - )

Sincere thanks for all of your very generous and supportive comments Gail, very much appreciated!

Warm Regards

Alf

FALAK

Many thanks for your interest and kind comments, much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Alf

CAL

Many thanks for your kind words. Of course I never really want to reach perfection...as that would just be "game over" ....just to get closer to it will do for me.

Best Regards

Alf

EL

You are 100% correct El......."never satisfied"  pretty much sums us up : - ) We are our own harshest critics.

I wasn't thinking "more" in terms of a wider angle, but then I didn't explain myself too well in the foreword. I was thinking of "more" in terms of content and compositional elements within the chosen frame. In this particular instance I'm referring to the reflection of the island tree that is lost in the foreground grass. I wanted the full reflection, but would have had to sacrifice other elements in order to achieve it. But I think the response I have received thus far has indubitably illustrated I was worrying about trivialities.

Sincere thanks for your feedback El, very much appreciated.

Regards

Alf

PIERRE

I know exactly what you mean about the thumbnail, I scrolled passed it  myself : - )

Sincere thanks for your interest and encouraging feedback Pierre!

Cheers Mate!

Alf

CLAUDE

I think you put that nicely into sensible perspective. Many thanks for your interest and very encouraging comments.

Best Regards

Alf

FELIX

Sincero agradecimiento por su interes y las amables palabras que,

Saludos cordiales

Alf

STEPHEN

It is reassuring to know that your thoughts followed a similar line of logical conclusion as my own, but although I'm pleased with the resulting image, I still retain a yearning for those few lost branches.

I liked the alternative suggestion, I produced a cropped version in photoshop and you are right, it does indeed accentuate the foreground grasses, a very worthy alternative. Thank you.

My thanks also for your consideration, encouragement and well versed analogy of this image, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

CHRIS

I'm sure you've been in the same predicament, step left, step right, stand up , kneel down, lie down etc, it kind of gets to look like your practising some weird ritual  : - )

No matter which way I looked at it, I was going to lose something, the particular suggestion of stepping right I tried, and yes got that reflection right between the grasses.......but the tree branches themselves kind of reached into the hillside on the left and didn't look half so dramatic.

Many thanks for your interest and positive feedback Chris, very much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

RAYMOND

Many thanks for your visit and kind words, much appreciated!

Best Regards

Alf

GRANT

Sincere thanks for your visit and enthusiastic response, your comments are always valued.

Best Regards

Alf

LEO

Many thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, much appreciated!

Kind Regards

Alf

KEITH

Thanks for taking a look and offering your well considered thoughts, much appreciated.

Cheers mate!

Alf

LARRY

Ahhh so very kind of you to give us a glimpse of such a gargatuan graphic gramatical guide to my plethora of poor pathetically punctuated paradoxical titles : - ) lol as you can see I'm more of a "word" man!

You are correct on the small highlight burn behind the tree,  I could have corrected this in lightroom with the curves tool, but considered it an essential part of the image to indicate the light levels behind the clouds.

Many thanks for your considered opinions and feedback Larry, Much appreciated

Best Regards

Alf

JERRY

Sincere thanks for your interest and positive feedback. It's very gratifying to know you liked this one, much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Alf

TONY

My sincere thanks for your well considered thoughts and positive feedback. I was referring to "more" in terms of elements within the frame rather than more as a quantity .....the "more" in this particular case being the complete reflection of the island tree. I have preconceived idea's in my head about how landscapes should look, and sometimes reality doesn't quite match up to them. .......I have no idea about the old ladies in a toilet.....I think Gail may have been in "creative genius mode" when she mentioned that lol

Cheers Tony!

Alf

ZSOLT

Many thanks for your kind comments and positive feedback, very much appreciated! The conditions were perhaps somewhat challenging shooting into the light, but the use of a ND grad made things a bit easier.

Best Regards

Alf  

DROR

Many thanks for your visit and encouraging comments.  Your great tip about the "High Pass" technique is very much in evidence here. I think it's a brilliant way of sharpening as it seems to slightly accentuate and seperate colour also, I now use it in conjunction with the "Unsharp Mask" technique as I described to you previously.  Thanks again Dror!

Best Regards

Alf

HAMID

Many thanks for your visit and positive feedback, much appreciated!  I will endeavour to answer your comments as best as I can. I agree with you about the tree's reflection, however a more strategic and possibly more important prerequisite was the tree breaking the skyline, if I moved left this aspect of the image was lost. So I sacrificed the reflection, suffice to say I tried pretty much every position and angle possible, landscape orientation and potrait in order to assemble all elements in the frame in thier most aesthetic combination. I welcome your suggestions Hamid and count myself as being very fortunate that you take such time and consideration when submitting your critique to my image. Thanks again Hamid!

Best Regards

Alf

A really beautiful piece of work, Alf.  The colors and clarity are wonderful and the light is spot on.

What a beautiful picture.  The colors and reflections are absolutely captivating. Great pic.

-Cynthia 

Hi Alf, Wonderful work. The reflections and light are just superb here, a beautiful image to view. Images like this make me realise just how much I have yet to learn! All the best. Sarah.

Another beautiful, sweeping scene.  The crispness of the grass is wonderful, as are the branches.  I like that the color is nudged just a little beyond the realm of normal so this seems like a fantasy but without being garish. 

Fabulous image Alf! Gorgeous light, lush color, and lovely tranquil setting. As for your concerns about not capturing everything you wanted - well few of us ever do! As one of your fellow brits once said: "You can't always get what you want but if you try sometimes you might just get what you need". Well you got it guy and it's one of your best I think!

All the best,
Neil

There is sometimes the temptation to become complacent about your work, Alf.  You have so many great shots, and you make it seem so effortless sometimes.   But your description above just goes to prove that it isn't just luck or being in the right place at the right time that allows you to get so many great shots.  Oh sure, all of us at some point have (truth be told) just plainly lucked out on a shot.  But when you produce such consistently high quality work image after image, there has to be more to it than that.  You obviously consider every angle and put your heart and soul into all of your work.  You can tell by your devoted following that we appreciate you and your outstanding photography.  And (again, truth be told), although I enjoy your photography immensely, I must admit that I enjoy almost as much reading your clever remarks and quips.  It's a joy having you around!  Okay....I'll quit blabbing now.  :-)  I really LOVE this shot!

really very beautiful scene...very good atmosphere ,clarity,colors and composition..I like it..congrats

life itself.

should have known you tried everything!  best, j

Excelente en todo, luz , color, composición, detalle, ... Bravo una perfecta obra. Saludos

Wonderful, a joy to contemplate, great shot, Alf, colors, light, contrast, everything fit perfect. Congratulations, Mari.

Beautiful crisp and clean tones, lovely reflections. Nicely composed and presented. Great work, Alf! Kind regards.

I think that that bar is set as high as it can be set, Alf... This is another wonderful capture. This photo has something a bit less conventional to it for some reason.  It doesn't just feel like a typical beautiful landscape with reflection to me. Maybe it is the way you gave greater prominence to the wild grass in the FG here, which gives this photo a more 'wild' and unusual appeal, I believe... ( BTW, I don't know if you ever thought of putting your photos on calendars, Alf? -- Every year I buy a photo calendar of New England, which I hang in my kitchen (love looking at it) -- And I'm sure that many people would be very interested in your beautiful captures as well..! --  Or to be seen in a gallery for that matter :-) Kind regards to you, Marjolein

The clarity and dof gives this a 3D appearance.  The range of tones and the quality of the colours is quite spectacular, this is a beautiful landscape with a variety of interesting elements to provide viewing interest.  

Very appealing,

Jim

I didn't read all the other comments so I apologize in advance if i'm repeating something someone else said.

This is another beautiful image, very crisp.  I like your composition and I agree with what you said about the compromise.  There may not have been any way to get all that you wanted in the shot, and even if you did, they may not have all worked well together.  It is too bad that the reflection of the lone tree is lost in the foreground element, but on the other hand this is a unique angle which allows the curve of the the tree to perfectly follow the line of the hill behind, which i think is one of the strongest element of this composition.  Regards always - michel  

STEVE

I think this may have been the last bit of colour left in the sky before the sun dissapeared behind that hill, and the ND grad seemed to help balance the light. Many thanks for your interest and and positive feedback.

Best Regards

Alf

CYNTHIA

Sincere thanks foryour visit and kind words, I'm really pleased you liked it.

Best Regards

Alf

SARAH

Many thanks for stopping by, I'm very flattered by your comments, but your a quick learner Sarah, it won''t take you long to catch up : - )

Kind Regards

Alf

JEFF

Sincere thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts Jeff. Well despite appearances now, the light was a bit flat and the colour was too, so it needed a bit of a nudge : - )

Cheers Jeff

Alf

NEIL

A few very wise words from you there Neil and I shall make a mental note of them for future reference. Don't you find that It gets progressively harder to get something your satisfied with? But I suppose thats what it's all about , stretching yourself etc. Many thanks for your vote of confidence and your encouraging feedback.

Cheers Mate!

Alf

CHRISTAL

One of the great tips I gleaned from PN was, when taking a photo, move around with the camera, try it landscape, portrait stand up, sit down unlill your happy with what you seen in the viewfinder, then place it on the tripod and fire away. So yes I do try and consider every angle, as for putting my heart and soul into it, ..........well thats easy I love it, and can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing.........I'd love to do it full time though, dedicate all my time to visiting  UK destinations and photographing them........ahh yeah the writing, now that's another passion of mine, but sadly I don't get to do very much of that these days.....except a few comments on here of course. Now if I could bottle your comments and take them with me........I'd be able to uncork it when needed , take a little sniff and feel on top of the world again.

Sincere thanks for your most encouraging review.

Best Regards

Alf

MEHMET

Many thanks for your kind words and positive feedback, much appreciated !

Best Regards

Alf

JAMIE

Short of digging up the foreground grass and moving it a few yards, yeah I did try everything! ................damm why didn't I think of that before! lol

Cheers

Alf

GALLEGO

Muchas gracias por sus amables palabras y los comentarios positios, muy apreciado.

Saludos

Alf

R RIVERA

Thank you so much for your kind comments and encouraging words, much appreciated

Best Regards

Alf

ANABELA

Sincere thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, I'm very pleased you liked this, much appreciated!

Kind Regards

Alf

MARJOLEIN

I have had many hobbies in the past, the problem is once I have mastered them, I get bored and move onto soemthing else. Photographty though, is quite a different matter, such is the depth and variety of the subject, I'm never likely to master it, theres so much more to learn, and so rewarding when I get such great comments as yours and others. So yeah....pushing the bar up a tiny bit further is inevitable : - )

As for calendars and Galleries .........well I'm really flattered that you would consider my work worthy, but time is a great constraint......I'd love to do this full time <sigh>  maybe one day who knows.

Sincere thanks and best Regards to you Marjolein

Alf

JIM

Many thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, very much appreciated! I think the ND Grad had a lot to do with the richness of colour and the balance of light, it was a very contrasty scene and I on't think it would have worked without using it.

Cheers Jim!

Alf

MICHEL

Sincere thanks for stopping by Michel, I'm always very keen to read your views. It is also very gratifying to read that your logic regarding the composition mirrored mine exactly, the curve of the tree following the contours of the hilll, being the one element that I was determined to keep. But one thing you mentioned that I simply didn't consider at all, was that even if I managed to get all the things in that I wanted........they might not have worked collectively.......wise words indeed, thank you Michel!

Best Regards

Alf

Really beautiful work with impressive lighting, Alf!

Best regards, Ilkka

Amazing.. Super fantastic view.. Very nice colors and sharping.. Very well done.. 7.. Regards.. 

Ciao Alf! Really a wonderful work with this landscape!

Another spectacular landscape of Heaven, Alf! What a beautiful place you live in...I am jealous! :)  Beautiful... the scene and the photo are just beautiful! Thank you for sharing. :)

So clear, so beautiful... excellent work Alf!!!!!

Alf, your last reflection images are all stunning but I have to pick this one above the rest. Exposure is spot on, the foreground grasses are superb take off points into the reflection, the trees and the dramatic clouds complete the image. Just excellent image. Congratulations! - Lester

Alf, Really just a stunning landscape with great natural color. The bare trees are really beautiful, particularly the lone one. The grasses in the foreground work very well and are a reminder that we aren't looking at a reflection in a mirror, though the water may look as though it is.