[Louieb]

Greetings All,

Please critique my image, a simple landscape scene over a small bridge, on a rather misty morning.
What could I have done better or differently?
Thanks in advance!

Regards,
Louie.

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[ProfessorBuzz]

That's a hard one - there's so much I like in that photo - I like this misty haze in the distance, and it's an interesting scene.
Some ideas - maybe worth experimenting with.
- step right up to the railings, and shoot between them, so they are out of the scene entirely.
- try to make the framing of the distant tree in the centre assymmetrical, following the line from the tree at the right, down toward the left shore.
- maybe shoot it from a few steps to the right, and elimate the left post.
- crop the left post out
- crop out the railings and posts entirely, just make the tree on the left shore the centre of attention
- crop out the base of the posts or maybe the front top edge near the foreground weeds
I think you have the essence here, just try a few things and see how you like it.

[grog85361]

This has a wonderful painterly feel, until you get to the weeds and drain at the bottom. Cropping those out, or, as has been suggested by Prof Buzz, step forward a little would help a lot. I would leave the railings in, they are a good foreground element. Overall, well done!

[angkymac]

Wow! If I could find landscapes like this regularly!
Great shot as it is.
But to improve, as was already suggested try some different things.
But I notice that all the suggestions have to do with the foreground, and that is where you can do your best improvements.
The mid and distant areas really, for me, tell the story. The foreground supports that, so variations there should not harm the mid or distant.
One possible slight change might be to slightly increase contrast in just the sky
Looking at it again, I can say that I keep wanting to see more of the stream in the foreground; it looks interesting but obscured right in the most interesting part. But that is only a personal quirk I have.
Keep shooting--love this shot as is.
Angky

[Louieb]

That's a hard one - there's so much I like in that photo - I like this misty haze in the distance, and it's an interesting scene.
Some ideas - maybe worth experimenting with.
- step right up to the railings, and shoot between them, so they are out of the scene entirely.
- try to make the framing of the distant tree in the centre assymmetrical, following the line from the tree at the right, down toward the left shore.
- maybe shoot it from a few steps to the right, and elimate the left post.
- crop the left post out
- crop out the railings and posts entirely, just make the tree on the left shore the centre of attention
- crop out the base of the posts or maybe the front top edge near the foreground weeds
I think you have the essence here, just try a few things and see how you like it.

Thank you kindly, lots to think about!

---------- Post added 04-21-22 at 07:12 AM ----------

This has a wonderful painterly feel, until you get to the weeds and drain at the bottom. Cropping those out, or, as has been suggested by Prof Buzz, step forward a little would help a lot. I would leave the railings in, they are a good foreground element. Overall, well done!

Thank you, much appreciated!

---------- Post added 04-21-22 at 07:14 AM ----------

Wow! If I could find landscapes like this regularly!
Great shot as it is.
But to improve, as was already suggested try some different things.
But I notice that all the suggestions have to do with the foreground, and that is where you can do your best improvements.
The mid and distant areas really, for me, tell the story. The foreground supports that, so variations there should not harm the mid or distant.
One possible slight change might be to slightly increase contrast in just the sky
Looking at it again, I can say that I keep wanting to see more of the stream in the foreground; it looks interesting but obscured right in the most interesting part. But that is only a personal quirk I have.
Keep shooting--love this shot as is.
Angky

Thanks so much, good suggestions!

[35mmfilmfan]

I like it very much as it is too - I feel the railings give support and framing to the lower part of the image, and without them the eye would tend to follow the stream and 'flow' out of the image. To me, the central tree works well, as it is situated at the bend on the stream, so just as the stream disappears from view, a fresh element is added, which also leads to and connects with the woodland in the distance. The 'drain' in the concrete of the bridge parapet also indicates from where some of the water in the stream emanates, as excess water is drained from the road. The overall mistiness of the scene also gives it a slightly 'other-worldly' feel of mystery. I don't often critique other people's work, but this one really appeals - I can see it printed large and displayed on a living room wall.

[Louieb]

I like it very much as it is too - I feel the railings give support and framing to the lower part of the image, and without them the eye would tend to follow the stream and 'flow' out of the image. To me, the central tree works well, as it is situated at the bend on the stream, so just as the stream disappears from view, a fresh element is added, which also leads to and connects with the woodland in the distance. The 'drain' in the concrete of the bridge parapet also indicates from where some of the water in the stream emanates, as excess water is drained from the road. The overall mistiness of the scene also gives it a slightly 'other-worldly' feel of mystery. I don't often critique other people's work, but this one really appeals - I can see it printed large and displayed on a living room wall.

Thank you 35mmfilmfan, appreciate your comments.

[Wheatfield]

I like the image, but there is almost too much happening in it. Is it a picture of the bridge rails or a picture of the very lovely pastoral scene behind it? To be honest, I think the image would be strengthened had you moved closer to the rails and excluded them entirely from the picture. The scene behind the bridge is very strong and stands on it's own just fine.

[Louieb]

I like the image, but there is almost too much happening in it. Is it a picture of the bridge rails or a picture of the very lovely pastoral scene behind it? To be honest, I think the image would be strengthened had you moved closer to the rails and excluded them entirely from the picture. The scene behind the bridge is very strong and stands on it's own just fine.

Thank you Wheatfield, I think that I agree!

[veraser]

Fog is always mystical in nature, but you should decide what you want to convey to viewer. As for now you applied three main objects:
- fog
- tree
- bridge

You might make several different shots depending to your likes (meaning your visions). The scenery was laden with good ideas. Wheatfield was correct - you should balance only two things, not these three - they are __not__ complementary here.

I shold stop here, but a few words would help to understand my position.

What about making the tree a main object with a pinch of existing fog, just recalling nostalgic times?
or
The stone bridge has a Mayan style, it's damn heavy. It'd be wonderfully expressed too, but alone and supported by gloomy English moor aspects. Maybe.
Anyway, you presented a good food for thinking, thanks for your lesson. Yes, your picture was teaching me.

[ashurbanipal]

Wonderful image! I rather like it as-is, for these reasons:

1. The bridge railing in the foreground provides a nice (half-) frame for the middle ground, especially the central tree.
2. The concrete contrasts nicely with the rest of the scene: man-made and straight lines against the organic nature of the river and natural landscape. Without it, the image is almost too painting-like (nothing wrong with images like that, but those are far more common whereas this is unusual and thus more interesting).
3. The grass/weeds and drain at the bottom of the image repeat in microcosm the natural/man-made contrast mentioned above.
4. The darker area on the right contrasts with the lightness of the sky at left.

All of those factors to give the image staying power. It's striking enough at first glance, but further examination just deepens my appreciation of the scene; much like I suspect I would have felt had I been walking along the bridge and saw it in person. The longer I look at it the more I like it; images like this are true gems, in my opinion.

The only thing I'd be tempted to try is a slight color adjustment. On my screen it seems just a tad yellowish, I'd try to tone that down just a little bit to see if I'd like that better or not.

Thanks for sharing this lovely capture!

[NatureHike]

Just wanted to say, I really like it with the railing. It's interesting and unique (missing top rail), which to me makes the photo interesting and unique. I also think it makes it a picture of "this is what it was like to walk across this bridge next to a beautiful stream and field early one morning" vs "here is a beautiful stream and field".