While autumn can often be rainy and overcast here in England, it can also be brilliant like it was recently on a morning while I was walking in Cambridge:
ISO 200 4.3mm f/2.7 1/320sec
That original file was taken with my point and shoot. My first edit is below:
ISO 200 4.3mm f/2.7 1/320sec
The image has been cropped a bit and I’ve used a foliage enhancer slider to give the colors a bit of a boost. I liked but didn’t love the result. One of the problems is that part of the sky has been blown out completely. There is no information there, so “fixing” it becomes a bit tricky. The two options that came to mind were sky replacement or a more radical crop. I went with the latter:
ISO 200 4.3mm f/2.7 1/320sec
I went that direction for compositional reasons. The photo is now much more about the boats, which looked beautiful in the morning light. I also really liked the various reflections in the water and this crop accentuates them. From there I boosted the various golden tones in the image, giving it a bit of a jeweled looked.
While it took a few edits and some time and thought to get to the final edit, I was happy with the edit. What do you think of the final version? Do you like the final composition or do you prefer the original? The crop really does change the image quite a bit. Feel free to leave a comment below.
Cheers!
Picfair version here.
Added to Tuesday Photo Challenge, Reflection, Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge, Places People Visit and Lens Artists Photo Challenge, Changeable.
Photography Journal Blog 
The reflection came to life with the crop. Very nice photo and a beautiful setting
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It’s a nice place to take a walk 🙂
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this picture is so calming and beautiful – composition is perfect
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Thank you very much 🙂
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An interesting interpretation on the changes challenge, it’s good to see the many ways people have responded to this one. I had never even thought about the changes we make when editing a photo. I like the final result though I might go even further and crop the left-hand side (as I view it) to make it more square and focus even more on the boats. It is a lovely view, looks very peaceful.
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. It is interesting that you mention square because when I created a potential Instagram version of this, it does in fact focus even more on the boats. For this version, I struggled with cropping more because I wanted to keep the footpath and the fall color in the trees.
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That is one handsome photo with a fan of boats. Nice one. 🙂
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Thank you very much. The boats really are such a rich wooden tone.
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Hi. I agree with you on getting rid of the blown out sky. Great final picture. It feels like a person could step into one of the boats.
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Yes, they do look like they are ready to go 🙂
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Thank you for taking the time to explain what you did with these images….as learner this is really helpful. Such a pretty morning & view you were given.
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I’m glad you found this helpful. I enjoy writing about it as a way for me to think through what I have done, I find that to be helpful as a reference and also to make me think more critically about my work.
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I love the result, Amy. The image is showing about the boats, but leading you eye to the reflections, bridge and trees. Beautiful golden tone is just perfect. Perfect!
Thank you so much for sharing, Amy. 🙂
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Thank you very much Amy. You are right, there is a lot of different elements to this photo. I really like the reflections as well.
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I could definitely visit there. 😀
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It’s popular and I think that is quite understandable.
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The cropping does changes the photo significantly. It’s not easy to pick one of them. In the end I think I prefer the crop, but it needs to be seen in bigger to be able to appreciate all the subtle tones.
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I agree, this is one that works as a larger image.
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I like your crop. The boats are so interesting looking. Are those punts?
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Yes they are, it was early enough that they weren’t in use yet.
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I like the cropped version best. I think that when there isn’t strong sky interest it is often better to leave it out of the scene. The crop also got rid of the object in the right corner and helps the viewer to focus on the boats as a main subject.
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Thanks very much for your thoughtful comment.
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Just about everybody likes the tight crop. So do I. The sky looks good when reflected in the water. Before the crop, I felt that the bright green grass and the footpath were competing with the boats and water for attention; now they are clearly in a supporting role.
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Thank you very much, I do think there was a lot going on in this image and the crop simplified things.
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Nice post on editing your photo. The outcome is beautiful and nicely done. Sometimes I find myself with a lens that doesn’t reach as far so to make do I will crop. Sometimes when I see the final result after taking a picture, I see a better comp with a crop.
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Yes, it is sometimes a challenge to work with whatever camera/lens you have with you, but the results of having to think about your edits can be nice.
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Nice picture, good composition and lovely autumn colors. Well Done. It’s an interesting picture to ‘analyze’. I am shooting mostly with my my 16-80mm (or 10-20), wide angle. The first thing what came into my mind (regarding to my more wide angle)= why not a few steps to the right and you create a kind of panorama effect and still everything, composition is ok (maybe too much water on foreground? Why not to frame more the trees with autumn colors ). I love to watch pictures like this, its good that we think about our shots and read opinion from others. Best Regards Stef
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Thank you very much for your thoughtful comment. I have to agree, a wide angle lens would have been a good choice, and this would also make a good panorama.
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I love the way the wood on the boats comes to life. A peaceful photograph too.
Great selection …
Isadora 😎
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It’s funny because it was that time of the morning, where everything was starting to stir, a few minutes later and this would be a bustling spot.
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Yes, perfect timing. It’s always difficult to get a photograph in a busy place. I don’t like editing people out. Glad you were able to get that photo. It’s great. : )
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Stunning image! The tone and composition are just beautiful.
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Thank you very much.
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I’ve visited Cambridge a number of times because of meetings and friends who used to live there. Your pictures remind me why it can be a beautiful place of solitude.
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It’s an interesting tension because it is also a bustling city. During the day it can be hard to imagine that there would be a moment like this one.
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