Tremblant VI (2014) - Quebec

I see two very good photos in here Tony.

a) The upper 2/3
b) The lower 2/3

Strangely enough, for my eyes the 3/3 lead to a less balanced image.

Keep on shooting.

Tony, my first thought when I saw the picture was it's interesting because it's unusual "less balanced".

Michail - thanks for your insightful comments. This was an image taken last year and when I spot something of interest, I try to take a portrait version just in case some magazine wants it for their front cover (I can always dream). The one I posted last year is here is a different composition and it was my preferred choice.   All the best and keep on shooting,

Franz - Thanks. The reason I put images into "Critique only" is to get reactions and it can help  me along as I try to better understand aesthetics from different perspectives. Many say that if you follow a rule of thirds, an image has more appeal. This one is subtly a rule of thirds with a little stretch. The bottom third has leaves and no striations. The next 2/3rds has striations and reflections. If you take it on the basis of monotone gold  vs the multicolor then it gets a sense of being 'off balance'.

In the end, the question is do most people including myself, like it or not?  

Tony, I didn't think about the "rule of thirds". I thought about the dominating diagonal on top. When you take the lower 2/3 you get a nice photo. But in my opinion it would be less interesting. I hope you understand my bad english.

Regards

Franz

I have seen and commented your "Tremblant V". They are similar, they can't be captured at a glance, you need to discover them going back and forth.

What is gathered at a glance is the contrast between the two zones, the main graphic footprint, and then you go more deep and discover other things.

And this doesn't bother me. I find this shot well balanced, monochromatic in the lower part, with strongly contrasting colors in the upper one. The only remark could be that the blue water splitting the composition should be better positioned, if possible, with respect to the submerged leaves (but I'm not sure....).

Keep on discovering your own style!

P.S.: Wow! Very interesting the comparison with the other version. That composition is much more interesting and, above all, less saturated colors give more brightness (RGB saturation?...) and make the transition with the blue water more polite. I think there is also something with the "landscape" orientation, that, together with less saturation, make everything more restful, more comfortable for the eye.

Your English is very good. I wish I could mathematically analyze an image to determine it's likability but that would take away the fun of getting varied opinions.  Thanks for revisiting.

Many thanks for your insightful comments which I find very useful. There is not much I can do with this shot now but I will be returning to this spot in a few weeks and I will certainly keep your thoughts in mind when I am looking to capture different subject matter in the autumn.  I am spoiled living in the North East of North America where maple leaf tree produce incredible color. It is a challenge to come up with something new each year. Even if i can't, I still enjoy all of the color that this time of year produces.

PS it is always possible to find softer colors in fall as you can see here

All the best,

Hi Tony,  This is another nice abstract.  I relate to Michail's comment about seeing two images here, but also like this as it is.  The changes in ripples seem to be the central elements of this image for me.  Larry

Larry Thanks.

:--)) !