What changed: Cropped a little to deal with some issues around the edges. Warmed it up. Did some D&B on the main trunk, then worked on the light in the background. Ortonized it. Did some balancing of brightness for right side vs. left. Toned down some things, dodged some things. It’s definitely more of a “look at this!” image now, I think…
Added after receiving feedback from the community.
The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive
About This Image
You’re walking through the forest, a canopy of leaves overhead. You weave between the trunks of the trees, taking care to respect the ferns. The light and shadow dance with the breeze. You hear the birds, the crunch of leaves beneath your feet. You small the moss and sap. But do you notice the bark on the trees?
I think bark is fascinating (there’s a book about it; I managed to find a used copy), but I think it’s something we tend to take for granted. The exterior of trees, like stone, is something that often grabs my attention.
Feedback Requested
My goal here is a sense of place, of quiet, of detail. Can I transport the viewer to thatplace and get them to pay attention to something that I noticed?
I’m always interested in the usual questions about composition, light, color.
Technical Details
Camera: NIKON Z 9
Lens: NIKKOR Z 24-70mm f/2.8 S
Focal length: 70mm
Shutter speed: 1/125s
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 1250
Gary, I’d say you’ve succeeded. The details in the bark of the main subject show up very well. The slightly soft surroundings make it clear where you are without competing visually with the main tree. One thing that I notice starting in late July/early August is how much silence there is, with very few birds calling and the katydid’s just getting started.
Gary: Early in my photographic journey I would see forest scene shots like this, especially aspen groves, and think, “How hard can this be?” I found it to be very hard! I think you have isolated and captured the main trunk superbly. The entire image is a little dark for me and indeed about 85-90% of the frame is in the lower half of the histogram. Since the bark is your main emphasis I do think you could bring up the exposure on it about a 1/2 stop, add some texture and a pinch of sharpening and increase it’s impact even more. Back to you. >=))>
Gary, I like your image, composition and natural colors, calm light. My first impression was that the trees on the right are too sharp a little. Then I noticed that it’s not the sharpness, it’s one of the trees that makes my eyes move to the right. That tree is a little bit too dark to me. Enhancing the main object as @Bill_Fach did solves the problem, my eyes stick to the bark.
I think I pulled the trigger to quickly on this one. After deciding that I liked the shot (and that it fit the challenge theme) I took a very subtle approach to the image, and didn’t do a lot of work, for fear of over-processing it.
After seeing the comments, and revisiting, I’ve made changes and have posted a revision.
Gary, I agree with you that the revised version is much more of a “look at me” view. While I think that some dodging and burning on the main trunk is a good idea, I think the revised version has too much yellow and “glow”. Of course that’s an artistic analysis and this is your statement. What I liked about the original version was the sense of quiet, that is so often a big part of strolling through a forest.
