The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This image was captured in early June of last year with my iPhone. As they say, the best camera is the one you have with you! I found that to be true on this day.
What I loved about the scene were the two quirky trees: One that looked like a squashed letter “O” (in the middle) and the other above left, with the curved branch, etc. And, needless to say, the fog (one of my favorite conditions for photography) gave the scene an ethereal effect.
Specific Feedback
I like this image very much and am happy with the composition, etc., but I’m always open to feedback. I am curious if the two features I mentioned above jump out at you, do you have to search for them, or don’t see them at all?
Technical Details
iPhone 13 Pro Max — Telephoto Camera — 77 mm ƒ2.8. I processed it in Photoshop, using the black and white adjustment layer, and slightly increased the sense of fog using ACR to back off clarity.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
You continue to do great work. This impression of a forest is unique and amazing. The composition is actually pretty straightforward. It’s the other qualities. The light feels different without looking gimmicky or repetitive. But it’s all the different shapes that keeps my attention moving. The vees. The snaky branch amongst the regulaarity. There is almost a celestial look to all this. I like the complexity of it all.
Hi @Susanna_Euston, Chance has certainly favored the prepared photographer! This image is just stunning: the tone, the repeated patterns of the background trees, that delicious curved branch and the beautifully captured foliage. So well seen and processed.
This image has a lot going for it and keep the eye moving around it a lot. The fog is nice and I like your treatment of it.
To my tastes, the dark tree in the right third dominates this composition and contrasts too heavily with the rest of the elements. I wonder if you lightened it that it would also look like it is enveloped in fog.
Well seen and captured Susanna. This almost has an IR vibe.
I like the way the trunks fill the scene. The way they fill the gaps just so is very attractive, and their near/far aspect gives a really nice depth. (The differences in tones really add to this.)
It took me a minute to figure out what you meant by a squashed “O,” but the two quirks are notable. I don’t think they jumped out at me, but I enjoyed them as my eye roamed the scene.
You are right about “the camera you have with you.” I don’t have a high-quality camera in mine, but boy is it sure convenient.
Hi Susanna,
Lots for the eye to wander around and savor in this magical woodland scene. I too noticed those two quirky attributes of those two trees you mentioned. You did a wonderful job of capturing that ethereal peaceful mood that the fog has imparted on this image. Just my personal opinion, but I could see that one darker FG tree on the right lightened just a little to make it a little less dominant. Beautiful image!
Just now had time to find this and I love it!! Classically wonderful and interestingly quirky at the same time! All said above, I can only add my Wow, and agreement about lightening the dark trunk a bit.
Negative Clarity can be strange-looking, although I don’t see it here. I have found an interesting alternative to be Nik CEP’s Classical Soft Focus.
And I’ll certainly add my welcome back! I can’t imagine how bad things have been in the Asheville area and with your gallery since the hurricane, and you had alluded to your husband’s recent health challenges even before the storm pulled you away. My sincere hopes for the very best outcomes with both situations.
What a beautiful image you’ve captured here Susanna. Love the fog and that you can see BG trees also. Nicely balanced throughout and your 2 trees certainly add to the interest.
At first I thought it was too bright, but upon viewing it full size, I really like it. I love the light on the leaves closest to the camera. Really nice, especially for a phone.
Silly me — yesterday, I decided to look back at my previously posted images and discovered that I had already posted this image — and with a different title! But I’m so happy to receive more feedback on it. It finally sunk in that the tree on the right was just too dark. I’ve attached a new version of it above. FYI, I tried a gentle dodge/burn layer (in PS, of course) and, when not satisfied with it, turned to NIK Color Efex Pro, where I chose the “high key bright” preset. It pops the leaves out, making the tree less of an unwanted anchor. What do you think? Is it working better now?
Again, THANKS SO much!
PS I still don’t know how to post a revision at the top, so I’m posting it here.
Don’t feel bad – I’ll bet everyone here with more than 20 posts has done an inadvertent duplication! When I post something I try to remember to put it in a LR Collection. It quickly gets too big to look back through but I can drop a “new” one in and sort by date taken and see if it or a similar is already there. (Of course, the gotcha is remembering to put it there in the first place…)
You can add to the OP by going to the far lower right corner and clicking on the pencil icon. Then you get a screen you can edit – scroll to the top and add the new post – above the previous one if you like it better, or below it for just a comparison but not the favorite. Drag the edit screen up from the top center of its yellow bar to make it bigger.
What a terrific post, Susanna. This totally looks like an Infrared Image. What I really enjoy about this one is the layers front to back (and that you actually took this with a cell phone). The deep blacks of the front subjects followed by dark greys and then light greys and into the abyss is astounding. I think the tones you used are purposeful and just right with the exception of the dominant front tree that I think might be slightly too dark…but not much. I immediately noticed the quirky lower branch on the left foreground tree but I missed the squashed letter O. I see it now but missed it on first glance. The fog nicely erases much of the background clutter and provides an ethereal quality as fog often does. At first I didn’t like the tree trunk coming out from the right side but I find that it actually adds to the quirkiness of this image. Other than that dominant tree front and center being slightly too dark I honestly can’t find anything to quibble about on this one. Well done.
But I’m so happy to receive more feedback on it. It finally sunk in that the tree on the right was just too dark. I’ve attached a new version of it above. FYI, I tried a gentle dodge/burn layer (in PS, of course) and, when not satisfied with it, turned to NIK Color Efex Pro, where I chose the “high key bright” preset. It pops the leaves out, making the tree less of an unwanted anchor. What do you think? Is it working better now?