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Questions to guide your feedback
Even though it’s winter now (here in the northern hemisphere), some color remains in the forest. Do you get the idea this is in the forest, along a creek? I’m aiming for abstraction with just enough hints at the nature of the environment.
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Technical Details
This is a single frame ICM, hand held; I had a 3-stop ND filter and a CP on the lens. Movement was vertical and a shake (I think). Processed in ACR & PS; dodging/burning, color adjustment.
Any feedback appreciated, either technical or aesthetic. I always enjoy others descriptions of what they see.
My husband gave me the title (he often comes up with nice titles for my photos). It does bring to mind the modern dance piece done as part of this year’s opening concert of the San Francisco Symphony. It has the same energy (high) and colors worn by the dancers.
Nits: there’s an orphaned tree limb (I think) in the lower left that you might want to eliminate. Pretty much all the tree trunks are leaning to the left. I’d consider using the transform tool to rotate the image clockwise a little. Consider reducing the highlights in the bright foliage to the left of the reddish area a little. It’s beautiful as is, though.
I completely missed the orphan trunk until I read Don’s comment. I do think it should go. The bright area didn’t bother me the way it was. I love the pale areas in the bottom that make it look like ghosts doing the dancing. And yes,it was obvious that it was a forest scene, though along a creek wasn’t that obvious to me, though it does explain the pale areas at the bottom. Beautiful image.
Bonnie, yes I see the creek in the forest. Such a wonderful painterly image with enough context of subject but still rendered in a creative way. I like the suggestions that Don recommended. The diagonal line formed by the creek works nicely. The motion is just the right amount. This would make a good project.
Congratulations on the 2023 Yearly Editor’s Pick in the Abstract category! Your contributions and participation are greatly appreciated!
This is wonderful! Kudo’s for applying the ICM technique to what would be considered a regular landscape type image. Yes, I recognize this as a forest and creek scene, but the motion really creates such a painterly, airy and otherwise uplifting image.
I think I prefer your original processing, sans the trunk on the left. For me, the heavier contrast and brightness takes away from that painterly look. But that’s just me of course.
I’ll echo that! Congrats on the selection. Well deserved!
Thanks, @Lon_Overacker. I take your point on the higher contrast in the rework. I backed off on darkening the darks, and it does look lighter, which is what I was going for (I won’t post another rework, though).
Oh, wow, yes saw the dancers right away. Love the title. I really like when ICM brings out something more than just crazy movement. Your image adds just that level of poetry to a winter forest. Would have thought it was sometime in the fall. Very nice.
Thanks, @patrick6. Although this was winter, our winter here in northern California gets started a bit later than elsewhere. There is still fall color in places even now. So yes, it looks more like fall.
I see your point, though. I dialed it back to reduce the impression of depth.