I think this is beautiful, and not something I would think to take. I like the leading line of the water taking the viewer through the image and the colors. A little sky, but not too much on a grey New England day. The only thing that bothers me is the branches of the tree on the right, just above the mid point, being in the image with the tree trunk cut off. I wonder if a slightly different crop might work? Overall, I really like it - very simple and relaxing scene.
Hi Guy,
I think a lot of photographers; myself included; don’t take the camera out as much as usual during stick season, but this is a wonderful example of the beauty that is there if we take a moment to slow down and see what is offered to us. This is a relaxing and serene image with some nice warm tones of the marsh grasses. My only suggestion; just my personal opinion; would a little crop from the top to get rid of some of those areas of blank sky. I hope you do not mind, but here is what I was thinking. I quite like this!
I think that this is really beautiful. It’s a quiet kind of beauty, understated, but there non e the less. The colours all feel so harmonious, and the line of the water really leads my eyes nicely through the image to the trees. I like this a lot!
This is a beautiful image with soft muted colours. There are so many grand landscapes . It’s refreshing to see one not so grand but just as beautiful.
I also like Ed’s version with a little of the sky removed.
A very under appreciated time of the year when the trees are bare. I love bare trees, especially if there is some fog or other atmospheric oddity that helps give the trees more character. You have captured some really great character in the trees, as there is slight mist or fog in amongst them. The foreground however, throws me off. It is brightly colored and it grabs all the attention away from the trees. While I like the rich muted color on the brush on the left side middle, the immediate foreground I think is trying to steal the show.
What if you cropped out the foreground entirely leaving just a sliver of the color at the base of the trees. Like this>>>
I also added a duplicate layer that was screened and blurred and then changed its mode to Multiply at 75% opacity followed by a curve layer to brighten set at 25% to accentuate the mist in the trees.
Hi @Youssef_Ismail, Thanks for your thoughts and considered reworking, but for me it is the equivalent of editing out all of the granite from your recent “Tunnel View” Yosemite picture. It would just miss the point.
My apologies for clobbering the composition so drastically. Aside from the title there was not much description as to the intent behind the photo, which prompted me to consider what I thought was the most attractive aspects of it, ergo the heavy crop to isolate the trees, which I found most fascinating. In any case, highlighting that time of the year in the cycle of nature is under represented. Thank you for considering it worthwhile to photograph it.
No worries! I was probably too quick with my response. I think images should be able to stand on their own merit, to achieve a clarity of meaning to the viewer without a docent standing by or an artist’s statement, so I very intentionally provide as little as possible. It is very difficult to make an image that expresses the complexity and conectedness of natures web and it’s inherent subtlety in a way that can be read as beauty by someone with a different set environmental sensibilities and preferences. But it is worth doing and learning how you perceived it can help me in that effort.
It’s a lovely image. I like what @Ed_Lowe said about “stick season”. After a solid two week’s of every other day snow storms, wind and temp’s around zero, there’s no sticks left to be seen here! The only thing that sort of stands out to me is the centered horizontal line at the base of the trees. More a personal preference than anything. I could see an argument for more at the top or more at the bottom. The tones and exposure are perfection.
Dear Guy, thanks for sharing this image. It is attractive in its ordinariness and understated nature: Very few, if any, visual tricks to lead the eye. I like that. If I were to suggest anything it would be to experiment with the color slider for the green hues in the leaves of the trees, or, alternatively, to experiment with the red and orange hues in the grass: To my eyes, there is a really interesting color relationship between these two areas.
This is just lovely and the the kind of scene that stops me in my tracks when I’m out and about. The muted colors are wonderful. What really catches my eye, though, is that bright orange, lighter patch just above the water. I think this is what grabbed @Youssef_Ismail’s eye, too. And what I want to see more clearly is the water leading me into the forest. To that end, I tried to “switch” the attention between these two features.
I lightened up just the water and darkened that bright patch. Here’s my thought:
Hi Ed, The position I could shoot from was limited without getting very wet/cold. I also made this image which in a lot of ways I like more, but it was a choice between offending sensibilities with the sky or foreground.