I shot this a week or so ago during a very light morning drizzle. The sun had risen but covered by light clouds.
I would appreciate any suggestions for improvement, whether technically or artistically. Any comments, critiques, opinions, etc. are appreciated and welcomed.
Nikon D810 w/ Tamron 180 Macro
1 second @ f/22
200 ISO
Singh Ray Circ. Polarizer (barely turned)
No flash
Tripod with RRS BH-55 head
Bill, nice found scene, I love the shape and arrangement of the 3 primary ferns, it works very well. I would suggest doing a couple things to place even more emphasis on those 3 ferns. First, this image could use some vignetting to darken down the frame edges/corners, which will make the center ferns pop out more. Second, I’m a little bothered by the dark area in the lower left corner. I might consider a crop from the bottom, which would reduce that dark space a little. But overall this is a very pleasing image, the ferns are a great subject. And I think this would make a nice B&W image as well.
Thanks Ed. I did put a very light vignette in place but I will make it heavier. Good thought on the crop too, will try that.
Bill, those three fern leaves in the center stand out nicely, with their extra glow and rain drops, especially in the larger view. What I call “standard NPN composition” would like some green in the lower left and the removal of that one needle cluster near the right corner. Again, in the larger view, I think those parts all add to the story of ferns in an evergreen forest rather than a “look at these neat ferns” story.
Beautifully composed, Bill. Those three prominent leaves make for a cohesive composition. Processing looks spot-on to me as-is.
I think this looks great, Bill. Yes, the LLC is a little sparse, but you might desaturate the reds just a bit so that it recedes a bit. I really like the ferns, and detail is excellent.
-P
Hi Bill,
What a lovely, intimate little scene. I’m really liking the tiny details, the dew drops. I like how the main grouping is separated by luminosity from the surrounding ferns.
I’m torn with what to do in the LLC. I do agree with others that it’s an area that the eye migrates to. I’m just not sure if trying something will make it better. I actually like that there’s detail there. I think artificially blurring slightly wouldn’t work unless you painstakingly did it throughout the rest of the image. I think desaturating the reds as I think PB suggested would work as well as increasing the vignetting effect. Yeah, I think a slight desaturation an slight darkening of that area might be the best option.
My other suggestion is really with the lightness of the main cluster. To me it seems just a tad on the bright side, maybe a 1/2 stop or so. Perhaps if darkening overall, and especially as part of a vignette, AND dropping the lights of the main cluster might work. I could take a crack it if ok with you.
Certainly an image worth making it the best it can be.
Lon
Bill, I think the comp works really well as presented. The LLC does not bother me a bit. A slightly darker vignette might work well, but it works well now. I would agree with Lon about bringing down the brightness on the center leaves, but not much at all. The contrast with the rest of the scene looks good. Nicely seen, captured and processed.
Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. I will definitely tone down the brightness of the center a bit as well as increase the vignette a bit. I might try blending in a little more greenery in the LLC as well from a scene I shot about a foot or so away from this one. Will try to post a repost later.
The water is what caught my eye, Bill. Looks like a great place to wander around, because I can imagine lots of crop potentials in this and other spots like it.
Hey Bill, From the attached edits, I simply adjusted the midtones slider through a midtones mask. I was attempting the bring more attention to the middle leaves.
Cheers
I like Ken’s rework. I would drop the clarity in this image. For me, the sharply detailed drops work against the image. Detail texture seems to go contrary to the dark/light mood.
