Hi Kevin,

I noticed no one has stepped up to the plate to provide a critique. That's really a shame as critiquing can be a great learning tool for both the photographer on the receiving end and the one providing the critique. While the benefit to the receiving photographer is obvious, not so obvious is the thought excercise provided for the critiquer. I just wanted to get my thoughts on critiques out there before I start.

Of the two images the first "does the least" for me. It's not a bad photo but there's nothing there that really catches and holds my attention. Another viewer might feel totally different. The stream is forming a bit of a S-curve, which is always a good compositional element. The light on the trees seems a little harsh... timing is everything. Because of the bright light the exposure time was short. A longer shutter time would've smoothed the moving water which would've helped I think. This might've been a good spot to have used a ND or GND filter and/or polarizor to tame the light and lengthen the exposure time. The cloudless sky isn't adding anything I'd be tempted to crop out most or all of the sky. That would move the horizon higher and eliminate the flat blue sky which is adding nothing to the image. It's not a bad image and I can tell you put some thought into the composition. Sometimes scenes that are really appealing in person are hard to get to appear as appealing in a photo. (Which becomes an excellent excuse to keep returning and trying).

Now the second image is the better of the two IMHO. You made good use of layering to add depth in this image. The rocks near the lower RH corner and the fast water entering from the lower LH corner provides some nice foreground elements. The trees sloping in form the RH and LH side adds some framing and provides a middle plane in the image. The angle formed ty the trees from the upper RH corner also serves as a nice leading line into the image. Finally the distant tree line in the back provides a background element and adds depth. The fast moving water and boulders strewn along the stream adds a nice texture to the image. The fairly long exposure smooths the water in an attractive way. Unlike the first image, the sky in this one has enough color and texture to provide interest for the viewer. If I were going to change anything I might consider cropping a little bit off the top... starting just above the tree-tops on the left. That would move the horizon up a bit in the frame and eliminate the least dramatic portion of the shy. Overall this is a very pleasing image, shot in nice soft light and full of lovely muted colors. Very well done.

A nice series and looks to be a promising location. I followed your discussion on Naturescapes when you were planning the outing and the post trip reoport aftwards. It was an interesting discussion.