Down below the dam on the Wisconsin is a section of the Ice Age Trail that runs though some cedar and hemlock forest that is alternately a little scary and enchanting. It’s also busy with rocks, roots, trees both upright and down and many saplings. I love it and always stop to look off trail into its limited depths. Yesterday as the fog was lifting and the sun burning through clouds, this little scene caught my attention. At first I dismissed it as too complex to come across. Then I set the tripod down and tried to compose a scene that would translate. The gentle sun coming through the middle to light the small hemlocks and the moss covered rocks and stumps was the star and I did my best to let it shine. Lately I’ve been a tiny bit off emotionally speaking and yesterday did wonders for my psyche even though it was only a couple hours in nature.
Specific Feedback Requested
Does it translate? Does it work? Would you bother any more with it?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Tripod w/CPL carefully managed for a bit of highlights, but not too much glare. Backlighting is tricky.
Processed in Lr for some wb change, and careful local adjustments to preserve the subdued drama of the backlight. A little sharpening and slight NR as well. Also dialed down clarity in places to keep things from being too crunchy.
Kris, I think you’ve done a good job of showing a sense of order in the forest. There is a path/line from the lower left to the upper right. And the trees just left of center frame that path and also provide a boundary to the bit of mystery on the upper left. Nicely done.
The light is so beautiful in this image. That’s what really like makes it for me. The composition is pretty creative and I find that attractive. I also like what you’ve chosen to photograph. Finding beauty in subjects that aren’t grand, that don’t dazzle you, is something I always appreciate more.
I appreciate the feedback @Ronald_Murphy, @David_Bostock, @Igor_Doncov & @Diane_Miller - sometimes the magic of 3D doesn’t translate to 2D and you guys know that when you see it. The light was what stopped me as well as the scene itself. Moss like this knocks me out. Am going to an old growth forest up north today so we’ll see if I have any luck finding more. It’s a naturalist outing not a photography one so time could be pressed.
I have to chalk this edit up to old age, fearing older eyes are not differentiating between simple values, but while I thoroughly enjoy the placing of the scene, I kept getting lost in the right center where the young saplings (or are they ferns) reside. So, I did a simple “Select by Color Range,” there and gave it a bit of an “exposure” adjustment to give them a slight push forward because that’s where the filtered light seemed the strongest. I did another exposure bump just on the tips of the needles hanging over the rock at the base of the tree to carry that light over to the other side of the frame., but just so… Again, and as always, i’s not a matter of right or wrong, it’s just another viewpoint.
I appreciate you taking the time. It’s a subtle change and I admit the saplings (hemlock, but maybe balsam fir) did give me some pause because they are so feathered into the background.
Kristen, It is amazing what some time in the forest can do for one and I so appreciate those times. You did a great job seeing and capturing this wonderful scene and this type of photograph is not easy to do. You put me right there and I like that a lot. Love the light and wonderfully natural feel.
Kris, how wonderful that you could get out for some photo/nature time and that it helped your psyche. This is busy, but your placement of the downed tree leading to the mossy rocks gives the scene a nice structure.
Many thanks @Nick_Bristol & @Bonnie_Lampley - going out in nature always puts my head right and it’s little things like this that are part of why. I’m glad the composition works - it’s a very dense area with lots of elements competing for space. And I was mistaken, it’s not a hemlock forest it’s balsam fir.
Kris, I think you did a great job of structuring the chaos in this scene, you found some key elements and made them work together. For me though it’s the lushness of the light on the greens (especially on the moss). The light here is pretty sweet. This almost looks more like the rainforests of the Pacific northwest than it doe the mid-west.
I’m going to get very subjective here and say that I I think I might prefer this image to be flipped horizontal (if your personal ethics allow for that sort of thing). When I look at this, to me the log on the right is going out of the frame. If flipped, I don’t perceive it the same way.
