Veils of Derwent (View Large)

Dawn at Derwent water and it was flat calm Yay!! The first time this year

I think I've encountered a lake with no breeze. There was a nice mist

and some sky definition So the only question for me was do I include

the foreground boulders? ......Well I took some with and some without.

Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated. Thank You.

Alf,  This is a beautifully composed and exposed image.  This gives me a  soothing and very pleasant feeling.

Sam

Alf, Fantastic landscape. the wait for the calmness was well worth it. The image with th emorroring and the reflections is so well composed, the rocks in the foreground break it up. the only way I would change it would be to crop the image so the rock in the right side in the water and the peak of the mountain on the right side were taken out (somewhere near where Bailey is in the artists title) Just my opinion though, Great work Best regards richard

I could only say this is an art work.  Just learning from you.  Love your pictures.  Enjoy watch them.  Best regards,

Nice moody image Alf.  I really like the depth of this image which is accentuated by the varying visibility. Lovely reflection.  This is one sublime location...  My only minor nit is that the stones in the foreground form a line parallel to the frame which is a bit static but that is in line with the peacefulness of the image. On the other hand it does seems to act as a slight virtual barrier to the rest of the image.  But as i said this is really a very small nit, it's a splendid image.  Regards - michel

Gorgeous shot Alf! I like the way the foreground stones are  echoed by the islands in the midground. Lovely mood compliments of the calm air, and the mist rising from the water. Glad you finally got some windless photo time!

All the best,
Neil

Really beautiful work with very nice lighting, Alf!

With best regards,

Ruud.

Beautiful landscape, the boulders in the foreground play and important element in the shot. I think the boulders give clarity in the foreground against the soft misty background also they help to give added depth to the shot.

Regards....John

Holo Alf. Excelente panorámica, las piedras en primer plano da una gran profundidad. Te felicito.

Un cordial saludo, Joaquin.

Excellent composition and capture .The boulders look as though they are floating.

Regards,

TSR

Amazing clarity Alf! I don't know why, but the image gives me a bit of a 'shiver'....but not in a 'spooky' way. I think because it is so clear, it seems I am there. The refelctions are just beautiful and everything seems to meet right in the centre. It's almost as if my eyes start at the lovely detail of the rocks in the foreground and then are taken into the photo, and I'm almost beconed to travel to t he centre in the far distance.

I'm so happy you got this capture! and in sharing it, for some reason it has touched me very deeply. Perhaps that is what true 'beauty'  and excellent photography really is.

My kindest regards, Gail

Nice capture! Composition is excellent and i agree with inclusion of boulders, it definitly improves the scene. Clarity, sharpness, details and light/color set are perfect. I suggest only to "clean" rightmost  small boulder, which do nothing in this beautiful scenery.

ps.

Why do you upload such big size original-sized image in this site. It have two drawbacks: in clicking on it, it enlarges beyond most monitor boundaries, and secondly there is some possibilities of downloads and misuse. In my experience, a size of 950 px in largest dimentions is a good size, preserving details and definition. Just a humble suggestion, dear friend!

My best regards,

Hamid.

Such a beautiful view!! I love it.

Best regards.

Alf,

  Beautiful image with wonderful colors, reflection & composition.  Thanks for sharing.  Take care, Patsy

For me, the presence of the stones provide better dimensionality to the image. The reflection fills up the midground making the whole scene peaceful and dramatic. Beautiful landscape, Alf.

Best regards! - Lester

Comments in response to your question about cropping out the foreground stones. This is not a yes or no, it is comments on the consideration.

1 Scenic photographs that have a distinct foreground, middle ground and background have a much greater illusion of depth. In this photograph the foreground stones serve that purpose very well.

2 From Gestalt psychology we know a couple of things that apply to this photograph. First, the eye/mind is attracted to objects of similar shapes in a photograph. We tend to mentally "group" objects of similar shapes. In this case you have similar shapes between the foreground rocks and the mid ground islands which adds movement to your photograph by keeping the eye moving between the two--examining the "group." This is a good thing that creates excitement and viewer involvement within a photographic image. Secondly it is also known that the mind/eye tends to see objects placed in a close proximity to each other as a single object—this is particullarly true and is heightened if the objects have similar shapes--this happens between the "group" of foreground rocks. The tendency is to see the five/six rocks as a single entity. Placing a barrier near the foreground of a photograph also tends to block the accessibility of the viewer to enter into the photograph. In the case of this photograph the barrier effect is not excessive—compare this to a photograph of a solid fence with no opening running across the area where the rocks are located. The fence would be an extremely strong barrier making it much more difficult for the viewer to enter into the image. You do have breaks between the rocks which serve the same purpose as a gateway or an opening in a fence to allow entryway to the viewer. So in this photograph the viewer does have access to your mid and background but there is a hesitation created by the line of foreground rocks. Had the rocks been angled or had they been at varying distances from the camera they most likely would have served to pull the viewer’s eye into the frame much better and would be a very effective addition to your photograph.

Pros, cons, only the photographer can decide which is the most important. I will say this; if you remove the rocks the scenic will be very flat, putting all the responsibility of creating depth which is very important in a scenic on the aerial perspective between the islands and between the two range of hills—both of which are very far away. The excitement of movement within the photograph will cease to exist. The image would not be nearly as dynamic without the rocks in spite of the minimal problem they create as a barrier. Just some thoughts hope they help.

Some may disagree with the statement about cropping the rocks, saying that they have seen quite effective photographs that rely strictly on aerial perspective. I have seen such photograph but they rely more on design and graphic rather than on telling the story of a landscape as you are doing here.

There is a secondary effect of the rocks that I find very interesting in this photograph—they seem almost to be floating on the water. Since you have not included any indication of a shoreline the water appears to continue endlessly toward the viewer as though the viewer is standing in the water observing the scene. As a personal opinion it is a beautiful photograph and as previous critiques have mention, very peaceful and a pleasure to view.

So much been said here and this beautiful image of this peaceful and relaxing place deserve it all, superb lighting of your brought the best out of this sense and so the slow shutter speed effect along with the clouded sky reflections played a major in having this work stand up in top gear.

Thank you for sharing it and wishing you all of the best.

there are many comments to an impressive photo already: Gary summarized effect of shapes and composition perfectly. Michael has a point concerning the line of stones in parallel to lower edge of photo. However, I think that with extending the photo to the right (so not cropping the single stone and peak on the right hand side like Richard proposed) you're escaping a too static (and boring) composition.

Hello Alf,

Congratulations on a beautiful picture.  There has a lot been said already, I just might repeat some. 

I think the boulders create a foreground in the picture and create depth.  The other strong point is that you have several points of interest: the boulders, the two islands and the area in the more or less center of the image.  This creates a dynamic in the pictures. 

The reflections adds to the strength.

Well Done,

Ben

Hello Alf,

Me again.  I have been studying this image a bit more in details.  There is something bothering me a bit.  I think it is the noise.  I downloaded the large image and did some tests with Dfine noise reduction, and Viveza. 

I think that might even result in an even stronger image. 

Best regards,

Ben

Very beautiful, Alf..! A pleasure to view indeed. I too like the impact the boulders have on the overall composition and feeling of the photograph. Maybe it is the absence of breeze and /or the overall effect and clarity of the reflections, but the photo conveys somewhat of a static mood (and I don't mean this in a bad sense at all :-).  At first glance the boulders appear almost to be floating 'in space' (or on water that is)...  I almost tend to look at the photo as something of an abstract landscape of sorts...Connecting the dots ( the boulders) to the other two dots (islets with trees) beyond... I particularly like the soft bluish & pink color hues of the distant landscape & reflections against that of the deep golden/brown of the boulders. (PS: I personally wouldn't crop anything of the RHS..)  Best regards to you, Marjolein

Great shot, Alf.
The reflections in the water and especially the stones in the foreground that gives depth to the image.

Best regards
Eystein

Not that numbers mean anything here anymore.  Like a Japanese Stone Garden.   Superb superb superb.  Replaces "South-Stack-Blues-" in my "Favorites" folder.  best, j

Alf, this is top composition, I love the balance you have achieved my eye is drawn into castle crag with that great reflection.

The FG rocks giving the image great depth I assume you took this from the istimus.

Rich.

Ps I replied to your comment.

Yes, the inclusion of the boulders in the foreground definitely made this photo a masterpiece...which makes you a master in landscape shots.

Thanks for commenting on mine.