Image Spotlight – Waterfall

In today’s spotlight we are looking at my second successful ‘in the round’ or 360 as I like to call it. The image is of my wife standing on the beach in front of a waterfall looking out to sea. Now I’m the first to admit I really didn’t know how this was going to come out. What I did recognise were the raw ingredients. The waterfall, the trees in the background, the gentle waves coming into shore and of course a willing subject

What I like

• I love the composition. The way the waterfall sits above the horizon and falls into the sea. The trees in the background give a boring flat sky interest. I think the scale of Brooke versus the background is perfect. Also the subtle detail of her looking to the left rather than straight out to sea. She looks powerful in the scene but doesn’t dominate to the extent you don’t take in any of the surroundings.
• The contrast between the warmth of Brooke’s hair and torso and the cool tones of the scene.
• She is clearly standing still in the image but the suggestion of movement in her lower body shows she’s just stopped to take in the beauty that is in front of her.
• It feels that there’s tension between the world we live in and an alternative reality. The eyes recognise the scene but the mind has to work hard to piece it together as the different elements mix together.

What I would change now

The only thing I would change is taking out the 2 hands that are in the center of the image. I find them distracting and not needed. I could easily edit that now but it has been so many years since I put this together I feel like I would be changing history.