Big Leaf Tapestry

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
1

53D2542H-npn.jpg
53D2542H-npn.jpg2298×1670 1.74 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

Here’s another from my fall trip to Yosemite earlier this month. Taken just about an hour before the previous El Cap post located just a few hundred yards from that image. I’ve photographed this stand of Big Leaf Maple a few times before, but I had to stop again this time because the foggy conditions made for a very “cool” backdrop.

Specific Feedback

All comments and suggestions welcome of course.

Particularly interested in luminosity, color, saturation and processing in general. I also have a closer crop, but I liked the presence of the foggy bg so I’m posting the wider view.

Almost think the luminosity should be raised a 1/2 stop or so? But then again, it’s early in the morning on the shady side of the valley, fog and no sun. Is the fog to blue?

What do you think? Feedback much appreciated!

Technical Details

Nikon D800E, 28-300mm @78mm, f/11 1/4s iso 100. Single frame.

2

Looks like you had great conditions and a productive trip. The warm and cool contrast is quite striking as are the size of the leaves - I guess they’re big!

It can probably stand raising exposure overall, but the fog looks a bit dark to me (I’m in a bright room, but with the monitor down a bit from the brightest). You could select for the blue and raise just for that, keeping the leaves out of it and see how you like it. The darker bands to each side work well to balance the composition and while it is wide, it tells a complete story for me by including that fog.

You could try isolating the greener part of the leaves and bringing that luminosity down to see if the yellow ones sing louder.

To me the fog is too blue (the ULC looks like sky - maybe it is?) - I bet reducing the saturation boost the mysterious element. I find that too much color drains the seriousness from photos and for me, fog is serious/somber/still. Vibrancy = action to me so this is at odds if that makes any sense.

By contrast, the saturation in the trees looks good. The trunks are sturdy and give a lot of presence and mass to the image.

Was that at all coherent? I’ve been going in a bunch of directions today and might not have it totally together! :crazy_face:

3

I agree with @Kris_Smith that the background fog may be too blue, but then I wasn’t there. You also might try a slight vignette to focus attention on the center leaves.

4

The foggy background contrasting with the warm leaves is delightful, but it’s those trunks that really make this special for me; well done.

For me the blue is not only okay, but a feature. I think it really adds to the contrast with the leaves. In fact, if you were to make anything more yellow I’d probably go after the leaves so they kept that contrast theme going.

My only other thought is to selectively vignette the yellows on the edges to allow that central area to pop. I’ll post a crude example below.

Really though, this is magnificent as is; it has Lon written all over it. Nicely done.

53D2542H-npn
53D2542H-npn1149×835 1.44 MB

1 Like
5

Hi Lon,
when being outside in late autumn, the comforting warm colors of the foliage sometimes let me forget the cold temperatures I am feeling at the same time.
Your image conveys just this experience immediately to me.
I appeciate your composition and treatment of colors a lot and would not change anything.
Peter

6

Lon,I thought your image was to dark as a whole.I tryed several things as making the background blue lighter or change the color blue a bit. Every time I came back to your original . It’s a great light/dark image!!

7

I personally LOVE the blue and the yellow contrast in this image. I think it’s what makes it stand out so I wouldn’t change a thing with the blue. I also quite like the little bit of green that seeps into the scene around the yellow leaves and I love that as well. The dark trunks give the scene a lot of solid structure and the darkness of them adds to the earie feeling I get with the fog although foggy images tend to be much more flat than this one. However, I really think this works. I’m trying to see in my minds eye (because I’m at work and can’t do a real rework on this) if adding positive dehaze would work to make this feel even foggier than it is but I think you’ve just nailed the composition and the processing and I don’t think I’d change anything.

8

This is quite lovely, Lon. The cool background and warm leaves make a striking contrast, and the dark trunks give wonderful structure. I could see warming up the yellows just a tad and maybe desaturating the blues a bit. I gave it a whirl (moved the yellow slider towards the orange end in ACR, desaturated blues), but YMMV. To me, warming up the yellows changes the mood a bit, to be less somber. If you want somber, please ignore my edits. :slightly_smiling_face:

LonMaples
LonMaples2080×1512 1.88 MB

9

I want to thank everyone for you kinds words, comments, suggestions and edits.

This is now one of those images where I’ve become color blind, and blind to any subsequent changes. I’ve tried tweaking and have been going back and forth on the fine points of color, saturation - even working the greens that has been suggested.

I originally was worried the blues were a bit strong and the responses have born that out, although it’s not unanimous. Which is how things go - we each have our own responses.

To which,

Nah, I’d never ignore your comments Bonnie, but this did make me reflect on whether or not it was a somber moment. I woudn’t say somber - I’m always excited when I’m photographing scenes that delight me, no matter the conditions. But it was most certainly darkish, damp, very still and quiet. But darkish doesn’t always mean somber. Below is the scene photographed from a 90 degree shift in position. from below, I was actually standing about the 9pm position of this photograph - quite literally in the triangle of the road intersection - and yes, cars whizzing by time in the morning. About 1hr before the El Cap photo was captured. Anyway, just for fun and reference:

53D2577-sharpened
53D2577-sharpened1109×1500 1.3 MB

Thanks again, @Kris_Smith , @Ronald_Murphy , @John_Williams @Peter_Richter , @Ben_van_der_Sande , @David_Haynes and @Bonnie_Lampley .

Kris, absolutely and I want to thank you very much for your detailed response! And definitely no sky here, although the brighter upper left is thinning fog influenced greatly by the giant El Cap reflector.

Ronald, I actually did have a vignette, but agree along with John’s comments, edits that some of the brighter tones along the outside would do well to be reduced to keep the interest in the middle of the frame.

Thank you All!

1 Like
10

Interesting. I like Bonnie’s version as well. There doesn’t seem to be a ‘better’ version.