Dean Ginther
October 2025 - Seeney Wildlife Refuge
About the Image(s)
We recently took a trip up to the Seeney Wildlife Refuge in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. I wasn't lugging my Sony camera with me, so this is a Pixel phone raw image. I have begun to appreciate taking imgages with my phone more lately because it forces my to pay attention to what matters - the composition rather than fiddling around with settings. Which is not to say that I prefer it. I find that the phone images, even in raw, have less tonal latitude and thus are not as easily to adjust in post. I didn't do much to this image in post - a bit of cropping and sky color darkening.
6 comments posted
Erin Lamb
I applaud your use of phone camera, Dean. It does give you a different perspective and certainly more easily carried around. I met with some camera club members last evening and we discussed phone images and the phone's ability in low light. We then watched a photographer's presentation of his trip to the Falklands. Several images were taken with his iPhone and were outstanding. We see more and more photographers using their phones.
I like the composition here with the foreground and tree trunk leading the eye through the image. Posted: 10/08/2025 13:40:52
I like the composition here with the foreground and tree trunk leading the eye through the image. Posted: 10/08/2025 13:40:52
Thanks Erin; camera phones have finally become credible and they are just about always in your pocket. Posted: 10/26/2025 20:15:51
Diana Edelman
A scenic, calming shot, for sure, with nice composition, as pointed out by Erin. I think more could be cropped from the bottom of the image to create slightly better overall balance between the sky and the watery reflection. The angle of the pine trees on the left and their reflections seems distorted by the lens. It is unlikely they all grew at such an angle. Straightening those and their reflections might be worth considering, unless you feel viewer would expect such distortion and not be b othered by it. Posted: 10/10/2025 02:44:03
Dean, I think this is lovely and interesting. Iphones can capture some images that other cameras cannot. I think the other suggestions of cropping and straightening the pine trees would be beneficial. Great colors too. Posted: 10/20/2025 02:00:02
Karen Randall
I like the shot, but the horizon needs to be straightened. I would do with less sky, and crop about a 1/3 of the left side. I like the lily pads and log in the water. Sometimes I like my phone for photographs better than my camera :) Posted: 10/24/2025 18:20:07
Thanks Karen. Posted: 10/26/2025 20:16:42