Mist on the Lake

[Dan Cope]

I was hiking around this lake before sunrise the other morning looking for something that might make a nice composition. There wasn’t much there in the way of foreground subject material (unless, of course, you like old bottles or cans etc. for your foreground 🙂 I personally prefer something else!!) I found this clump of goldenrod near the waters edge and it seemed to stand out as something with potential. But alas, it was one of those times when I got home and put the photos on my computer and was disappointed. The chosen foreground subject seemed to just sort of blend in with the rest of the grass etc., instead of standing out as a strong element. Anyhow, I tried to enhance the colors and contrast just enough to make it stand out without overdoing it. Let me know what you think!

12mm
f/11
1/60
ISO 100

Attachments:

1. 

[James Staddon]

Dan, I love this picture. It is so well thought out. All the elements “belong”, if you know what I mean. The shape of the golden rod fits just perfectly with reflection of the hills, the lines all lead the eye into the picture, and it just has the right balance somehow. Add to all this the pleasant elements that you didn’t have control of, like the golden light and the mist on the lake, and you’ve got a winner shot!

To fix the problem of the golden rod not standing out, I would take the brush tool to the surrounding area in Lightroom. Brush in some “underexposure”. You might also want to play around with various effects in Photoshop to get the golden areas in the golden rod to not be “washed out”.

I’ve attached a before/after shot where I had the same problem as you did here, and how the brushing made it pop better.

Attachments:

1. 
2. 

[Dan Cope]

Thanks James! That’s a great technique, and something I will definitely keep in mind! Here’s how it looks after applying your suggestions.

Attachments:

1. 

[James Staddon]

So sweet!

[Author]

Posts