While I didn’t post a lot of shots for last week’s theme, this one is also right up my alley. I shoot dead trees all the time. Nurse logs, they are often called, are an important part of forest ecology. Thousands of species depend on them, but actively managed forests tend to have fewer of them since poor trees are culled rather than left to fall on their own.
That’s why visiting a wilderness is so different. A Wisconsin natural area designated as a Wilderness is not actively managed and once a forester pointed out some of the differences to me it became clear just how much we interfere with how a forest regulates itself. Tree density is the most obvious one, but hard to spot until you do a count. There’s a specific way to do this using a stick held at arm’s length and turning in a 360 circle, using the width of the stick to cover standing trees. Any that show beyond the edges of the stick are counted. If you get more than say, 10, in a circle, that’s a pretty dense stand of trees. Most forests are managed for fewer.
Anyway…I’ll shut up about that. This little scene is near the edge of Porcupine Lake in the Porcupine Lake Wilderness in northern Wisconsin. We hiked by compass heading and had lunch in this amazing little grove. It was logged in the mid 20th century and shows it, but it is coming back. The only things that fell trees now are wind events and old age. I loved the criss-cross pattern of the fallen trees and the lines of their standing brethren. Plus it was autumn and the light was pretty fab.
Specific Feedback Requested:
Thoughts, ideas, suggestions welcome.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Handheld
Lr for a bit of a crop and to manage that big dynamic range. A little exposure, highlight and shadow recovery, added texture, but reduced clarity. A little lens correction and transform to correct geometry. Topaz for sharpening.
Great example of fallen trees, Kris. I really like the warm colors and tone. The criss cross in the front leads the view off into the center right of the scene. Nice!
A great small scene. I love the colors and the zig zag log pattern. There is a small area of sky shining through near the URC. A matter of personal taste but that sky part could be erased.
Well composed with wonderful color, excellent use of diagonal elements. I feel like I could walk into this picture very easily. The foreground trees are leading me into this wonderfully cool forest.
Such a different forest than those here in northern California. It’s so open - there’s no understory shrubs. The light is so green, it almost feels like an underwater scene.
Hi, Kris. I love forest scenes. Your image is no exception. I especially like the juxtaposition of the overwhelming presence of vertical lines in contrast with those three diagonal trees, with two of them resting on top of the other in the foreground. They bring peace and calm to the strong background and anchor my eyes on that corner of the image. Beautiful and serene image.
Thanks @Egídio & @Igor_Doncov - this forest is really special and this grove was something else. I was glad our forester guide led us here - he said it was one of his favorite places in the Wilderness, but because there are no trails, you have to navigate the old fashioned way (compass) or the new fashioned way (phone GPS app). I didn’t have a lot of time to put this together, so instinctive composition wins in the end!
Terrific light on this scene Kris. That is a densely packed forest in the background and I just love that golden light hitting those leaves. The crisscrossing tree trunks in the foreground are really interesting and your composition is terrific. I love how the trunk bend over the other trunks like they are made of rubber. The two smaller sapling trees really add to the story. Well done Kris.
Thanks @David_Haynes - I did my best to make the most of that light - in fall direct sun doesn’t seem to harsh I think. Instead it lights things up and makes them glow. I’m glad you like the small trees - they get a little lost, but what can you do?
