Natural Spring
Fuji x100
f/16
ISO 200
7s
Exposure Bias -0.33 ev
ND filter
This image is one in a series I shot intending to enter a competition. After only one year of experience in photography, I decided that I’m simply not ready to compete. Especially not against the skill level that I believe will be competing at this event.
It’s not that I’m timid; I just like to win.
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What? This is amazing! You should totally enter! Then you can see what the competition brings and, if you don’t win this year, KILL them next year!
I entered. Damn. But I entered the first image that I posted… not this one. This one is slightly more compositionally sound; better focused and such.
Too late for do-overs… I entered what I entered and will keep you and everybody abreast of what comes next.
Good for you! Glad to hear it. Like I said, even if you don’t win this one, you’ll kill ‘em next time due to the experience this time around.
Lovely silky water,spot on with the exposure. You gotta be in it to win it, as they say.
I love seeing all the entries short listed in the POTY competitions, so much skill. But competition not a thing that floats my boat for photography, is it an art form or a sport? Images are judged no doubt with a mind to technique and content, but it’s such a personal and subjective craft. I’m well chuffed if someone likes my photos, but don’t give a flying fk if they don’t 
. Anyway when you do feel ready to compete I’ll be cheering you on and voting if necessary am sure you’d do well!
Thank you, Frag. I cannot believe that I have not yet responded to this lovely comment.
The judges, no doubt, will review the images subjectively; however, the competition is one way to get exposure. And that has value to me.
I love your explanation!
Or cop out. lol
It is crazy beautiful!!
Thank you Greta. You are always too kind.
it’s beautiful, but I like your industrial landscapes even more. I just haven’t seen them elsewhere
Thank you, Pat. I’m glad to hear that. You should do a search, sometime, for industrial photography. You’ll see where I get my inspiration. Oh… and I just got a comment from you. How timely.
You should enter the competition, Dink. Don’t worry about the skill level Photographers. let this photo against theirs better than letting it goes faded in your album
Perhaps you’re right. The problem is that this photograph is not technically “good”. The subject is poorly focused and I should have been two steps back and angled my tripod one click down.
I couldn’t do those things because I was balancing on a log in the water, and had no room to adjust my position as needed.
Of course, I’ve changed the image in this post now. This one is actually focused and slightly better framed. Only slightly.
I think you should enter it! Like you, I like to win. However, sometimes I think you can gain some great benefit by just playing the game. (Coincidentally, I mentioned that in my latest post!)
Yes, I read said post. You do a good job of motivating and encouraging people to enter those events. Are you posting a video? I hope you drop a comment letting me know when you do. Feel free to post a link as well.
I am working on it and having a blast with it as we speak. I will let you know, and will def blog about it too. Ooh, more permission to hijack your comments section! Nice!
Nice work .
Thank you, Ma’am.
Well, it IS beautiful!
Thank you, Paula. The judges have indicated that beauty (or liking the image) will play a part in the judging. Sounds like I’m headed in the right direction!
I love your frankness. No one can judge or appreciate the quality of your work better than you. If you feel that you are not yet ready for competing it is best no to do.
Knowing our own limitations is the first step to success, because it helps us to improve ours skills to attain the “perfection” we are looking for, but never forget that technique is just a tool which needs imagination to create a piece of art.
Thank you very much for these well written words. That last sentence is the essence of my craft.
The problem with limitations is that they are impossible to fully comprehend until one improves and then looks back on his early work. I’ve posted shots, here, that have turned my face red when I looked back at them a few months later. Yet when I posted them, they seemed so right.
Others, like “last ones standing”, are clearly not compositionally good, but I still like them because of some intrinsic element. Something beyond composition and rules of the trade.
Thanks very much for visiting and giving me your thoughts on this.
Oh Nathan, winning is good but look how many people you denied seeing this picture by not entering!!
You captured Heaven here, do you not see? And that round circle of light where the water hits the rock on the left : stunning. Stunning, stunning.
You’ve won me…
This was shot at a natural spring in Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
Eureka Springs is a very strange and twisted little town that does offer heavenly scenery to those willing to wear blinders to all the rest of it.
I really do love it when you visit. Your words always seem sincere.
Nice shot of a subject that is not easy. Remember you might like to win but you will never win if you don’t enter.
Thank you, Sir. This was a difficult subject, and balancing on a small log to get this made it that much more challenging.
I ended up entering. Not with this photo, but with a similar one.