Laura Weishaupt

Wayne,

I like this...a lot. There is a gentle pull into the lower left frame, followed by an easy breezy movement through the forest. I'm carried to the canopy and then, float out of the upper right with the leaves. It's the same sensation as when a leaf flows in a stream, circles around in an eddy, then slips out, and on its way. The image is dreamy and rich with color that all seems to have a purpose, and is as it should be. I've been here before. Thanks for making it easy to get back. All I have to do is look at this image and I'm there.

Hello Morgan,

You've probably found that this kind of photography is not the easiest. You have a mixed result. Lets start with what works. You have very nice snowflakes here. That's 1/2 the task, IMHO. There is nice contrast. Crystalline structures are clear, even though some of the ends are starting to degrade/melt.  The little shaft of blue is attractive. I wish there were more of this.

OK, what doesn't work so well? No matter how hard I look, I can't find a pixel in focus. This may be due to the 4 second exposure. That's long enough for a flake to begin melting before your eyes. It could be that you didn't have it in focus to begin with. If you were outside, it doesn't take much of a breeze to move a flake. Whatever the cause, it hurts the image. I mentioned nice contrast and that helps the crystals, but you have some blown hi-lights. They are distracting, instead of being a brilliant and attractive element. That's hard to get.

How about next time? Work on focus and lighting. Are you using live view? Keep everything as absolutely cold as possible. You're off to a very good start here, so don't give up.

Best regards,

Laura

Curtis,

When I saw this image on the front page of pnet, I was immediately taken in. Thank you for providing a large version of the image. I love this, and the more I look at it, the more I like it.

Most of the images in your portfolio are full of bold lines. This one is also, but there is an airiness here that is created by the pastel pallet and the way light is framed. The greens against the gray is sumptuous. I'm pulled right in to explore the light across the middle of the frame. It's a nice place to look around.

Slight nits that I would pick are the tree on the left side of the frame. I don't think it weakens the image, but it doesn't add to it either. It may have been unavoidable. The dark heap at the waters edge is a bit of a distraction, but it too may have been unavoidable. These are things to think about.

It's a very nice image in a location that I would want to spend time in, especially with a camera. Thank you for doing so and sharing a fine result.

Best Wishes,

Laura

Glenn,

Congratulations on a well deserved POTD. I'm surprised there aren't any other comments. I love the moody feel. The snow on the branches made me look at the details for the date. It must have been chilly and the sky has that after the storm look.  Really nice.

Hi Scott,

Very nice work on the stacking. Also a nice subject for this technique. I particularly like the crisp light radial striations on top of the caps and the blackening thin gills on the bottoms. It's all playing well and in nice balance. The background and foreground colors are quite complimentary. Very well done.

Wonderful POD. So much is left completely to the viewers imagination. Is the fog descending or lifting, or are the storm clouds gathering? Is the rider good or evil, or neither. Is the tree a landmark on the way home or a place to rest? Maybe it's the dueling tree and the other rider is yet to arrive. Anything is possible here. It's an amazing image.

As said before, forget the numbers in ratings. The better numeric value is the number of people who are inspired by your photography. That number is high. Keep getting up early. We love what happens when you do.

Best,

Laura

Tony, this is a lovely result from deep in the weeds. The blue in the background makes it for me. It bears your distinctive signature with light. Sooo well done.

Best Wishes,

Laura

I completely agree with your statement. I love the silky soft light and the bit of glisten adds nice texture. I also appreciate the placement of focus. The petals flow in and out, but the veins pull it all together. It's a lovely adventure.

Best,

Laura

I agree with the crop suggestion, but the subject needs to be in better focus. A slight breeze or a little camera movement can push your subject out of the focal plane. You also might need to stop down some if your lens is a bit soft at f5 at 300mm. Yes, there are many nice elements here. Pretty soft light and a good separation of the butterfly/moth from the background is all in your favor. The background is complimentary. Have fun with it and keep working at it.

Best Wishes,

Laura

Hi Robert,

I'm going a bit against the grain here as this doesn't work for me. It feels like 2 separate images (the young lady/tree and the waterfall) that don't really compliment one another. The tree in the middle and the blown highlights are preventing me from appreciating the qualities that others see. The young lady looks a bit contrived, but only because it seems like she's in another location physically.

I do agree with taking the image at a better time of day, earlier or later, and bracketing. Can you return to the location easily? Take a look at your camera settings. That's a long exposure for this much light and f25 isn't helping. Is this how you want the water to look? Give that idea some thought. A faster shutter speed will stop the water. That would give it a lighter airier feel, which would be more in tune with her expression. It would also show more of the structure of the waterfall. There's a lot there that is hidden by the curtain. What is she becoming one with in her meditation? For me, if she were better framed in the image with the waterfall, she would not appear to be somewhere else.

Beyond the technical matters, my comments are purely subjective. I think you have some fine elements here, and a very nice location to work with. I hope you can return to it and try some of the suggestions offered all around.

Best Wishes,

Laura

Tony,

Aren't trash bags wonderful? When I first saw this in the Nature forum I was smitten by the soft colors. I love the simplicity of the scene. Thanks for sharing it.

I saw this while looking for another image in the "Color" contest. It pulled me in immediately. I love the combination of technical execution and creative vision. Well done. 7

Condolences for the loss of your friend. The light is incredible, perhaps a memorial of its own kind. The image will, no doubt, always have special meaning for you. Thank you for sharing the moment and the beauty at hand.

Best Wishes,

Laura

Very pretty. The wispy clouds seem to become part of the tree tops. It conveys cold. Well done.

Is there such a thing as too much Star Wars and/or Star Trek? No way. Your fine image is proof.

Gordon,

I've been looking at this since you posted it for critique. The image is captivating in every way. It strikes me as a masterful combination of ingredients provided by nature, thoughtful and skillful post work, and your own creative vision.

Every line here seems to have multiple purpose. It almost looks like there are flowers in the upper left corner and a couple of other places. Was the puddle rimmed in clear ice? The lines coming from mid left to lower right corner of the frame remind me of concentric layers of crystal clear ice. I like the level of contrast. Much more and it would start to look sinister, but here, the image is light and inviting with leaf and tree details intact.  Each corner of the frame seems to have a different perspective, a quality of water reflections that you've used with the framing to amazing advantage.

Best seen large size to fully appreciate. Beautiful, inspirational work. Thanks for sharing.

What a bright bold and cheery image. Perfect for X-Mas Eve. Congratulations on the POTD. It's well deserved. Merry Christmas Christal!

Best Wishes

Laura

Beautiful. The reflection is subtle. The interplay of rime ice with veins in the leaves is nicely captured. The dark background is like winter yet to come. Well seen and done.

Hannu,

First, please look at the genus Leccinum for your identification. This is not Boletus edulis. :-)

You have some very nice qualities in the image. I like the proportion and the lighting on the mushroom. The stipe is crisp and the dark scabers are clear. Those scabers are what make this a Leccinum. It's also good that we can see the underside of the cap.

There are a couple of things that can be improved. You've shot this at f4, and chose the outside edge of the cap for focus. This gets the stipe in focus, but the front of the cap is out and that is distracting. You can remedy this by stopping down to at least f8 and bring your focus forward a bit. There is a nice amount of texture in the cap and it would be good to see it.

The background is nice, but is a bit bright and is almost distracting. This may be personal taste.

Overall it's quite nice.

Warm Regards,

Laura

Laurent,

I like this. So often we opt for the pristine samples, but here you chose a little beauty that is past its prime. The color is still bright and cheery and the shallow dof keeps the image from becoming too cluttered. Even though it's a little wrinkled and worn, you brought out the best of its qualities.

Warm Regards,

Laura

John,

I'm more aware of LGBT matters than you give me credit for. But a photo critique is about the photo and the way it speaks to any viewer. If a picture is worth a thousand words, are those words to only come from one direction?

John,

Street photography is not my genre, so I may see things from a different perspective.....and then maybe not. The viewer is to look at the incoming foot/shoe and see all that it brings to the image as a woman's shoe because you say it is. Due respect, but do you only want me to see it from your POV?

From where I sit, it could just as easily be a man in those heels. Maybe that's what has got the attention of the cabbie. Perhaps he is the cabbies date and is late to a scheduled rendezvous. Maybe the cabbie is thinking, "Ohhh, there he is...at last". Maybe the cabbie has his toes flexed in excitement. He doesn't look bored to me, but rather a guy with peeked interest, ready to move. Goodness knows what's going in the back seat because we can't see in. We can't see into any of the buildings windows either. What I can't see is what I find interesting. The person on the other end of the foot is only one of those things.

The car door being the only open item in the image is an opening for the imagination. That would be my re-evaluation.

Best Regards,

Laura

Congratulations on POTD. This is a departure from other images in the portfolio, but still has the distance about it. The images leave a lot to the imagination while being pleasing to the eye.

Wayne,

I understand better now. Thanks.