This tree has a little story. I was floundering in the kayak in the open part of this little backwater. Not finding the shot…you’ve all been there. So I decided to move into the tighter backwaters and see what I could see. I was shooting some video while gliding along and I saw this tree up ahead. Drawn like an arrow straight to it I settled in for this composition. Waiting for the ripples to dissipate. It was the saplings’ leaves and the arch of the cypress branch that got my heart pounding.
After our group returned to home base and started processing some images, one of the other participants ooohed and ahhed and asked where this was so he could try shooting it in the morning (we decided two sunrises here would be a great option and we were right), so I gave him directions. The next morning after I got my open water shots, I paddled in to see if he found it. He had and was photographing it when I found him. I paddled deeper in and got another incredible shot (I can post later).
This image was taken minutes and just yards away from the Witch Haze shot, but has a different feel altogether. That’s how it is in a cypress lake. Crazy. But I wanted to put this up because Igor was curious about bluer fog and yellow leaves. This is one of three that show it well, but it’s the closest in subject to Witch Haze, so I’m showing this one.
I also think the mood in this is different because of the change in color palette. The somber browns are replaced with blues and grays so it feels different to me even though it was literally minutes from the other. I’m curious as to how it strikes you and how they compare.
Specific Feedback Requested
The discussion around Witch Haze was pretty terrific and all the ideas and suggestions were fun to try and improved the final result as well as my thinking toward my images, so have at it!
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Lumix G9
LUMIX G VARIO 35-100mm F2.8 lens @ 38mm (76mm equiv.)
f/5.6 | 1/30 sec. | ISO 400
Handheld in a kayak
Lr processed pretty intensely - lots of work with the local adjustment brush to improve the transitions from light to dark in the fog, the branches and the background. Color channel work to liven up the leaves a bit. Ps to remove bits in the water. I don’t think this is a big crop.
The blues contrast well with the leaves. I like the sunlight peaking through giving the impression of morning, but you might also try toning them down to see what that does.
This looks real nice. I might clone out the bright sky areas along the top edge, but pretty minor. Looking back and forth between the two, they have different moods. I find myself preferring the neutral look of the first one as opposed to the blue look of this one. But that is totally a personal preference. Good one.
I agree with Harley and Ronald about the bright spots along the top edge. There are two of them. It looks like a simple clone would remove them. I like the brighter parts in the lower section of the image that have more color to them. This is a very moody image you’ve captured with the fog swirling around the base of the trees and filtering up through the branches and those beautifully striking leaves that just pop. I also see a couple of panos that might work well and scroll cropping by eliminating about 60% of the top of the image. I’m at work now but might play with it when I get home tonight. I would love to shoot in a cypress forest one day. Your images really have me wanting to do that Kris. So prehistoric looking.
Lovey image. Unsurprisingly, I prefer this over the neutral. If you can burn in the bits of sky it would be good. I tried a square crop of the tree but failed. This is much better. A frame brings light to this image over the default black bg:
This just might be my favorite so far of your cypress grove series, Kristen! I can literally feel the calm stillness of the early morning with the fog silently gliding across the water. My only suggestion would be to crop off a couple of areas of sky peeping through the trees along the top edge. Minor stuff as this is gorgeous. I do like the cooler tones you captured for this one.
I’ve given that a try with a second edit - see what you think.
Thanks Harley - I did a bit of cloning at the top. It’s amazing how color affects how we interpret a scene and how tied to emotion it is for us humans. I like that two images taken so close together can be so different.
I can’t recommend it highly enough and if you want to go, PM me and I’ll give you the info for the guide I used (twice). It’s a lot of paddling, but since I’m an avid kayaker it was part of why I chose to do it that way.
I thought you might. I’ll post a couple more from the next morning that you’ll like, too. The white frame is nice. I forget I can do that in Ps.
I cloned out those bright spots, so check that out and see what you think. This and the Witch Haze shot are so different and it’s natural that people feel drawn to one more than another.
It’s like being on the set of a fantasy film like The Two Towers or something (ents!) - if you ever get a chance to spend time in a cypress swamp, do it!
Kris, the collection of trunks and scattered leaves mixes very well with the arching branch and the brighter background. Toning down the background brights works well.
