Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by digifotojo:
Whereas the subject matter is quite dynamic, the overall image is a little flat and therefore loses the impact it might otherwise have. I think perhaps the crop or angle may have some bearing on this. Some added contrast would have helped make the image pop. I have trouble finding a point of reference when looking at it as the elements are all about the same intensity. I believe the short crop of the sky is a detriment to this particular image. Hope this helps, better luck next time.

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by Alex_Petrini:
This is a very well known place, and if you expect to get a super score you should try to get the wow factor or a very original point of view.

Here the light is not very interesting and the foreground is only distracting and doesn't add anything to this shot.

Similar points of view but completely different light:

1 - 2

Not an awful image, but in a FS you should be happy you got 5.79. :)

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by Yo_Spiff:
I gave it a 6. It is good, but didn't wow me somehow. There seems to be a bit of a color cast to it and perhaps a tad oversharp in some places. It's a good photo and the sort that will have your friends and family wowing about what a great photographer you are. The DPC collective has been desensitized by so many "wow" entries of wideangle seascapes with brilliant colors that this probably got compared to the rest of the genre, even if unconsciously.

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by hahn23:
I gave this an 8. I really like your use of a foreground element to add the illusion of 3 dimensions. Excellent control of exposure, with no details lost in highlights or shadows. Your horizon line is level. The ocean is dramatic with good use of silk water effect. One of the more natural and beautiful seascapes I've seen on this site. The proportions of the image are long. Some people use those black bars above and below to make the image look better on the voting page. Don't know why that helps, but it does seem to improve visual appeal. I wouldn't worry about your score, which is too low for the caliber of the image. The current set of voters is difficult to figure out. Better to lean on what you like and ignore the finicky.

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by GeneralE:
Since your "subject" is a (fairly) well-known and dynamic feature, I think you might have done better with a tighter crop.

The lighting seems a little odd, like it can't decide between gloomy overcast or partly-sunny. If I were to try re-editing (starting from where it is now) I'd probably try and boost the contrast with an "S"-shaped Curve on the RGB Channel, and maybe try and boost the blue in the sky/sea and the yellows in the land with a separate Curve on the Blue Channel.

You might also try using the "high-radius UnSharp Mask" technique -- I find it helps make a landscape "pop" a little more ... for a DPC entry-sized image try using the UnSharp Mask filter at 15% | 50 px radius | Threshold = 0

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by skewsme:
That's not a bad score for a free study! Didn't vote but as others have mentioned dpc usually punishes nonstandard dimensions. Agree that the blue color cast contributes to lack of pop. Try futzing with channel mixer. Pump up your contrasting colors, like those orange weeds. And if you decide to do expert editing, stick a seagull on that foreground rock ;-)

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by bobonacus:

Originally posted by aliqui: For a single layer shot I don't think I could have done much better than f/18 for DOF. That shallow DOF comment haunts me no matter what I do.

How did you focus? Did you use Hyperfocal distance

You can use dofmaster to calculate ... personally I always add on a little just to make sure!

The light is fairly flat, an hour or so before sunset would make the light come alive more

cropped in a bit tighter could have helped ... maybe also trying a longer exposure, say 1s, and timing it to leave some longer wave trails a bit like the front of your shot.

As others have said, white balance looks a little off too, can be changed if shooting in RAW or just by adjusting the colour balance if shot as jpg

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by aliqui:

Originally posted by mbrutus2009: I didn't vote but I wouldn't have given it anymore than a 6. I think the subject is awesome! But the execution of showing the subject is pretty bland. It seems like the colors are a bit flat, and the depth of field is too short. A lot of the "wow" landscapes like this have EVERYTHING in focus. And I think that is what you might have missed here. Like I said though, the subject is awesome... And I think if it were done right, it could have been a top 10 no problem.

For a single layer shot I don't think I could have done much better than f/18 for DOF. That shallow DOF comment haunts me no matter what I do.

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by bassbone:
A great location - love the waterfall feel of the image. With regard to the score, I am guessing the long crop cost you some. It seems the more pixels you include in an entry, the larger the score and this image is very pixel starved due to the narrow crop. The sky seems to be cramped at the top.

The white balance also appears to be too cool, with the whites in the water almost appear to have an odd blue tone to them. I am sure it was not possible, but I wonder if a higher vantage point woudl have helped the image, so we would get a betters sense of the size and shape of the Well.

Personally, I liked the shot, but I think a 'warmer' tone and a taller crop would have helped you out quite a bit.

Thor's Well
by aliqui

Comment by mbrutus2009:
I didn't vote but I wouldn't have given it anymore than a 6.

I think the subject is awesome! But the execution of showing the subject is pretty bland. It seems like the colors are a bit flat, and the depth of field is too short. A lot of the "wow" landscapes like this have EVERYTHING in focus. And I think that is what you might have missed here.

Like I said though, the subject is awesome... And I think if it were done right, it could have been a top 10 no problem.