Rivers and Streams

A really lovely image. We can see the artist has used a long exposure to make their image. Not only do we have a beautiful softness to the flowing water but we also have movement in the leaves of the trees. The artist has also resisted the temptation to over saturate the colours during their processing of the image. This is a big plus in my book. The exposure is also perfect and they have retained detail in the water without over exposing the brighter areas.

Where I feel the image could be improved is in terms of its composition. I don't feel the artist fully knew what they felt was the most important part of the scene. We have an area of bank side on the left of the frame and a waterfall has been cut off on the right side. We also have a small bright area of water in the bottom right along with, what looks like tree branches. This all tends to give the impression of a lot of compromises being made. Photography is all about compromises as rarely are we presented with the perfect composition. We need to move around a scene, try different focal lengths, zoom in, zoom out, different camera orientations, different heights until we can distill a pleasing composition within the frame of our camera. This isn't easy and takes great skill, lots of experience and a lot of trial and error. I would advise this artist and others to carefully analyse the scene, establish what is the most important feature of it. Then find a way to isolate this by excluding everything that is unnecessary from our composition. It may take some creativity and employing a few of the techniques I mentioned above.

The artist has demonstrated that they possess the skill to make a great image, I think they just need to refine their compositional skills. When they have done that I am sure their images will be in the Top 10.

Like a few of the successful images in this competition I really enjoy the limited colour palette in this photograph. The blue/green of the river contrasts superbly against the white snow of the landscape. The white/green colour of the water as it flows over the falls blends the 2 colours together in a really natural or organic way. This leaves the viewers with a sense of calmness as everything within the image harmonises. My only slight concern is the really bright area in the centre of the frame. This area is so bright it drags the eye away from the falls which should be the area that the viewers attention is focused on.

Reflections in water are a very good subject for us photographers. I commend this artists for trying to capture them. Unfortunately with such a high standard of images entered in to this competition this image was awarded a Merit. I feel it is a good candidate for some constructive feedback that may help the artist, and others to improve their image making. When taking relatively long exposures we need our camera to remain stationary, if we have a good tripod now is the time to use it. If not then rest our camera on a bridge parapet. When making our exposure use the timer facility on our camera. This means we can start the exposure process, step away from our camera giving it change to settle before it makes the exposure. Both these steps will ensure our images are free of any camera shake. Next I would focus manually and turn off auto focus. There are plenty of lights on the bridge ahead of us, so use our cameras 'live view' to zoom in on part of the bridge and manually adjust our lens to achieve a sharp image. Finally I would have chosen to make this image earlier in the evening, at a time we call crossover lighting. This is when the artificial lights in our image are around the same intensity (or brightness) as the ambient light. By making our exposure at this time we will be able to capture detail in the street lights and maintain details in our shadow areas.

I would urge the artist to read up on the techniques I have discussed then go out and try making the image again. I am sure you will amaze yourself at what you can achieve.

A worthy winner of the competition. I really enjoy the limited colour palette, white, green and red really work well together. The exposure time of 1/3 second is just long enough to blur the water a little to give us the sense of a raging torrent. This contrasts wonderfully well with the serene, snowy landscape to give us both drama and relaxation in the same composition.

A very simple looking image yet it has taken great skill to create it. I am not usually one who slavishly follows the so called rules of composition but it can help us compose our images in a pleasing manner. One rule is the 'rule of 1/3s', where we split our composition into 3 sections both horizontally and vertically. We then strive to place our main subject at the intersection of these 1/3s. Here the artist has placed the bear on (or very close to) the top left intersection. This then gives plenty of free space around the main subject which causes our eye to be drawn up to the bear. Another so called rule is 'leading lines', these are suggested lines in our image which draw the viewers eye through the image. Here we have a very clear line formed by the edge of the water fall which runs from bottom left to top right of frame. Our eye naturally follows this line through the image, we can enjoy the turbid water on the right and the relatively still water in the top left. As our eye wanders up and down this diagonal line we are constantly drawn back to the main subject (the bear) who has been skilfully positioned on this line. A very technically superb image, well done.

A stunningly dramatic image. The use of a wide angle lens accentuates the foreground and the stream as it gushes down to the lake. The artist wanted to capture elements that didn't fit into the standard 20mm landscape format frame. So they cleverly turned their camera in to portrait mode and took enough images to capture the scene as they wanted it to be presented to their audience. They stitched these frames together to give us the image we see before us. This is an excellent technique and enables us to use longer focal lengths and still maintain that wide perspective. It also demonstrates exceptional image processing skills with subtle enhancements being made throughout the entire image. These enhancements really lift the image without reducing the quality.

I love the perspective the artist has given us. By placing the camera low down, close to the surface of the river gives the viewer the feeling that we are 'in' the river. 'Feelings' or emotions are what we as photographers are trying to generate in those who look at our art. If we can evoke those feelings in the minds of those who view our images we then take our photographs to the next level. Our images may not be the best from a technical point of view but they create a lasting impression in those who view them.

I would love to ask the artists about this image as I believe it is a composite image. An image where the falls comprise one image and the aurora comprises another image. Then the two exposers are blended together in an image processing application. Why do I believe this? Well I would expect some green from the aurora to be reflected in the water.

If indeed this is a blended image then it demonstrates to us what can be achieved with some imagination and skill. Obviously the artist wasn't born with this skill, it is something that has been developed over time through hard work. This level of skill isn't beyond any of us, the internet is a great resource to find and learn the basics of the required skills. We just need to practice them over and over again.

Straight shot or a blend it is a really impressive image which makes it stand out.

This is an image I really enjoyed, I just love the detail and patterns the artist has managed to capture in the water. The exposure is spot on for the river. It gives us beautiful detail as the water flows over the rocks and this contrasts wonderfully against the smoother, flatter areas of the river. Then we have the small circle of foam in the foreground which is a real point of interest for the viewer. The base of the image is formed by the bank, it is always a good idea to give our images a base. Something that helps frame our main subject. For me, the foreground isn't in focus and neither is the background. Now this might be just what the artist intended but it is not enough to take the image into the realms of being a 'creative' image. As it stands it just looks as if the artist does not have their focus point correct. This slight issue has prevented it from making our Top 10.

A lovely, dreamy image of a small waterfall. When we view this image we can get a real sense of the location. The misty forest where the silence is only broken by the water cascading over the falls. You can almost feel the fresh air generated by the movement of the water and smell the aroma of damp vegetation. The exposure has been 'nailed' by the artist, managing to retain sufficient detail in the bright areas of water along with the darker, shadow areas of the rocks. I am not normally a lover of artificial placement of colourful leaves in an image but I have to accept that on this occasion it works really well. Without it the image, while still a beautiful image could be a little flat. In among the dark greens of the moss coloured rocks this little splash of colour stands out really well.

This is a very popular photographic location in the English Lake District. Often it is photographed in autumn when the foliage is resplendent in yellow and orange colours. Here the artist has chosen to make his image in late summer, just before the leaves start changing. The image has an HDR feel to it which helps to brighten the darker areas of the scene, the usual downside is that this technique can reduce the contrast in our images. The artist has processed their image really well and presented us with a photograph that is subtly enhanced but just within the bounds of believability. Mosses and water beaten stones are soft, not hard and sharp edged. The image has been slightly over sharpened and it is this minor point that means the image just fails to make our Top 10. This is a location I have visited many times and I am well aware of the difficulties that artist had in reaching this particular viewpoint. A word for the less experienced photographer - no image is worth endangering yourself for. Walking alone, alongside a river, no matter how shallow and perching on moss covered rocks is dangerous. It can be so easy to slip, damage camera gear, break a bone or even drown. So please don't try such images on your own, always go with a friend for safety.

This image had me perplexed as I had not seen anything like it before. The artists tells us that it is 'river braids', which is a network of water channels that form around raised areas of land. As hard as I looked I just could not see anything to justify what the artist was telling us. To me they look more like fronds of weed in a river. I was on the verge of excluding the image from the competition as it didn't comply with the brief. The braids in the image have an almost 3D quality, giving the impression of great depth. Then I found a web site with a number of such images and was forced to accept that I was wrong. Right or wrong I couldn't deny that this was a high quality image, beautifully captured with so much detail. Once I had confirmed that it did fit the competition brief it easily made our Top 10. Congratulations to the artist and my thanks for showing me something new.

This is a striking image. I am sure many viewers will really enjoy it and it may even inspire many photographers to recreate such a scene for themselves. It certainly is a high quality image. The way the river flows away from the viewer and meanders its way out of view is lovely and really leads the viewers eye on a journey. The smoothness of the water contrasts nicely with the banks, rocks and tree trunks. There are just enough highlights in the water to hold the eye in the frame. I do however think the saturation has been over done, to the point the image is starting to look un-natural. A lot of inexperienced photographers use saturation to give added 'pop' to their images believing it can turn an average image into a good image. That rarely is the case. A good image stands or falls on its composition and the emotional attachment it creates with the viewer. The artist who made this image clearly is very competent and has found a good composition. They have captured the scene beautifully with adequate sharpness throughout the image and a perfect exposure. There really is no need to try and push it even further by over using the saturation slider. Trust in your compositional skill to make good and interesting images and ease up on the saturation.

I really like this image, I think the artist has been very clever. The have analysed the scene, determined what they feel is the most interesting element or elements and then excluded everything else. The result is a very brave decision to present their image in letterbox format. Making good images is all about making decisions and compromises. The great Ansel Adams once said "there is nothing worse than a sharp image of a fuzzy concept". What he was meaning is that we need to have courage as a photographer. We need to decide what is important in our image and exclude everything that might be a distraction to our viewers. Here the artist has decided the many falls of water was the interesting feature they wanted to capture. They then used the trees and the foreground to frame their main subject and cropped it in such a way that the foreground and background doesn't confuse the composition. This presents us with a clear view or 'concept' of what the image is about. Well done!

A stunning monochrome image. The long exposure has smoothed out the river which helps draw the eye up to the buildings. The exposure is perfect with the artist retaining detail in both the shadow areas and the highlights. They have made their image on a dull, overcast day which is perfect for ensuring that all shadow and highlight detail can be captured in a single exposure.

They can then sit at their computer and use their editing skills to enhance the details in the RAW file by subtle changes in contrast or maybe a touch of dodging and burning.

So after saying how much I like this image why didn't it make it into the Top 10? The competition is Rivers and Streams, therefore the water element should be the main focal point of the image. Here it plays second fiddle to the buildings which clearly are the main subject. If the competition was monochrome or cityscapes then it might have won the competition. Very well done all the same.