A long drive home (w/1 re-edit)

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

A long drive home
A long drive home1500×1072 856 KB

Added texture to the leaves overall and used a couple of passes with the adjustment brush to emphasize part of the trail where I actually walked. I did a bit of that the first time, but it wasn’t noticeable. Better??

Kristen_SmithMay 26, 2013IMG_0001.DNG-63
Kristen_SmithMay 26, 2013IMG_0001.DNG-631500×1072 808 KB

Another New Hampshire stone wall. This was part of a huge enclosure that is now completely forested and part of a nature preserve with lots of trails and unexpected waterfalls. It was taken in May so the wall sort of fades into the greenery around it so I decided on an ‘infrared’ treatment to make it stand out.

Specific Feedback Requested

Infrared presets aren’t everyone’s cuppa so I’m interested in opinions.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
Lumix DC-GH3
Lumix G Vario 12-35mm f/2.8 @ 15mm (30mm equiv.)
f/7.1 | 1/125 sec | ISO 400
Probably handheld since I had a love/hate relationship with my then tripod

Processed in Lr with the infrared preset. Managed texture and shadows in the wall with a local adjustment brush. Ditto with some of the path & leaf litter. Overall sharpened, nr & lens correction.

2

Kris, your IR treatment lets the wall (and the tree trunks) show well as they angle across the frame into the distance. I’m not sure if it’s the IR treatment or if it would be that way in the original, but I’d like to see more texture in the path (or maybe a bit more darkness) in the small area where most of the walking happens.

3

Thanks Mark. Yes, part of the IR effect is to soften the image by reducing clarity. I added some back, but not all. Dialing it all back in would have made the canopy crunchy so I did it mostly on the ground and the wall itself.

A second image is in the OP as per your thoughts.

4

Interesting, how the mix of burning and dodging lets the trail show better. The difference is also a classic lesson in how subtle adjustments can make a big difference to the viewer as the trail now adds interest in the lower right area (nearly half of the image). The difference is best seen in the large view.