I like shooting forest scenes, and dealing with the challenge of taming the inherent chaos. The nice combination of the birch trees and bunchberry flowers made it a bit easier to deal with than normal. This image was taken the day after our recent NPN meetup in New Hampshire. We did not get to this location during our meetup because it was too far a drive from our base in Franconia, and we decided not to do some waterfalls that are near this birch forest.
I was very careful not to walk on the bunchberry flowers, and that significantly limited my available compositions. I’m not sure I like the birch in the center like this, but frankly had no real choice given I wanted to avoid trampling the flowers. I like the distant birches, but sometimes wish the center birch was not there. What does everyone think of the center birch, does it work okay or not?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any and all critique or comment is welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Canon 5D MKIV, Canon 16-35mm f4 lens, 25mm, ISO 320, f16 at 0.4 sec
Did some warping in PS to correct for wide-angle distortion.
I kind of like the centered birch. It’s unorthodox and a unique point of view. It’s kind of in your face and almost doesn’t seem to be a tree. The color rendition is perfect.
You score a very high point with those flowers, Ed. The way they are peppered across the base of the image grounds it and they lead your eyes to the birch. Super good. No nits at all from me.
First off kudos for not trampling all over the bunchberry, Ed. The details of the forest floor are gorgeous, particularly so when opening up the large version. In a perfect world you might have been able to move around so as not to have the birch in the center, but sometimes we just have to take what we are given and go with it. I think the two evergreens flanking the birch help to balance things out rather nicely. Beautifully done!
Actually, I’m with Igor. I think the big trunk is a bold and focused element. Do I wish there were a better spacing of smaller trees behind, sure; but the way you’ve composed and included the tree, it works. And of course the forest floor with the flowers, leaves and ferns carries the show. So kudos for a well rounded and beautiful capture. Even the framing with the evergreens on the sides works.
No nits or suggestions. Colors, processing are wonderful.
Ed, to be totally honest, I’m not a fan of the centered tree. It’s so large in the image, it feel it blocks me from moving through the image. I love everything else about the image. The bunchberry carpet, the lush greens and the BG birches.
@Igor_Doncov@Adhika_Lie@Lon_Overacker@Michael_Lowe@Ed_Lowe thank you for all of your comments on my image. I knew the center birch had the potential to be controversial, and hoped that by framing it with the two spruce trees that it would lessen the dominance of the center birch. I’m actually surprised everyone but Mike seems okay with it, I’m still struggling with it a bit myself. I love the forest under-story vegetation in this spot, but the tree still bothers me. The center tree has two background birches framing it very tightly, and that bothers me more than the size of the center birch itself.
Ed and Mike, I would have taken the NPN group here if we had gone to do waterfalls in Pinkham Notch, but those falls were the ones with some hiking. So I ended up doing this birch forest and the waterfalls on Sunday morning instead.
It’s a beautiful capture of the flowers and foliage, Ed, with the distant birches completing the scene nicely. Well worth taking - though, as you seem to feel yourself, I could, in an ideal world, wish the central tree away
Okay, this is done a bit crudely, but I have removed the center birch. I would not present this as an original image, since it is too far a departure from reality for my personal ethics.
But in that alternate universe where this tree does not exist, how do you feel about the center birch now?
This is very pretty, Ed. Good for you to be mindful of not trampling the ground cover. In these days of shot-at-any-cost for Instagram posts, we need more good stewards like you. Personally, the centered birch works for me by creating an anchor point to the composition. Processing looks great.
@Nick_Bristol@Nathan_Klein@Dave_Dillemuth@Ian_Wolfenden thank you taking the time to comment. After posting the crazy cloned away version, I have time to reach the conclusion that the centered makes this image more unusual and interesting, I bow to the majority opinion, thanks for your input everyone.
