This is from my Fall trip to the desert Southwest last October/November. At the upper elevations, the trees had all been stripped of their leaves as a cold front was moving through the area. The wind was blowing and I thought that winter was definitely on the way. At the lower elevations, fall colors were just peaking. I love these past peak looks at aspens. Their trunks and branches are as interesting as the beautiful colors during peak fall and I particularly like the moody sky in this image. I was fairly conservative on the clouds, so I’m just wondering if I didn’t take it far enough in the contrast of the blacks and whites in the sky?
For me David, you’ve reached perfect tonalities. It’s such a beautiful scene…and so well seen! The light trunks through the middle are the eye candy for me. I wouldn’t be adding more drama to the sky. The hero is the stand of aspens. At first I wasn’t bothered by the URC, but I think it could be lightened just a tad. That small dark area does pull my eye. The darker right side is the perfect eye stopper.
Beautiful shot David, gotta love those aspens. I think the tonality is perfect the way it is but I think I would fill that one little dark section in the upper right corner with content aware in photoshop
Hey David, wonderful shot. I love everything about it. Of course it’s all personal preference what you like for the tonalities. What caught my eye was maybe darkening the bottom part of the image, deeper blacks, to balance the moody sky a bit more. But again, that’s just personal preference. I love this shot! Nicely done.
This is really excellent, David. The white trunks among the tones of gray really provide a strong impact and look great. I would clone out the dark spot toward the URC, but not a big deal, I just find it a bit of an eye magnet. No other suggestions. Looks great!
Apologies as this is my first post so any feedback always appreciated. I really like this image and only a couple of suggestions. 1- I would burn down the bright cloud at the top of the image as its a tad distracting and wants to pull my eye away from the main body of the scene. 2- A little more pop to the aspen trunks - should be able to dodge them selectively through a selection. - These are tweaks to an already superb image. Salud.
This is superb, David. Technically, I have nothing to offer mostly because when I look at this image I am completely taken by it and not looking to see if it’s in focus. I find this image a nice compliment to @Bonnie_Lampley 's. Both capture a mood and are very cinematographic. This one would be a perfect backdrop for MacBeth. For me it has a sense of “weirdness” especially the way the upper trunks are highlighted against the upper branches the brooding sky. I feel the same way about this image as I did with Bonnie’s - this is art - it goes deep beyond the surface of things and expresses so much more than its content.
Thank you all for your comments and suggestions. I posted a revised image with the suggestions of Nye to burn the whitest cloud and several of you suggested that I take care of the upper right corner which I thought would be a problem. I have noticed that unless you click full size it appears very blurry. I’m not sure what has changed lately but the images do not have a good appearance unless you select view full size. @glennie , @Blake_Randall , @Igor_Doncov , @Tom_Nevesely , @David_Bostock , @John_Pedersen , @Harley_Goldman , @Nye_Simmons , @Kerry_Gordon . And again, please click on Full Size and then click on the image one more time or it looks TERRIBLE!
@Igor_Doncov This was right off of hwy 12 on Boulder mountain in a pull out. It’s not hidden at all so I don’t feel like I’m giving anything away. I actually shot it from the car since the wind was blowing so hard I couldn’t even use a tripod. That’s also why I had to up my ISO to get a sharp shot.
The repost is definitely the winner for me David. The tones seem to have a wider range, particularly the whites in the trunks of the aspens. The mood is wonderful with the stormy sky and the B&W treatment would seem to emphasize that mood. Beautifully done!
This is simply wonderful! You’re right, there’s something about the starkness of the bare aspens after they’ve been stripped of their leaves. Excellent choice going b&w here. As mentioned, the tonalities are great - although agree with another comment about possibly getting more brightness out of the trunks, while generally slightly darkening around - maybe a vignette? although it looks as though at least at the bottom corners there is already some vignetting.
I think the sky/clouds are great as presented; a little broodiness is always good for clouds the b&w.
