Fall creek

Madeleine,

I'm not sure if what I'm going to say is really a critique or not, but it relates directly to your image.  Your shot caught my eye because I, too, have lately been experimenting a lot with water and slow shutter speeds and the thought crossed my mind as I reviewed my images: 'This is really neat and perhaps even beautiful, but what makes it unique among all the other slow-shutter speed water images out there?'  I was about to post a bunch of what I thought were pretty cool shots on my Photo.net site and then decided not to.  I put a few up, but even these I think are lacking.  So, maybe you and I might be going through a similar phase in our growth as photographers?  I think I have come to the conclusion that it is fairly easy to get a misty water shot as long as you use a tripod and experiment with various shutter speeds...but, to make it into a truly great water shot, I think there has to be an added element--unusual patterns in the water, an unusual composition or location, unique lighting, an unusual story told, an unusual center-of-attention other than the water, to mention a few possible things.  So, now I look at streams with an even more critical eye--'Yeah, I could unfold the tripod and do a slow speed water shot here, but what would be unique about it?  Are there any of the added special elements present?'  If not, I may take a few shots, but mainly for practice.  One of these days, the lighting, the composition, the elements will all come together for me and I'll get something special...I hope! I think, in the final analysis, it comes down to refining our "eye" and our vision as photographers...we often need to concentrate more on that specific part of the image that attracted us in the first place...refine the vision...refine the vision...refine the vision (mantra here).  Aaaahhh, it is such a long journey.  Anyway, that's my take.  If you want purely a technical critique of your image (as opposed to philosophical blathering!) I would say this...Maybe try increasing the exposure a bit.  On my monitor at least, the water looks a bit greyish and I don't see a lot of detail in the dark areas of the rocks.  I think you got the sutter speed about right--although you might experiment with something slightly shorter to retain a bit more detail in the water (a critique I constantly get of my images!).  Good luck! 

Daniel Jorder said it very very well, much better than I can.  So I'll just say that I echo his remarks which were highly useful to me as well.  

Regards,

Doug Olsen

I identify miself with Daniel Joder's feelings, and I could have not come closer to express my own experiences trough words and much less trough my photos.

However I love the picture. It seats me there and I can actually almost heard the water.