Visit to Frio River, Texas Hill Country

redleash

I took a short day thru the Hill Country late last week. I traveled Hwy 337, which is one of the prettiest drives I have found in this part of Texas. I ended up in Leakey, where I stopped to shoot a few images of the Frio River. It has cypress trees on both banks, which can make for some nice reflections when the water is still.

I did my PP three ways and would like to know which image you prefer, and why. I am still working on my B&W conversion technique, but I think this could yield a nice image, so shout out if you have suggestions for me.

More shots from this trip will follow. Just wanted to get started on something so I opted for the river shot. I have similar images from other trips, still waiting to be processed. I'd appreciate any tips on how to get the best out of these shots. Please help.

Many Thanks,
Lauren

1. Processed in Aperture w/ curves and levels, plus some other tweaks


2. Same as #1, but with B&W conversion in Aperture; added a bit more contrast and adjusted hghilights/shadows


3. HDR - 4 exposure (f/29 at 4sec, 2.5sec, 1.6sec, 1sec); finished in PS

Snowgirl

Hey. Looks like a lovely spot for sure.

Maybe I'm a traditionalist, but I much prefer the first treatment. This is a very 'busy' photo and I got lost in the B&W version - couldn't see a clear focal point to the image which the colour in the first one allowed me to do.

The HDR I found to be too much, particularly with such a busy image.

Joel and I are going to PEI at the end of Sept. for a few days - I'll have to see if I can get some shots to compare with you

redleash

Ceci - Being a "traditionalist" myself, I preferred the first one also. But I wanted to try some other treatments and see what suggestions might be made for them. Thanks for looking! Can't wait to see your shots from PEI!

kdog

Awesome shot, Lauren. So much green, and yet the color balance looks good. I too prefer #1, but all three version work quite well.

redleash

Thanks, kdog! A little more green than I've seen in your recent shots, eh?

rwells

Hey Lauren,

Whatcha' doing on motorcycle roads? That's one of the three sisters you know!

I prefer the B&W version here. It calms down the business of the reflections, that pulls my eye away from the main scene.

Nice shot!

redleash

Thanks, Randy! I did see quite a few motorcycles, as I had on my previous trek on Hwy 337. I kinda figured you'd been there once upon a time! Didn't know they were called three sisters--what are the other roads? Why are they called that?

rwells

redleash wrote: »

Thanks, Randy! I did see quite a few motorcycles, as I had on my previous trek on Hwy 337. I kinda figured you'd been there once upon a time! Didn't know they were called three sisters--what are the other roads? Why are they called that?

The Three Sisters (AKA The Twisted Sisters)- Ranch Roads 335, 336, & 337a

Look at the picture about 1/3 down the page

Eia

These are lovely. I especially like the first one, but the black and white shows the reflection nicely.

redleash

Randy - That shot does look familiar.

Eia - Thanks for commenting. The more I look at these, the harder time I'm having picking my own favorite!

squirl033

i like the first one best. the B&W just doesn't work for me... much too busy... and the HDR, while it offers rich colors, seems too bright.

redleash

Thanks, Rocky.

I am working on some more shots from this trip so I'll post more soon. Will keep in mind the comments from this thread as I work them up.