Daniel J. Matyola stopped bragging about being the basis for the character "Bluto" in Animal House long enough to write:
"Quechee Gorge is one of my favorite places. Located in central Vermont (USA), near the New Hampshire border, it is where US 4 crosses the Ottauquechee River, 163 feet (54 meters) below. The highway bridge was originally a railroad bridge, built in 1911 to replace a 19th century wooden railroad bridge. http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=409872 I would appreciate any suggestions on how I could take a photograph that would show the unique qualities of this site better or from a more interesting perspective." I'm no expert in landscape photography but I am an enthusiast. Big landscapes can be difficult to shoot. A couple suggestions I can make are to: shoot from angles that keep the sky out of the frame on overcast days think about your shots: "what do I want to show in this frame?" and then compose your picture to best bring out that feature and eliminate distractions shoot what are called "intimate landscapes" where you're isolating pieces of the landscape and not trying to jam too much into one picture specifically (these are my opinions only. I don't claim to be an expert and you did ask for suggestions): picture one with the bridge: I think the picture could have been improved if you had moved slightly forward and captured the S shape of the river. The rock in the middle foreground cuts the graceful curve of the river bed in two and disturbs what could have been a strong graphic element in the shot. I think you also put too much of that big rock in the foreground. The large gray area draws the eye to it and it isn't all that interesting. You do want some of the rock in the shot to give you a feeling of depth but I think you overdid it on that one. picture two with the river: I think pointing the camera downward and eliminating the white sky and the crest of the mountain in the background would help. The shot here is about the gorge, the river and the trees. The trees on the right side cut the river in two and spoil the flow of the shot. You could have moved to the left and eliminated that but then you'd have had the river running straight down the center of the frame and that's usually not very interesting. If you had moved to the left, aimed the camera downward, and used a longer focal length to concentrate on the S curve in the river you might have gotten a better shot. I don't like people in my landscape pictures but a person standing on the riverbank might have given you the sense of depth that you were looking for. picture three: The foreground rock is too prominent in the shot. It's a bright gray spot that draws the eye. I think you could have improved this shot by stepping forward into the frame and given the reflection of the rocks in the river more emphasis. It also would have eliminated the point in the upper center where the rocks cut off the flow of water through the frame. I hope these help. Tom Reese
