Dark Illusion (+revised)

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Revised Version

Revision 2 (latest)

What changed: Did some darkening & desaturation as per Lon’s suggestion. Also a tiny bright spot removed.

Revision 1

What changed: Slightly darkened far right tree trunk.

Added after receiving feedback from the community.

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Original Version

Critique Style: Standard

The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.

Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical

About This Image

Normally when I’m out on the Spirit River backwaters, it’s sunny and inviting, but this strange little section felt different and so I processed it differently to emphasize my initial reaction to it. Also it was gently raining and so the sun wasn’t very bright under the canopy. It runs straight between the main channel and a much larger backwater where the local eagles’ nest is. That’s what I was aiming for having finally found a way in so I didn’t have to paddle around the long way. The rain, however, curtailed my plans even though I’d seen one adult and one juvenile earlier. Since it seems junior has already fledged, there probably wouldn’t be much to see at the nest anyway.

So this channel, I’ve paddled up it before and when the water is higher it’s easy and you can get out at the end. Right now though, the water level is 8-10 inches lower making it impossible - that water is on average less deep than the width of my paddle blade and full of sticks, so I stayed here to take some shots before paddling back to the launch. The rain stopped while I loaded and then a mile up the road or so, it began again in earnest.

Feedback Requested

So tell me about how this shot strikes you. It is more or less natural, but with some manipulation there to make it feel a bit less than inviting.

Technical Details

Camera: Panasonic DC-G9
Lens: LUMIX G VARIO 12-35/F2.8
Focal length: 35mm
Shutter speed: 1/30s
Aperture: f/7.1
ISO: 1000

Processing software: Lr & Ps
Major adjustments: Basic global adjustments so that the levels worked, denoise, wb tweak, lens correction and a bit of a crop. Distraction removal in both Lr and Ps. Used the Film Inspired preset and then tweaked the level as well as fine tuning some of the other pieces like the vignette. Slight crop and rotation.
Blending/stacking: none
Other notes:

Tripod/handheld: handheld in the kayak
Focus method: SAF with all focus points active
Filters: none
Technique: kayak on a big branch to hold steady(ish)
Conditions: light rain

[Marylynne_Diggs]

Hi Kris,
This is a captivating scene for me. I love the darkness with the glowing light at the end of the tunnel. To me, it feels eerie and quiet, but not haunting or negative. More like a mystical portal to a new world,

Nicely done!
ML

[Don_Peters]

Very nice, Kris. The leaning trees create a cathedral-like arch.

[Diane_Miller]

WOW! ILOVE this!!! It’s so calm and majestic – I feel like I’m right there. And that arched window at the end of the tunnel is so lovely with the framed trees leaning outward. The perfect prize to be discovered!

Only one minor suggestion, that I hate to even notice, but I wonder about darkening the trunk on the right edge of the frame.

[Youssef_Ismail]

Kris,

This feels like I standing in a cathedral with vaulted ceilings and those amazing flying buttresses. The light at the end and in the reflection like stained glass windows. Very cool and calming actually. I also like the slightly off center composition, just enough imbalance to make interesting but not enough to throw it out of balance.

[Steve_Kennedy]

This is very cool Kris! It looks like a foreboding passage to a secret garden. I like Youssef’s example of a cathedral, but one that is rather dark. Well done!

[system]

The original poster added a revised version of their image.

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Thanks @Marylynne_Diggs , @Don_Peters , @Diane_Miller , @Youssef_Ismail & @Steve_Kennedy - I didn’t know how this would be received here so I’m quite pleased that you find it intriguing. It did feel rather cathedral-esque when I got into the scene at this point. I also wondered at the off-centered aspect and if it would annoy, but there wasn’t much choice for me to park the boat exactly in the center (darn tree!), so I went deliberately to the right so as to include more trees on the left. They are luckily pretty uniform. Glad it isn’t a negative image for folks - I didn’t exactly want it to be foreboding or scary, but it certainly had a more ominous feel than many backwaters here.

Oh and I did slightly darken the tree - nice catch Diane!

[Lon_Overacker]

Kris,

I love this! Grand and yes, “cathedral” comes to mind. This will date me, but you what actually came to my mind? The album from Styx, “The Grand Illusion.” So I had to google the cover… well, not too close, but Green was the main color and trees were prominent… so I guess more just a mental trigger… but hey, that’s what I thought of.

Despite your description of reality, the image certainly comes across where one could paddle all the way in; the comp draws the viewer in naturally. And the tree canopy is just grand.

Now I had the same thoughts about the brightness on the right - but not only the tree on the edge, but also the cluster of grass - maybe not too bright, but maybe too green? And then because my eye was spending time there, the horizontal log, well, I think could be burned down as well. I tried a crop, but I don’t think that helps or improves. BTW, the off-centered comp works perfectly for me.

So, I think your revision works, but for personal choice, maybe could go a little further. I burned down the tree, as well as just a bit of burning of the larger 2-trunk cluser. I also desaturated the cluster of grass and burned down the horizontal log.
Just tweaks, YMMV. Most certainly an image worth the tweaks!

Processing example based on Revision 1:

[Bill_Fach]

Kris: “Cathedral” was my first impression as well. Not much to add to the previous kudos but this was well seen and beautifully captured and presented.>=))>

[system]

The original poster added a revised version of their image.

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Thanks @Lon_Overacker & @Bill_Fach - oh the little tweaks! I’ve done a few more. Which artist said that his paintings were never finished? Anyway, thanks for the insight - a new image in the OP. It seems I’m going to have to stop by this spot whenever I kayak there so I can see how it changes.

[Ola_Jovall]

Cathedral-like feeling where you are moving towards the light/bright future. In the processing example attached I tried to increase a little bit the tunnel effect/depth by darkening some parts of the image as well as softening a tad the bright part at the end. I also deleted some white spots in the water and darkened the branch in the water near the LRC. Finally, I croped a little bit of the right edge only to achieve a similar tree crop at both edges. Anyhow, the original image is great as is!

Processing example based on Revision 2:

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Thanks once more @Ola_Jovall for your processing know-how. I did some hemming and hawing about that stick, but decided to leave it as an eerie question about what lurks below. Your version might be better though. Glad you had some fun with it.

[Glenys_Passier]

Oh Kris! This is so lovely. As a person who shoots from a kayak I can appreciate the effort involved as well. So well seen! I think many people would have paddled right past this little backwater. The watger is so still and dark giving way to the gorgeous light canopy. It’s an image that whispers, not scream.

[Ed_Lowe]

Hi Kris,

This is so well seen as those arching trees do give off the appearance of a cathedral. The soft light at the end of the tunnel so to speak, couldn’t have been any better and that reflection is the icing on the cake. While I quite like this as is I can see a twofer here with a vertical comp. Not necessarily better, just another option. I hope you do not mind, but here is a rework with what I was thinking. Just my opinion of course.This has a serene peaceful vibe that I find very inviting.

[Kris_Smith (Kristen M Smith)]

Thanks @Ed_Lowe - funny, I shot a few verticals as well, just didn’t feel they had the same presence as the horizontal version. Still compelling though. Many thanks for having a go at an alternate.

Oh and I put this shot up on another site (non-photo, hard to explain) and someone was inspired to write a poem -

Poem 938 – The Passage

Which I thought was very touching.

[Glenys_Passier]

Holy cow! How cool is that! Love it.