Haven’t posted and image for critique in a few months and now that I’m almost finished with my fall shots figured this one would be a good start. This was a sunset in southern Vermont in mid October.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Processing… I am pretty happy with the colors and processing but I’m always open to ideas and nits.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Composition. The one thing that bothers me is the top right of the tree that leaves the frame. Unfortunately this was unavoidable as I was right on the edge of the woods and there’s a lot more to that branch that sticks out of the frame. I could try to clone it out to give the tree some breathing room but I’m not sure if I am confident enough in my cloning abilities.
Pertinent technical details or techniques: 5 Images blended for exposure and focus stack Base exposure 1/80 F/18 iso: 400
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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The larger view really shines - literally, with nice detail in the back lit foliage, the sunstar and the warm/cool color contrast between those autumn colors and the pretty blue sky and white clouds.
For me, I’d take that cut off branch even further. As presented it’s pretty much a 50/50 comp and I think the viewer probably bounces between the upper and lower halves. I see two alternative crops that give emphasis to one half or the other. My first choice would be to crop further in to that tree - say enough to leave some space above the far left branch. By cropping a bit off the top, more emphasis is on the back lit details and beauty of the autumn foliage - and the tree still has a significant, but lessened presence.
The sunstar present in both… the second alternative would be a bottom crop, leaving mostly the red foiliage and giving the emphasis to the setting son. The tree is still cut off, but honestly, that doesn’t bother me too much; a great example of cutting something off enough for the viewer to know it’s on purpose (as you described - not much choice!)
No matter how you slice it, if at all, a terrific autumn sunset landscape image.
A stunning image David. Backlit autumn foliage can make for a wonderful subject, and you have certainly made very effective use of the back-light here. Those red blueberry bushes look gorgeous. The processing of the light looks excellent, nicely done on your part.
I do agree with you about the tree branch in the URC being an issue, it leads your eye out of the frame. I think @Lon_Overacker first suggested crop of the top is an excellent suggestion, and addresses that issue nicely. To me the it’s the sunstar and the red blueberry bushes that are the stars of this show, and cropping away the top part of the tree loses nothing IMO.
For me at least, this is a much stronger presentation. There’s no longer a question of whether or not the top of the tree was supposed to be included (you already disclosed it was much taller and not able to include the top anyway…)
The horizon still kinda splits the frame, but I think this is just better balanced with the crop. I like this even more now - thanks for taking the time and considering the suggestions!
David, I think the re-work is an improvement. to me its about getting the horizon more off-center, than it is about the tree. And the crop makes the backlit vegetation more prominent, which to me is an added bonus.
