A wall hanger for sure. I much prefer the lower contrast original.
Bonnie,
I just love this. When I first viewed it immediately reminded me of some previous images, namely “Fractured”. This has that same fractured look.
Although the colors are subtle, before your repost my suggestion was going to be to emphasize that blue/gold color contrast with the golden autumn leaves and the blue-ish layer below. And just for that reason I prefer the blue tones in your original.
I do like the slight crop and increased contrast. But liked the subtle blue tones as well. Of course, to each our own and the beauty of the abstract is that there is no right or wrong.
I may have to hit you up on your process - at least the image selection process. Do you pre-visualize a scene and think it will be a good scene for a later composite? Or are you combining existing images? It’s very clear to me this is a viable technique and probably something I will explore in the near future. Thank you for the inspiration!
Lon
Thanks, @Michael_Lowe and @Lon_Overacker.
I agree - I didn’t intend to increase the contrast in V2. I’ll have to figure out what I did. Thanks for noticing that.
Do I have an image selection process, that is the question - ha ha. I feel like I’m still in the early experimental period with this. I select an image I like, then fiddle around with other images to see what works/doesn’t work. I have been using current images that I made with a mind to using them in a composite. That being said, I’ve made scenes with photos that I made with no mind to use them in a composite. Sometimes I find a good combo by accident.
Excellent work Bonnie. I’m not surprised the editors picked this. I prefer the original less saturated version as I think this needs to be handled lightly. It’s a gentle subject. I’m also wondering what cooling would do to this image. Very slight but noticeable cooling.
Thanks, @Igor_Doncov. Those are good ideas. The background was originally cooler, but too much - the cooler light tones were distracting. Your comment made me think to cool only the darks, so I added a color grading layer, cooling only the darks and midtones. Also, dialed back the yellows. Will post rework v3. I like it.
Congratulations, Bonnie on the “Yearly Editors Pick!” Stunning image!
Congratulations on the 2023 EP selection here, Bonnie. A truly wonderful image… 
Congratulations, Bonnie. I figured this would be a contender when you posted it. This is well deserved recognition.
Congratulations on the EP Bonnie! I don’t wander into Abstract often, but this is stunning and well-deserved.