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Image Description
Despite the weather forecasting a morning of blue skies and bright sunshine, I really needed to get out of the house and get out into nature.
A local park close to home would have to do. I was enjoying the walk itself, and grateful for the effort of carrying my backpack.
Suddenly, unexpectedly, I saw these trees. I turned around and when I saw the juxtaposition of the leaves in the foreground with the trees in the background, everything made sense.
I had some difficulties with the editing, which is usually very straightforward and simple, but I ended up with this version, which is already one of my favorites of the year.
My first impression… I love the simplicity. It’s got almost a monochrome composition with the stark white tree trunks, but there are a few spots of color from the few leaves that haven’t fallen yet. And dead center, are a small group of tree trunks that my eye keeps returning to. Not an obvious group, but they seem to be together in the middle of the sparse leaves. It feels a little melancholy since it’s the last of the autumn leaves. I really like this image, well done.
I am not surprised in the least that this is one of your favourites of the year. I absolutely love it. It is so subtle and yet vibrant. The composition is remarkable in that there is no symmetry whatsoever and yet it feels wonderfully balanced. The colour is a marvel as well - the silver, textured background provides a the perfect canvas for the golden leaves. And those leaves form a delightful but subtle “s” curve that beautifully frames the centre-most birches.
In my own work, I’ve become almost obsessed with mood. For me, it is what defines a “great” picture from a “nice” one. This image has mood! It speaks to me - the in-between time when the world is shedding one season but has not yet taken on another. So, for me, there is a sense of loss and letting go but at the same time, the anticipation of something new that will arise. Brilliant. Congratulations.
My initial reaction is one of music. There are the repetitive sounds of the blue trees in the back and the free flowing sine wave of the melody of the scattered yellow in front. The yellow dominates the sound of the blue. The wide aspect ratio gives the sound breadth and expanse. The sound is not equal. It starts off loud and diminishes to a whisper.
I can see why you liked this image so much.
Yes that’s how all good images are made. They come from the subconscious. If the viewer is perceptive enough they can tell that that’s how the image came about. It takes intuition to see it though.
Have to admit I read the write up and the responses prior to writing these comments, Jo. But my very first impression of the image was i liked the panorama format even though I felt it was slightly unbalanced. Very much like your subject matter of young growth trees and the repetitive trunks provide a strong overall composition. I am not too interested in the larger group of green yellow leaves along the left side . They are just a few too many of them for me. Still enjoy the shot though.
My genuine first impression is that the image seems a winter photo more than an autumnal one. In Italy we no longer have nice colored trees in autumn. The leaves fall dry, brown, crumpled beginning in September. I hope this is not the case there.
I don’t know if it counts as a feeling, but what jumped in to my mind was “exquisite.” I really don’t have a lot to add to that; exceptionally well-crafted image João.
