Wyaralong Dam

[Geoff M]

I have not posted much lately so here are a few from the weekend. I rose early (4am) on Sunday morning to go to Wyaralong Dam approx. 45 min drive from home with the intention of getting there for dawn and sunrise which was 6.12am. I left home at 4.45 and arrived at the dam at 5.30......but there the plan came unstuck! The dam, operated by SEQ water, was not accessible by road as there is a gate across the road which did not open until 6am. The location where I felt I should be was a further 5km drive and too far to walk in the time I had before sunrise so I just sat in the car and waited for the gate to open. Fortunately at 5.50 the gate opened (on a timer) and I drove the remaining 5kms.

My location made looking at the sunrise across the dam impossible as the road way was at the eastern end of the dam, but as the sun did rise some glorious light fell on the hills beyond and on the other side of the water.





This one is a two image horizontal stitch


Same two image stitch slightly different crop and of course less any colour distraction.

[Remorhaz]

Geoff

The second is glorious - I'm not entirely sold by the weeds on the bottom left - I get that they are a line into the image but in this case I'm not sure they add and I suspect detract. The reflection across the middle and the sky and clouds however are sweet.

The third is also nice (not as much but still very nice) - I do like the colours and light in this one.

I don't think it looks as good in mono

[Murray Foote]

The second one is stunning, but I'm not sure that the balance of the tonalities is right at the top. I think the brightness of the sky at the top is drawing attention away from the trees which are the focus. I think perhaps if you desaturate and reduce contrast in the sky a little so it's a bit more like the reflection and bring up the brightness of the trees that might help. Perhaps cropping down might work also if the trees were brighter.

[zafra52]

I must amit that secon is the winer!

[Geoff M]

Thanks Rodney, Murray and Zaf for your comments.

I have made the suggested adjustments from Murray and have also cropped the edited version to remove the foreground weed. The cropped version seems too 'squashed' now and needs more pixels above to counter balance, but alas there are no more pixels to be had.

[Murray Foote]

I think I prefer it cropped the other way - down even as far as to eliminate the left and central sky.

[Remorhaz]

The cropped version seems too 'squashed' now and needs more pixels above to counter balance, but alas there are no more pixels to be had

Yep - I think you're right - looking at the two together the weed version has the depth to balance the sky. Maybe a crazy crop to just below the reflection of the trees so the horizon line is pushed more obviously towards the bottom of the frame?

[zafra52]

I liked the original, but I think the second version
with the floating grass is an improvement.