Birch Constellation

Image Critiques Flora Critiques
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Birch Constellation
Birch Constellation1730×1920 546 KB

Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.

Questions to guide your feedback

How well do the leaves come across as floating or suspended?
What do you think about the vestiges I left of branches and background?

Other Information

Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.

Image Description

The birch tree in my back yard gets showy in October, and enchants me as the leaves get sparse.

Technical Details

f/10 XF60mm 1/40 sec. Fujifilm X-t5; tripod The flip out display let me frame this as the camera pointed upward.

Specific Feedback

I tried to show the leaves as floating in the sky. But we all know there are branches involved, so I left a trace of them in. Your thought on too much/little?? Same for background. I wanted to avoid distractions and also avoid a black void.

I think the leaves themselves are OK, with brightness and texture pretty consistent. I did not see any point in them differing from each other. Your thoughts?

Critique Template

Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.

Vision and Purpose:
Conceptual:
Emotional Impact and Mood:
Composition:
Balance and Visual Weight:
Depth and Dimension:
Color:
Lighting:
Processing:
Technical:

1 Like
2

Excellent, Dick. I really like the arrangement of the leaves in this and the decision to keep the background quite dark. This is an image I’ve been trying to get for quite some time with little or no success, but you pulled it off very well. I could see the supporting twigs a touch brighter, but if that entails bringing up the rest of the background, which it probably would, then I’d go with it as-is.

3

Thanks Dennis, With an existing LR mask, making those twigs a bit more visible is a nice touch.

4

Wonderful! Until I looked closely, I couldn’t tell if the leaves were floating or suspended. I think the slight hint of the branches is just right.

5

I really like this a lot. It’s peaceful and energetic at the same time - mainly because of the illusion that the leaves are falling. It isn’t entirely a natural image in the sense that the dynamic range is exaggerated, but as an artistic effort it works well. The uniformity of size, but varying aspects of the leaves is excellent and reminds me of a mobile.

6

Dick: Terrific concept and superbly executed. I’m especially impressed that there is good separation of the leaves and you’ve left just enough of the BG to give this some context. Without the branches I don’t think this would nave as much impact. Most excellent. :+1: :+1:>=))>

7

I agree with everyone’s comments. This is really cool. Well seen and well processed!