Dangerous Beauty

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
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Critique Style Requested: Standard

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

Description

Dangerous Beauty

I am drawn to standing dead trees. It might be the starkness of the twisted branches against the sky. It could be the realization that even in death, the tree continues to breath life into the forest around it. In the case of this forest of Lodgepole Pine Trees, it was changes in their environment that transitioned them into their current haunting state. In Yellowstone, things are constantly changing. What once was perfect soil for tree growth, became toxic as hot water found its way through here. The hot water brought with it dissolved minerals. As the water was absorbed by the trees, the minerals were left behind, clogging the cellulose fibers and ending the tree’s life. It was not the end of the life giving abilities of the trees though. Many species of birds find the holes left behind where decayed branches fell off. Tree Swallows and Mountain Bluebirds love this forest. In the Springtime, their colorful bodies can be seen flitting between the trees as they fill their beaks with food for the young who thrive in the nest cavities.

Like the Tree Swallows, I find joy in the other-worldly beauty of this forest pointing to the stars. This ethereal view is enhanced by the unfathomable depth and beauty of one of the spiral arms of our Milky Way Galaxy. I probably could have stayed here all night long, just watching the stars slowly move across the heavens as the Earth’s rotation causes the inevitable cycle of day and night. Part of me wants to wander along that meandering spring, but respect for this fragile landscape keeps me on the shoulder of the road. Meteors streaked silently overhead. Somewhere nearby and owl called into the darkness. In a nearby meadow I heard Sandhill Cranes. It definitely makes you wonder what made them vocalize in the middle of the night! Yellowstone is not a safe place for trees, cranes or even humans. I think that is why we are so drawn to it. The dangerous beauty of this place is so compelling, we simply can not stay away, even in the middle of the frosty night under the starlight.

Specific Feedback

There’s a quandary I always face with night images. I believe that to illuminate the foreground makes for a more compelling image, but on the other hand, it is a bit unnatural. What do you think of the foreground lighting. Are the trees too busy for the sky? Does it distract from the stars?

Technical Details

Nikon D850
Sigma Art 20mm 1.4
ISO 6400, f/2.8, 10 seconds

4 vertical image (2x2) panorama. Each image is comprised of 10 light and 30 dark images
stacked in Starry Landscape Stacker, Merged in PTGui Pro
Processed in Lightroom Classic CC
Foreground lit with 2 tripod mounted Lumecube 2.0 lights at level 2

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A gorgeous scene, and definitely striking and unusual both as a tree silhouette shot and a MW shot. These trees are so iconic – I’m glad you captured them in this context. For my taste, the FG illumination is excellent. It has the believable essence of weak moonlight. The IQ of the trees and stars is excellent. The FG fell out of the plane of focus – maybe two more exposures with different focus could have captured it. That would have meant dealing with more star movement but maybe the sky BG could have been excluded from thos two? I haven’t tried PTGui yet so it’s so easy to sit here and suggest it.

I think you have a very powerful image if you crop the bottom 1/4 or so and let us zero in on those incredible trunks!

Good to see another post from you – I’ve missed your work and have been hoping all is OK.

3

Thank you Diane! All is well! I work in construction and the period leading up to Thanksgiving and Christmas is a crazy time since I do finish type work and everyone wants in for the holidays! I hadn’t considered cropping much since I like the winding stream, but now that you say it, it might just work! I think the original uncropped pano has more space above the trees to work with too. Focus stacking would add a whole lot of work since this is stacked, but, maybe this an April I will head back and try that, then learn how to do that type of work in Photoshop!

4

Paul, this is a great nighttime look at this area of YNP. The foreground lighting is dark enough that it “feels” right. I would try two things…1) some darks dodging of the land at the base of the trees to better match that with the foreground, and/or 2) some slight burning-in of the brighter parts of the foreground, again to get more even luminosity throughout the entire grassy area. The trees look fine against the sky. Personally, I’d try the dodging first as adding a bit more interest there should increase the sense of depth in the land.

5

Good ideas @Mark_Seaver . One of the problems with the evenness of the foreground lighting is that there was a lot of frost on the grass, particularly along the edges of the creek. The creek is a warm spring so there is a bit of vapor coming off of it. This was shot in April, so it was cold, in fact that whitish area to the right in the mid-background area is actually a snowbank. At some point, I will definitely get back into this image and try your suggestions! Thank you!