The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
During a short holiday trip, my wife and I focused on a few remnants of temperate rainforest in Scotland. I will come back to this subject for a project later, but would like to start with sharing one of my favourite images here. Although I also made some colour images, I like my infrared captures the most. To me, they best convey the mysterious atmosphere of this wonderful habitat. This characteristic large, moss and fern-covered oak tree had fallen over, probably in one of the recent storms, and to me symbolised the threatened status of this habitat type.
Specific Feedback
Forest photography is difficult, in particular in the middle of the day. What do you think of my choice for infrared? Do you think I managed to get a good composition?
After standard B&W processing in LR, I also added a tiny bit of diffuse glow in PS (as usual for my IR-images): what do you think of this treatment?
Technical Details
IR-converted (850nm) Olympus OM-D EM5 with M.Zuiko f4/8-25mm PRO zoom @ 15mm, ISO400, 1/20sec @ F4.5, tripod. The wider aperture is to avoid a strong hotspot, so I focus-stacked two exposures, one focused on the foreground and one focused on the left side of the tree.
Added some âdiffuse glowâ on a transparent copy layer in PS2024.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Ghostly was my initial impression, so I think your choice of infrared and glow did a nice job of emphasizing that atmosphere. Thatâs a magnificent tree as well; your composition does a nice job of organizing the chaos. The focus stack looks great.
Full disclosure that infrared is not really my thing, but I think this one is really well done Gerard!
Hi @gerard , What a lovely image you have shared with us. I think IR is the perfect choice for images like this. It really helps tame the hot light of mid day shooting even in woodland. Your compositional choice really works for the image. Well seen and processed.
Gerard, as primarily a bird photographer, I donât know a thing about IR, but this is a very compelling scene. Exquisite detail, perfect contrast and comp. Just excellent !
This is a very strong scene with this fallen, broken giant laying prone on the bed of IR softened leaves, grasses and ferns below. Perfect treatment of this scene Gerard.
Fantastic imagery! I too lack experience/know-how with IR, but I can certainly recognize a compelling image when I see one!
Your choice in IR works wonderfully. You mention the difficulty in forest photography and most everyone would agree how hard it is to find good compositions. The choice of IR, at least for me, simplifies the chaos; it really boils the composition down to a mood or story, rather something technical, like about a tree or forest - not sure if that makes sense.
The composition works beautifully as well, with the main tree and branches as the main subject, but also balanced nicely with the forest floor. Speaking of which, my only feedback/suggestion really would be about tweaking that forest floor. I think one thing the IR did (or actually more because of the monochrome treatment) the details and tones of the forest floor are a little lost, or not separated well. I could see boosting contrast or adjusting a color channel to create some more separation. Very, very minor and totally subjective.
The composition and subject matter are fantastic. The image reeks of emotion. To sa if IR is better I would like to see it in monochrome. There are many leaves and shapes that are flat grey. But I donât know if their reflectance would cause the image to look busy. But for me those flat light shapes donât work so well. I know very little about IR.
I think Igor said it best for me, but I also echo Lonâs comments. My first thought was âwow, what a great treeâ, followed closely by âI wish it was a straight B&Wâ. The more I have stared at it, the more it seems to work in IR. That does give it a mystical, etherial quality.
But for me and my likes, I still want to see more of the tree detail.
I meant to comment on this earlier but got distracted and didnât get back. I think this is superb!! The composition with the very interesting tree and the vines growing on it is just wonderful! IR gives a tonal flatness to leaves in the shade which would be difficult to alter, but here it works for me to give an almost-frosted look! For me, this is about an 11/10!
NIce image. The slight blue tint to this B&W works well. Iâd prefer it without the frame as if feels like a distraction to me - just my view. Fitting for Halloween.
First of all thanks for your open, positive and constructive feedback. That is really appreciated!!
It took a while before I could answer, as my work required too much attention, but here it isâŚ
About IR compared to âstraightâ monochrome, I canât give you a comparison for this particular image, as I didnât make a normal raw-file of the same scene. In another wonderful rain forest, I did make both a raw and normal image (with my IR converted OMD EM5 and my OM1, respectively, but the same lens), so I though Iâd share those with you. The normal raw-file was converted into a color and a monochrome image in LR, and the (820 nm) IR file was converted into monochrome in a similar way in LR.
These are the results, of which the last one is the IR-version:
Of course the monochrome conversion is only one interpretation of the raw-file. In the color mixer, I increased the green values by 41%, and reduced the yellows by about the same (38%). Shadows were opened up by 80%. Clarity was increased by 22%. I did the same to shadows and clarity in the color version, but nothing more.
Personally, I prefer the IR version, but I like the normal monochrome treatment as well. As you can see, I am not a big fan of showing too much detail. I think that detail and sharpness are highly overrated, and in this scene only distract from the magical feeling that this beautiful forest invoked in me.
Keen too learn what you think of these three âtreatmentsâ!!
A very nice comparison and I agree, there is something special about the IR version. It not only renders things differently than we expect, but with a very pleasing mystery. It doesnât work for everything, but when it does, it is special!
Thanks so much Diane! It is difficult to lay a finger on what I find so appealing about IR. Itâs probably the surreal quality that lends itself to certain types of subject matterâŚ
This wonderful forest just begged for my IR camera
Gerard, there is an inimitable mystic feel to this image for me. Your conversion and processing fits in with the scene perfectly in my opinion. While the trunk anchores the composition firmly, there is an amazing sense of weightlessness to the twigs and foliage to my eye. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks so much for your feedback Peter. Iâm really happy that we feel the same about the mystic feel that IR and my slight glow creates for forest scenes like this!!
