help choosing a picture?

[tomicogs]

hey all, looking for opinions.

There's a little photo contest I'd like to enter for winter pics that depict PA fly fishing. And since I picked up a new camera over the holidaze, my first DSLR, I've been trying to get a decent enough photo to throw into the ring over the last few weeks. Been out on some snowy brookie streams with the tripod and using the time elapse to get the shots and am just now learning to tinker with the RAW format. I've got it narrowed down to two shots I think, looking for opinions on them, otherwise I might just flip a coin to decide which to submit. thanks.

1:

2:


Here are some of the other shots...

[gretch6364]

The last couple of scenics are cool, but for one that depicts fly fishing, I like the last one the best.

What part of PA do you fish in? I know the middle of the state has some really classic streams, but am wondering if there are any good small streams in North Western PA. I only took up fly fishing after moving out to CO, but my parents have a camp just north of Dubious in a little gated community. I get up there once a year or so and would like to bring my fiberglass 3wt next time.

My past experience with fishing for trout in PA is the game commission stocking trout and everyone catching them all and taking them home after the season has been open for a month.

Thanks for sharing the pictures! Reminds me of deer hunting in the "big woods" and sitting under hemlocks!

[systemoverblow'd]

Of the first two, I like the second the best. I know the first one is more traditional but it just doesn't do much for me. But honestly, the body position in both I don't really like.

The rest of your pics are pretty good IMHO. A little heavy handed on the softening and vignetting for my tastes, but you're doing good for your freshman efforts for sure.

[plugboots]

#2
............

[snapt]

edit after second thought I like 1 and 3 the best. I agree with adverse that the body positions are kind of awkward. I don't really like the angle of #2 the more I look at it. and sweet purse.

[DeathVan]

I like the hook up shot best

[Lexi-Bell]

#1, there's gotta be a slab layin in there.

[bfree]

I like 3 better than 1 and 2 (the river banks are just too messy and distracting, IMO). The scenery in 5 and 6 seem to have the most potential to me. Be careful not to clip the highlights of the snow, and I agree that the vignetting is way too much in a few of them. White balance also looks too cool and green to me in most of them.

Good start though, keep it up.

[tomicogs]

Thanks for the input guys, hear what you're saying on the vignetting/blurring, it is a bit heavy handed, was playing with those in iPhoto.
Here are two of those with normal edges:

blurring removed from iPhoto:


Another version of the waterfall, RAW processed thru ViewNX (Nikon's freebie software):


I do like #3 also (been trying to get the colors where I like them, original file is overexposed by a step or so).
Wish #2 wasn't quite so busy along the banks as pointed out, gonna play with cropping it a bit more from the left.
And I'm drawn to the color of the water in #1 even though the composition could be stronger.

re-cropped #2, but still kinda busy in the upper right:


mildly different version of #3, processed the JPG with SmugMug's tinkererer the other day:



Only get to submit one, trying to decide which would be the 'strongest' entry...they could all be better for sure, pretty new at this.
The new camera is a definite step further than what I'm used to, and I've barely just scratched the surface of processing the RAW files.


G, definitely bring the 3wt next time you visit. I'm down in southcentral, Letort is a short walk from the doorstep. Don't know the Dubois
area much at all, closest I've been is around Kettle Creek/Hammersly Fork, but there's gotta be some brookie fishing closer by up in the ANF,
pretty sure almost all those drainages hold natives, unless there's a water quality issue from the old mining days. And I don't think you'd be
too far from the classic streams all around State College if you were looking to commute a bit; Penn's, Little Juniata, Spring Creek....would
want more than your three weight for those though.

And damnit man, it's a satchel, not a purse.

[Underoos]

The first one does it for me.

It's amazing how much people's taste in pictures varies. My wife takes pictures for a living and often asks me to take a look at some of her images. There have been many times when one of my favorites was one that she would have tossed out.

[schwerty]

I'm a fan of the first one too. Diggin the colors. Granted I don't know a damn thing about photography but they all look good to me.

[YoungManofTheMountain]

tough call but id say #1 and #3 are my favorites. all cool shots though.

[ak_powder_monkey]

I like 1 the best, crop it tighter though. The subject is that blue pool

[bfree]

Quick LR edit if you don't mind. Warmed the WB, locally enhanced fisher, cropped, bumped contrast and recovery, bumped exposure up in the dark lower-left corner.

[schwerty]

That sounds complicated! Cool shot.

[Kai]

Agree that #1 is best. It's just so clear that there's going to be a fish in that pool. (Also loving the vintage style bag.)

[tomicogs]

thanks for the furthur input fellas. Finally calibrated my monitor and now know why everything had a 'cool' look to it. Thanks for the tinkering bfree, only running freebie software right now, not able to do the zonal adjustments yet...need to revisit these with the updated look thru the monitor and see what I can come up with. Been hoping for some fresh snowfall to sneak in another shoot, but doesn't look like I'll get the chance, probably gonna be one of these for the submittal.

[bfree]

Shots like #1 would be just fine without snow. Get your subject to wear some colors that don't make him blend in the with trees, be careful not to overexpose the highlights in the water, and shoot on a cloudy day so the lighting/shadows aren't so harsh. Sunny and open = good, cloudy and forest = good. Sun in the forest will rarely ever look good.

[tomicogs]

Shots like #1 would be just fine without snow. Get your subject to wear some colors that don't make him blend in the with trees, be careful not to overexpose the highlights in the water, and shoot on a cloudy day so the lighting/shadows aren't so harsh. Sunny and open = good, cloudy and forest = good. Sun in the forest will rarely ever look good.

thanks for the tips, and the photo tinkering advice. These are self portrait shots, time lapse off the tripod, wore the 'brightest' fishin' kit I have. there is snow in the forecast, so maybe sneak in another shoot at the blue pool over the coming weekend, and not frame myself directly against the tree....move the tripod about 5ft...hmmm. Theme is PA Winter Fly Fishing, so got out when I could on the local waters when there was wintery scenery. Probably flip a coin over these two, tweak some more after viewing them on the at work computer, unless I find something this wknd..

[tomicogs]

dang, those sure look different here on the at work computer....ugh.

[tomicogs]

Well, results are in....and thanks to some input here, I managed to take 2nd in the contest.

Pretty stoked about this, figured the steelhead pic would be a tough one to beat.
Pretty nice to have decent rod on the way for the girlfriend.