Here is a slightly different composition with more sky, but the same 4:5 aspect ratio. I cooled the wb a bit as well as upping the blue saturation in the calibration panel.
Sometimes winter gives us a perfect day. Temps in the 30s. Wispy clouds in a blue sky. Gentle winds and fresh powder. So I hit some new to me snowshoe trails and this might be the best photo of the lot. And I took a lot, lol.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
I thought about “cleaning up” some things in the snow, but frankly there aren’t many and with the spots where snow fell off the trees, the surface will never be smooth anyway. Also thought about cloning out the bits of sky coming through, but decided there was so much white that it wasn’t a distraction. Thoughts?
Lr for a bit of a crop and some work to even the luminosity, but it didn’t need much. A mask to tame highlights and some sharpening, texture and some work in HSL to bring up the orange glow in the remaining leaves and tree bark.
Hi Kris,
I’m starting to get a little envious of your great winter conditions, which obviously don’t want to end.
There is very little snow here these days. And if you want snow, you will find it only at higher altitudes.
This image looks great. I like how the soft shapes of the snow contrast with the straight tree trunks and the diagonals created by the shadows.
I wonder how the image would look if there was a little bit more room at the top of the image. Seeing a little more of the trees would perhaps improve the balance a bit. But I imagine you intentionally cropped the image to get rid of the sky behind the trees.
Beyond that, and this is a matter of taste, I would try to cool the image down very slightly.
This picture makes me definitely want to strap on the snowshoes and move through this forest. This curved path practically pulls you into the picture.
Great shot, Kris. For me there are no distractions. This image is about the wonderful shadows of the trees on the snow and the hint of a trail. What a wonderful day and a great adventure.
Thanks @Jens_Ober - we’ll probably be snowshoeing for a long time yet. There is about 3 feet or so on the ground in the photo, but because of some melting and freezing it was a little more solid and going off trail wasn’t a pain. I’ve included a version with more sky and a bit cooler wb for consideration. I’m a fan of warmer winter images in general, but sometimes it does look a bit incongruous. You’re right that I cropped out the sky in camera, but did have some that included more so check that out. Still didn’t clean up the fallen leaves. I kind of like them.
Thanks for taking a look @linda_mellor - the little bit of clouds kept everything a bit softer than it would have been without them, but the shadows were definitely the stars during my hike. On the way back I lost the light because more clouds came in and the lack of definition kept me from taking many photos compared to earlier when I had the light. When there’s a scrim of clouds it makes things so perfect. My favorite winter light for sure.
Nice winter photo, Kris. I like the second one better with @Jens_Ober corrections. It doesn’t seem so cut off on the top and the sky blends in with the landscape, so it’s not pulling the eye. The shadows are very nice and there’s lots of contrast. We had a couple of 40 degree days last week that melted most of our snow. I live in a higher elevation, so I still have a little at home. Next week will mostly be in the mid 40’s and with our warmer winters now, I figure our snow days are over.
Thanks @Donna_Callais - glad you don’t think the sky is pulling too much attention. It’s a tough thing to gauge sometimes and the validation here is nice to have. The compositional choices for this bit of trail were numerous and I like them all. Good thing I don’t have to choose!
I think more snow is heading our way on Wednesday. Just a couple inches, but winter certainly isn’t done with us yet.
