Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
Although I asked for an “initial reaction” critique, all suggestions would be welcome.
I wonder if this may be a little undersaturated. I was trying to avoid over-saturation and I may have gone too far in the other direction.
Other Information
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Image Description
I was experimenting with in-camera multiple exposures for a while. The difficulty with those is that the software decides how to blend them. I wanted to have a say in that decision. With composites I do.
This is a two-shot composite. One shot was of a rock wall in an arroyo. The other was of a tree. The “sun” was in the rock wall.
Technical Details
Not applicable.
Specific Feedback
I’m mostly interested in aesthetic feedback but any suggestions are welcome.
Hi Don. The saturation feels fine to me. I like your idea of keeping the form of the tree pretty intact and the second layer (or are there more?) has some great texture and patterns including some patches of color that look like turquoise (very apt for the area). A very interesting abstract.
I love layering like this to make abstract images. Used to do it all the time with my slides…I think this is lovely overall. The one thing that tends to distract me is that yellowish circle - almost looks like the sun in the tree photo? Or a spot on the rocks? I do feel it pulls my eye away from the form of the tree, though. Perhaps toning that down a bit might help.
Brenda, that yellowish circle was in the rock photo. I saw it as the sun, hence the title for the photo. That doesn’t mean it’s a good idea to have it there. I’ll give this some thought.
Oh, I love this, Don! That yellow orb does look like a sun. For me, if it was a bit brighter, it would feel more sunrise-y. It could have a bit more saturation for my taste. I think both of those changes would make the tree stand out more, too.
Very cool! Interesting juxtaposition – like the tree is swimming in some sort of cosmic clouds.
I love the yellow blob for the softness it has, and the branch is reaching out to it. Looking at the OP I thought more saturation would make it too busy but Bonnie’s version works for me. It’s brighter more than more saturated.
Wonderful multiple exposure here Don! Love the swirling strands of color around the tree. I like your idea with the sun near the tree. Bonnie’s version looks great to me. The brighter exposure fits with the sunrise feel. Awesome work Don!
What a wonderful fantasy. I enjoy seeing old veteran trees and the colors and intricate textures of rocks, but to see this tree inside the rocks that might be harboring its roots is a real trip. The gold orb plays with the tree delightfully. No niggles, no crop, no vignette, no nuthin. Just a dream.
After reading others’ thoughts, if you do decide to go with more luminosity, I would think about a rounded vignette.
To me this looks like an abstract of a tree against a very cool multi colored rock background. I love the looks of it and the painterly feel as it is. Beautiful image, I could see a very large canvas of it hanging somewhere with a large wall to do it justice.
I’d call this a work of art. Love this! Fantastic job in creating this.
I get the rising sun, but find it mildly distracting… then again, whenever the sun (sunrise, sunset) is included, it will always draw attention. I guess this wouldn’t have the same impression without it.
love it either way. Nice re-work by Bonnie as well.
I really like this type of abstract look. I think the saturation here is fine and perhaps other adjustments to the saturation while being different will still be just fine. It really is very reminiscent of a Jackson Pollack painting. Bob Engle
I’ll give this some thought.
