Even in winter I can find lichen and this bit that flaked off a branch was a perfect test specimen since it was 10 degrees today and I really didn’t want to go out for a whole day which would require hand and toe warmers for sure. So I hung around the yard and went out now and then, coming back in to warm up. So far as I can tell it’s a mix of three different lichen species, possibly four. Common antler lichen a the top, the orange is probably poplar sunburst lichen and the green foliose at the bottom is a mystery. A combination of white and dark undersides is very weird.
This is an experiment with a 10mm extension tube on the 35-100mm f/2.8 lens - this combination could be my new macro lens for greater working distances. I’ll have to play with it more, but the results are promising. I think the ordinary over exposure for this tube is about 1/3 to 1/2 a stop.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
2-image stack, manually chosen focus points. Just fooling really. But it’s lichen so what can I say…love the stuff. How does the stack look? Anything else look weird?
Technical Details
Camera on the snow with a drybag as shield
Lr for some boost in exposure and the the whites - add contrast, texture, sharpening and bit of crop and distraction removal. Zerene for a short stack. Lr again to add contrast and boost some colors using the calibration and HSL panels.
That’s beautiful, Kris. What a productive piece of bark! I especially like the colours and how they stand out against the snow. The exposure is fine to my eye. Do you think f14 might have got that farthest lichen completely sharp? (Call me churlish).
A great subject you have here! The patterns and colors of the lichen are great and want me to explore all of the details. I like that you have placed the subject slightly off center. Regarding the snow I like a lot that you have texture and shadow in the lower part, and that it turns into an even surface in the upper half of the image. All technical parts seems good including the focus stacking.
Thanks, Ola! I saved this little flake in a safe place outside so if I have to return to it I can. Going to be colder and colder in the days to come though so who knows if I’ll be brave enough?!
Glad you like the fall off - I struggle with that a bit in terms of making sure you know it’s snow and if it has character to show it, but not so much that it looks messy or distracting.
Such a great find and capture, Kris. Kudos to you for being brave enough to get out in the 10 degree weather to shoot this. I don’t do well with cold like that, so maybe that is why I hang out in the southern part of the country where it usually doesn’t get that cold, and if it does, it is only for a few days then warms back up. Today it is supposed to be 65 degrees.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman - it’s definitely cold to be basically sitting doing nothing, but the mile roundtrip to the mailbox in too heavy a coat can make you sweat.
Ok, Kris, I keep looking at this photo and keep coming back and looking again every time someone comments. This is such an amazing image, as others have already said: colors, exposure, detail and all. But to your question: Anything else look weird? The only thing that is weird for me is how perfect it is! It is just sitting there like as if you had set it up on your studio. The lighting isn’t creating any harsh conditions and your two image stack has just enough in focus to keep the attention on the lichen. Outstanding.
Aww, you’re so sweet to say that @linda_mellor - macro is kind of the weird corner of NPN and I think what I do is even weirder compared to most. I mean, lichen? But this is why I keep shooting it. Little hidden worlds that even I can’t see properly until I get them into the computer. This whole flake is less than 1 inch square.
We do have some lichen that are similar (down here in the Texas hill country) but not nearly as exotic. I had one (approx. 1") I tried to photograph for weeks - stacking til I couldn’t stack it any more. However with spring around the corner, and renew energy will give it another shot in a couple of months. Thanks for the inspiration.
