Falling Leaves - Black on White and Repost

Image Critiques Flora Critiques
1

Repost with room added top and bottom. I do think it works better. Thanks, @Diane_Miller

_7R45879Falling Oak leaves base black on white layered 16x20-Edit
_7R45879Falling Oak leaves base black on white layered 16x20-Edit1560×2048 222 KB

Original posts:

_7R45879Falling Oak leaves base black on white layered 16x20.jpg
_7R45879Falling Oak leaves base black on white layered 16x20.jpg1638×2048 225 KB

_7R45879Falling Oak leaves base white on black layered 16x20.jpg
_7R45879Falling Oak leaves base white on black layered 16x20.jpg1638×2048 224 KB

Falling Leaves - White on Black

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

A while back @Gill_Vanderlip posted an image in “Everything Else” that was white silhouettes on a black background. I absolutely loved the idea and it fit with a projected I’d had in mind to create a falling leaf image. I’m not sure if this really fits flora or not since it is very much a composite image. So if it isn’t appropriate here, I guess you can move it to Everything Else. The base is comprised of two images of leaves piled against a piece of white foam core. The two branches came from separate trees shot against a cloud sky. And the individual falling leaves are from nine images taken in the house by hanging an oak leaf from a thread and photographing it against that same old piece of foam core (I have about 300 images of various oak and the neighbor’s hybrid poplar leaves to play with).

Specific Feedback

I had originally visualized this as bunches of leaves falling like snowflakes, but when I started executing it I decided it would work better if I kept it very simple. I’d very much like people’s opinions on that and on whether you prefer the black on white or white on black.

Technical Details

Massive composite with different settings for each image. Since they were all converted to silhouettes, the settings were pretty irrelevant. They were all taken with a Sony A7Riv and FE 70-200 f/4 macro.

1 Like
2

YES. !!! I love it. Very cool.

3

A very intriguing image. The background story on how you created it is much appreciated. I am drawn to the black on white (top image), I think because it imparts a sense of lightness both in the sense of luminosity and mood, which works well with the falling leaves.

4

@Dennis_Plank, I, too, prefer the first image. The light background with the falling leaves swooping down and then skipping up to the right feels magical (there may be a better word, but that’s what I’m coming up with for now!). I’m glad that you described your process to construct the image. It sounds as if you had fun compositing the elements!

5

Veeery cool!! The first one for me, too. And an excellent job on the construction project! I thought it could be a multiple exposure of one leaf actually falling – it looks incredibly believable. 11/10. But if it were mine (wish it was!) I’d add a bit of canvas top and bottom. It just feels too crowded for the gently falling leaf.

6

So creative and really interesting. It tells such a great story in such a simple way. Your decision to pare down the number of falling leaves was a good one. I, too, prefer the black on white since it feels more natural to process visually (we mostly read black on white and that may be where it comes from). Absolutely this belongs in flora, so thanks for adding it. Super shot and great visualization to the end result.

7

I like it a lot, Dennis. The revision helps.