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Questions to guide your feedback
What is your initial reaction to this?
What are your impressions of the atmosphere and mood this image might provoke?
Other Information
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Image Description
I love the mood that these southern Cypress swamps impart to me. They seem like prehistoric places where dinosaurs would have roamed millions of years ago. They are dark, creepy, a little dirty and at the same time really beautiful and calming. In the Fall, they turn from vivid green to yellow, then orange and if there is not wind or heavy rain, a rusty deep orange and reddish color.
Technical Details
Z9, ISO 200, 1/10, F/11, 70-200 @ 125mm, manual exposure, hand held from a boat
Specific Feedback
I’d love to get your feedback on which image you prefer. I’ve cropped the second image and processed it slightly differently. Do you like the wider view showing more of the forest or the slightly more intimate view showcasing that center tree a little bit more?
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Tough one - that is tough one to pick. I should have started with, another gorgeous autumn image from the Cypress swamps!
I Love both, but for me I’ve settled on the cropped version. I think it greatly simplifies the overall composition and showcases all that is needed without losing any impact. In Fact, in the broader view, I think the tree on the left is a little heavy in the frame (mostly due to darker luminosity).
The second element is the water. The water works beautifully in both, but the slightly smaller presence in the cropped version to me has a better balance to the bigger picture. To me, the water anchors the scene, but is more of a supporting element rather than a signficant one, thus the slightly smaller presence works better. But that’s just me. Others I’m sure will differ!
Hi David, Beautiful images you have shared with us. As much as my natural tendency is towards the full frame, I have to agree with Lon that the crop does get to the point more precisely. Well seen and processed.
Wonderful!! I love the whole atmosphere of the south, with the warm, humid air carrying all sorts of fragrances, from Gardenias and Magnolias to gentle decay, and a cypress swamp brings that out for me with a haunting beauty. But aside from my own associations, there is a magical quality to these swamps, conferred I think by the gently dancing horizontal lines of the foliage against the draping Spanish moss. And your image is a wonderful presentation of that. The shapes of the water lilies echo the leaves and I love how the details fade into a mysterious dark distance.
I think both crops are good but I do lean toward the tighter one, for the somewhat simpler presentation of the wonderful subject.
One thing I would try if it was mine (wish it was!) would be a touch of Nik CEP Glamour Glow. It can add a bit of magic to scenes like this – not that it needs any more! This is worthy of a huge print!
David, the original is nicely dark and moody…just what I expect from a swamp. I do think cropping out the dark tree near the left is good. I don’t know if you changed the luminosity, but the cropped version also seems a bit brighter, which lets the details in the water and along the bottom show more strongly. I think the uncropped version captures the mood better, but you might try dodging that dark tree on the left and the water a bit…
My reaction to this image is mixed. It’s one of beauty and fear. The beauty comes from the graceful overlapping branches. The fear is only suggestive and comes from the dark water and the interior. I therefore prefer the wider version and would incorporate the lower area more fully. But even aside of that I feel the wider version is more impactful.
One thing I’ve noticed is that your images look like Lon’s in terms of processing. The contrast is restrained and so are the colors. You rarely shoot in sunlight. Perhaps this is a holdover from the film days when dynamic range was limited. Perhaps I should look at your entire profile before opening my big mouth.
Man, what a stunner! I am partial to the cropped version for the same reason others have mentioned, as the tree on the left feels like it creates a bit of an imbalance. But honestly, IMHO, that’s a very minor critique. The whole mood of this image is just fantastic. I love the contrast of the colorful foliage against that smooth black water. Wonderful work!
Hi David,
Both versions are stunning and hauntingly beautiful and I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with either one. I am slightly leaning towards the cropped version as the balance seems to be a little better with the last tree on the left side removed. It also seems like the autumn color of the orange needles of the cypress are spread out a little more evenly across the image. This is the perfect companion piece to your last post. My only suggestion is the same as what I mentioned to @Bret_Edge on his last post; print this large and find some wall space. Gorgeous work!
@guy, @Diane_Miller, @Mark_Seaver, @Igor_Doncov, @Bret_Edge, @Ed_Lowe, Thank you for your feedback!
Lon…The reason I showcases these two against each other is I wanted to see how everyone felt about that tree on the left. It bothered me which is why I cropped it out for comparison, but after doing so, I felt the two images had different moods and so I processed them slightly differently. You also mention the water. Yep, that dark water certainly anchors the scene and even more so in the more intimate shot. Thanks for your thoughts and your kind words Lon!
Guy…I agree with you on the crop getting to the point. Thanks so much for your thoughts.
Diane…I am going to download Nik when I get a chance this week and see what the CEP filter does to this image. I can’t wait. I’m glad this brought out thoughts of the south for you. Thanks as always for your thoughts.
Mark…I think you touched on just about everything. Yes, I processed these two differently and yes, the cropped version is lighter by about a fifth of a stop. I thought the uncropped version was moodier and so I played with darker tones in that image. The tree on the left is the reason I cropped this image but I love the mood of the larger version so I think I will go back and play with that tree on the left to see if I can get some balance in that image. Nailed it. Thanks Mark!
Igor…I think in my earlier days I used to go for more contrast but I almost always used negative dehaze and not much contrast nowadays. I think it’s the type of scenes I’ve been shooting lately that plays a major role in that but my colors are also fairly muted and I think it’s because I’m after a more painterly effect rather than a punch in the face with contrast and color. So, I think you are very astute to see these things. Thanks for opening your big mouth. You got it right. And, being compared to @Lon_Overacker is high praise in my mind. Thanks for that.
As I said above with Mark, I love the wider version because of the mood it imparts and it’s my favorite but that tree on the left was bothering me. I will play with it and see if I can’t find a solution. Thanks Igor!
Bret…Thanks Bret! As is, the cropped version feels better balanced but I love the mood of the larger version and I know that tree on the left is causing issues so I will play with it. Thanks Bret!
Ed…Awesome! Thanks for the kind words Ed! I’m glad you liked these.
It’s a tough call but I like the wider, uncropped shot but the processing on the other one but all in all both images are great - they have such a rich atmosphere and I think they are beautiful!
Dear David,
Here is my initial reaction — from a person who has never visited such swamps or anything like them:
Fall Cypress 1: Ephemeral and fearful mood.
Fall Cypress 2: Less ephemeral and more dreamy mood.
Ad Fall Cypress 1: My initial reaction to the dark water is fear. Which dangerous animals live in this water? How to escape from the deep and endless darkness underneath the cypresses? The trees above the water and their autumn colors gives a more ephemeral mood, not at least because of the washed-out colors of the branches and trunks.
To me, 1 is stronger than 2.
I hope this makes sense to you. Thank you for posting these images.
At first I liked the FF better, but then saw that the cropped version had a better balance. Love the subtle colors in this image. My eye keeps bouncing back and forth between the two sides, since there’s nothing grabbing my eye in the center. I might consider a vignette - not sure.
