I photographed this a few days ago in our local forest, the Anacortes Community Forest Lands. The light was modified by a layer of clouds with some sun breaks. My intent was to create an image that invites you in to enjoy the quiet and the lushness of the forest. It’s now part of my Shinrin Yoku (forest bathing) series
Specific Feedback Requested
Ideals for improvement, color, composition, tone control, etc. I’m somewhat red/green color blind, and I’m finding that I sometimes miss when adjusting greens.
Technical Details
Sony a7RIV, Sony 24-105 f/4 at 53mm. 1/10 sec, f/8, ISO 800. 4 image focus stack. Not a panorama. Processed in LR/PS with dodging/burning.
Mark, I am somewhat red/green color blind too. A real drag, so I won’t comment on color here, 'cause it looks fine to me…
I like the idea of a window into the forest and this works nicely with the two trees on either side framing the scene. It’s hard to get a forest scene to look orderly, so framing often works.
The one thing I find is that the foreground ferns actually block my eyes from moving into the scene. I feel I have to step over them rather than just flowing in. I downloaded your image and cropped the bottom almost up to the bottom of the right tree. For me, this opened up the scene and it now invites me in. Something to consider. I really like the scene as a whole.
Thanks David. I have a small group with whom I zoom a couple of times a month to look at images. One of them really liked the bottom part, another was ambivalent. I’ll play with the cropping.
This is a beautiful forest scene, Mark. I can see why you would want to photograph this. I like the lighting in the center. It draws me in. I do agree with David that the foreground ferns seem to prolong the flow. I think a small crop on the bottom would resolve this. Also, the lighter tree on the LTC keeps drawing my eye out of the center. Maybe darkening that tree to match the other darker trees would keep that from happening. Otherwise, it’s a very nice photo and I like the colors.
I find the colors pleasing and natural looking. I, too, like the overall central lighting and agree with @Donna_Callais about the one lighter tree that detracts from that somewhat.
Great example and great job with the classic “order from chaos” scene and crafting a strong image from the chaos that is the forest - (most of the time!). I get “pulled in” with the composition; the way the trees are basically lined up leading the viewer, pulling them in seemingly to no end. Similar feeling like see the “light at the end of the tunnel.” And for this reason, I’m good with the ferns “blocking” because I’m not feeling like walking in to the frame - but visually my eyes are drawn in. Hope that all makes sense.
Colors are quite natural; in fact very natural. I emphasize because greens/yellows are so, so easy and tempting to boost. The colors/processing all look good.
Only suggestion I have would be to clone the one little orang-ish leaf near the bottom. And the possibly burning the brightest trunk in the UL quadrant. Otherwise, I’m really liking this.
As others have stated, it is difficult to make order from chaos in most forest scenes but I quite like what you’ve come up with here Mark. You have really good framing that forces the eye travel into the scene particularly with the good light on the central tree. I like the central tree and the light hitting it and the colors look pretty spot on to me. if somewhat subdued.
The leaning tree on the left somewhat upsets the balance of this shot but it also compliments the leaning branch on the opposite side of the frame so it actually works quite well given the constraints. I find I am immediately drawn to the bright bark of the tree to the left of the central tree so I would burn that down substantially and make it blend into the background. I would also try and burn some of the smaller trunks behind the main tree and they seem to have a magenta hue to them but I am looking at this on my work computer so…
I would also burn down the tree trunk on the right behind the darker foreground tree just a smidge. I want to be drawn into the image and towards that central tree but these things I mentioned are inhibiting that somewhat. One last thing, the very brightest leaves on the sapling that’s leaning into the main subject from the right could be burned a bit so it’s not the brightest part of the image. I know this sounds like a lot but it’s not. It’s just a few things that pull the eyes. Well seen and captured.
