Happy Isles, Yosemite NP

[JohnC]

I have mixed feelings on this one. I very much like the composition. But in order to slow the water the little leaves on the small plant are blurred. The B&W looks better than the color because the blur seems to blend better. Ideally I would prefer no blur on the leaves, but the river was roaring and it was quite windy right there. Even shorter exposures would have blurred the leaves. I'm not sure how this would be viewed by judges or pros. FWIW, this was an 8 second exposure.

 

[AlanLichty]

This didn't work out badly at all.

There are a lot more plants around most of the flowing water in the NW and the wind generated by the moving water can drive you to madness trying to shoot things.

 

[JohnC]

This didn't work out badly at all.

There are a lot more plants around most of the flowing water in the NW and the wind generated by the moving water can drive you to madness trying to shoot things.

Yeah, the wind was mostly just from the flow of the Merced as it was coming down from Vernal Fall. It's not something you can easily explain to someone without experiencing it.

 

[JimFox]

Hey John, I am thinking this looks pretty good! I like the B&W the long shutter speed gives the water a nice look. The little bit of movement in the plant is pretty minimal and doesn’t really bother me, though most times that movement and lack of sharpness does bother me.

Not sure if you do this, but in those conditions I will usually also crank up my iso and take a shot or two that is fast enough to freeze the plant in place. Then that will give me the option of blending and replacing the soft parts of the plant with sharp versions. But in a shot like yours with so much smooth white water, that would not be a real easy task.

 

[JohnC]

Hey John, I am thinking this looks pretty good! I like the B&W the long shutter speed gives the water a nice look. The little bit of movement in the plant is pretty minimal and doesn’t really bother me, though most times that movement and lack of sharpness does bother me.

Not sure if you do this, but in those conditions I will usually also crank up my iso and take a shot or two that is fast enough to freeze the plant in place. Then that will give me the option of blending and replacing the soft parts of the plant with sharp versions. But in a shot like yours with so much smooth white water, that would not be a real easy task.

I guess I should have mentioned I used a 6 stop ND filter. The sun was also behind the clouds for most of the shots I took here. I’ve never taken the time to learn layers and blending and the like. I probably should, but generally speaking, I don’t like spending forever on processing.

I really like that area but it is limited in compositional options due to the trail dead ending right at the banks of the river. Very little room to move.

 

[JimFox]

If you have photoshop John, I have given free photoshop lessons now on multiple occasions, so let me know if you ever want to learn how to use layers and layer masking. It’s pretty easy.

Now of course, your idea of keeping your processing simple and quick is a good one, myself I am too deep into Photoshop, so if I take 2 days processing one photo, it’s just part of the fun for me. But then I am odd... I know...

 

[procam11]

Gorgeous image!

 

[Jim Dockery]

I love the composition and processing, but the softness detracts enough for me that I wouldn't put more effort into it since the tree/bush is the focal point. Jim's idea is great for future efforts. Is this close to you? I have a couple spots like this I revisit and can experiment at.

 

[JohnC]

I love the composition and processing, but the softness detracts enough for me that I wouldn't put more effort into it since the tree/bush is the focal point. Jim's idea is great for future efforts. Is this close to you? I have a couple spots like this I revisit and can experiment at.

I'm with you in that I'm done with it. It is what it is. It's in Yosemite and I go once or twice a year. It is a spot I like to visit but not something I can just pop in for. I may be back for fall colors in late Oct/early Nov, but the conditions will definitely be different. The water will be flowing much more slowly which will obviously reduce the wind but I'm not sure how the water will photograph then. If I go then I will check it out, but I won't be making any special trip for it.

 

[Mike Mancil]

Normally the blur would bother me, but in this case the overall soft feel gives a dreamy atmosphere.

 

[JohnC]

Normally the blur would bother me, but in this case the overall soft feel gives a dreamy atmosphere.

That's the back and forth I have with it. I feel like it isn't bad, but it isn't really what it should be.