Made by light on a januari morning.
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
nikon D850, F11, iso64, 70-200, at 105mm
I like the photo Ben, not sure what you are looking for in comments or critiques…what post processing was used? This is a very nice forest scene & sun ray image. The repeating vertical lines of the trunks make this a potentially strong image. The forest floor provides a lot of interest with nice array of colors and textures; but everything is too washed out for me. I think overall the exposure is too bright and washes out a great deal of the scene. Some darker shadows deeper in the woodland would put more emphasis on the light beams casting through. The branch and light in the top left area of the image are too much. a great deal of potential here and you should enjoy working it. I love a good woodland image and this has a lot of potential. You’ve selected a great group of trees, the broken twig branches throughout the trunks are a wonderful element. Hoping for a re-post.
Ben,
You continue to amaze with not only the light and comps you are able to see and capture, but the quality and beauty of that light. No exception here. This is fabulous.
Of course few images are without room for improvement. I only have a couple of suggestions. For me, the overall color balance is a bit cyan; especially in the deeper woods. And a personal choice, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the light rays and light on the forest floor a little warmer. As far as the brightness up top, yeah, agree with Stephen that you could address that as well, if so inclined. If anything maybe just a slight crop off the top to remove the brightest area. But I do like the inclusion of those lit branches and cropping too much could render those branches more of a distraction than an asset.
A beautiful scene that I’m sure, or hope, you were able to spend some time to soak it all in.
Lon
After reading the comments, I think this image is far better and helps me to look better . Thanks to @Lon_Overacker and @Stephen_Stanton .
I guess I’m in the minority but I actually prefer the processing in the original. A suggestion I have is to crop off the lighter bushes on the bottom.
I agree. The original looks better. The pine branches in the upper left corner in the repost look strangely part warm and part cool.
@Michael_Lowe, @Igor_Doncov, @Lon_Overacker, @Stephen_Stanton.
After seeing the" jewel of the nile" by Lon and for my image your different opinions.I see that so much is possible. And the right or wrong is in small details of an image. It’s good to stay by yourself and take suggestions from others to improve your images and your skill. So again thank you all so much for the reactions.
The original image you showed here is just gorgeous Ben. The sense of light and tone is palpable in that original and definitely better than the follow up version.
Ben, I am impressed by the breadth of images you have been showing recently. I think the colors and light you captured in the original image is wonderful, and much prefer the original to the rework. Those beams of light are very delicate, and beautifully rendered here. My only suggestion on the original would be to add some vignetting to the image (especially the bottom) to emphasize the light rays even further.
I also agree that the original is best, here. I could see reducing the cyan cast just bit, but not making the image too warm. The contrast in the OP has a nice sense of light. It’s a nice forest scene.
-P
