Along the Broken Log

[Paul_Holdorf]

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Along the Broken Log

I went wandering in the woods again. This time, due to overcast skies and squalls of snow obscuring the peaks around me, I focused my attention on the ground. It was strangely calm where I was, but you should have heard the wind roaring through the peaks that were less than a mile, as the Crow flies, from my location. I kept thinking a jet was flying over! I meandered from decaying log to decaying log, acting much like the Red Tree Squirrels that chattered loudly overhead, making sure the entire forest knew of my presence. Each log brought new discoveries. One log had about 10 one inch tall Fir Trees growing along its length. They were spaced just so, that try as I might, I just could not find a compelling composition. My journey took me 2 hours but I suspect I walked fewer than a few hundred yards. With muddy knees and wet shoes, I wandered in wonder at the way nature uses its fallen to sustain so much additional life. I found one spot where smaller tree had fallen decades ago, and then a larger one fell across it. The force drove one side down while lifting the other up rapidly. The rotten wood couldn’t take the stress and cracked clean through, leaving this delightful little scene with multiple species of Lichen and Moss doing their best do convert death to life. All along the broken logs were signs of abundant life.

Specific Feedback

This is a focus stack but instead of my usual macro lens, I used a 70-300 zoom lens at 240mm. The maximum aperture at this focal length is f/5.6. It rendered the background a little crunchy, so I used a mask to soften the details back there. You know me, I tend to go dark in my processing, but this one is actually not too much darker than it actually was, due to the heavy overcast. How does the contrast between the lighter foreground and the darker background look to your eyes?

Technical Details

Nikon Z8
Nikon 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6
ISO 200, 1/30th, f/5.6, 240mm
37 images stacked in Helicon Focus
Processed in Lightroom Classic CC with several masks for the foreground and background.
I used the remove tool to eliminate a few distracting branches under the log, and several water drops that created bright points of light in the stack.

[canan (Canan Karatekin)]

I really like the contrast between the little tender bright green branches on both sides and the dark and moody tone in the rest of the image.

[Paul_Holdorf]

Those bright green branches are actually a form of lichen that lives on trees called Letharia Vulpina (Wolf Lichen). It was known to Indigenous People as a poison to Canids, thus the Latin for “Lethal” and “Fox”. I guess they had to throw Wolf in the name as another dog species!

[canan (Canan Karatekin)]

Very interesting. I don’t know anything about lichen–this makes me want to learn more!

[Michael_Lowe]

Pretty cool shot, Paul. I think your processing worked quite well imho. I really like the light colored lichen winding around the two branch nubs.

[Mark_Seaver]

Paul, this is a fine look at this forest detail. The two lichen are special (fun) additions that are important for the scene. The darkness fits the view, although I’d reduce or eliminate the vignette.

[Gary_Hook]

Now this is how you bring attention to something easily missed. Well seen!!

The triangle formed by the split and the two lichen is for me. Five s, no notes.

[Dennis_Plank]

I like the scene and most of your processing, Paul, but when I try to focus on the lichen and mosses, my eyes just can’t do it. Did you apply an Orton effect or something similar to the whole scene?

[Paul_Holdorf]

No Orton Effect, at least not the TK9 version. I’m not 100% what that really even is! If I had a faster lens, I could’ve left the background alone, but at 5.6, it was still a bit too blotchy for my taste, so I reduced texture, clarity and sharpness in a mask. The Wolf Lichen is a but overpowering, and I even reduced the green a little bit. It can be really neon! I suppose the lichen steals the show a bit, because I certainly meant for the log to be the subject. Here is a single image from the stack with nothing but a little slide to the right on the exposure so yo can see the background.

[Paul_Holdorf]

Y’all are going to start imagining me as some goth teenager from the 90’s! I do like dark and I do like vignettes. I removed it from this version, and then darkened it just a bit globally. It’s not too bad!

[Youssef_Ismail]

Paul,

I actually liked your original processing with the vignette. I think it helped “focus” the attention on the break inthe log and the detailed plant life growing on it ont either side of the break.