Dee Bank Falls

Overcast weather! Blessing or Curse? Your opinions\critiques will be

gratefully received. Best, LM.

Len, I like the center of this image combined with the foreground. What I dislike is the top of the image. I would crop out the blue sky for sure. I wonder about a shallow depth of field and focus on the foreground? Just a thought.....overcast is great for water falls as you have demonstrated. - Sean

Sean, Thanks for your thoughts. I don't usually like patches of sky in these types of shots because I think the bright patches tend to distract; to cause the eye to wander from the main subject. I permitted this one to stay because it's very small, not too bright, (it was overcast) and helps define the context. That said however, I can live without it if I decide to print the shot. I'll consider a crop or even cloning. As for selective DOF, it just isn't going to happen with a Point & Shoot. (lens too short) An interesting thought for the future & a full frame camera though. Always a pleasure to hear from you. Best, LM.

Agree with Sean about the sky. If you look @the trees` growth direction you see the tilt, I would rotate a bit clockwise (excludes the sky patch, nice side effect). Not sure about the crop. RHS ? Depends, would like to see the original. Light is ok for me, probably better than sunlight

Carsten, Far be it for me to ignore the advice of such heady company. :-) My feeble attempts to justify the image as is have fallen on deaf ears I fear. And rightly so. I agree with you & Sean. I offer my original file and my new one following your suggestions. The new one is clearly superior! Thanks for your participation in this 'intervention' to keep me on the straight and narrow. Always a pleasure to hear from you too. Best, LM.

My new offering. (and probably the way I'll print it). Best, LM.

Hey Len!So glad you offered us a view at the original. I find it more a more appealing composition due to the expanse of water in the background and that very picturesque tree . The first thing I did to it was sharpen it. I thought that I was loosing my eyesight ;-), then created a duplicate layer which I lightened with levels then I used the eraser tool on the original over some spots like the waterfall, some trees and the white patches on the rocks,as well as the water in the background.This seemed to give those areas a boost of light.This is a beautiful spot, do you go there often?

Kim, Well now I'm really undecided. Originally I thought the bald rock, lower left, did not anchor the shot well, thus the crop. On second glance though your observations have merit. Perhaps I'll have to print both versions. To provide the original file I only sized it for the web with no other adjustments including sharpening. This was the first time for me at this location but I'm sure it won't be the last. Should be interesting about the second week in Oct. Thanks for your thoughts & efforts. You've given me much food for thought. Best, LM.