What changed: Better? I cropped the right two thirds to reduce the amount of content and added a vignette for more emphasis on the subject. Feedback encouraged:-)
Added after receiving feedback from the community.
The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.
Feedback Focus: Artistic + Technical
About This Image
What to do. The whole mountain is covered in a beautiful gold and green as fall comes on. This section of aspens was catching this beautiful light. But as I look at the image, I struggle to love it. I struggle to compose a photo like this. What could make it better?
Feedback Requested
I don’t know how to crop this image successfully? Add a vignette??
Technical Details
Camera: OM-5MarkII
Lens: OM 75-300mm F4.8-6.7 II
Focal length: 75mm
Shutter speed: 1/250s
Aperture: f/6.3
ISO: 200
Steve, I love the color, and the light is outstanding!
I agree that these scenes can be tough to frame, so here are some ideas.
First, crop just to the right of the large aspens on the left two thirds of the image.
Second, crop or clone the bit of yellow on the left edge.
Third, if you have more content on the bottom, add it. The trees little a more room there.
The contrast and saturation look good to me.You’re on the right track here.
-P
@steve11 This is a great fall scene, the composition works good for me with a diagonal line leading my eye from the lower left through the image to the upper right. I really like the evergreens sharing the scene with the non-evergreens!
I noticed on my screen a slight green cast, especially noticeable in the white tree trunks. I did adjust the white balance in LR just a tad to remove the green cast and brought up the whites to give the trunks some pop. I would be curious if it was just my screen and now my Processing Example image looks off to others!
Anyway, you captured a lovely scene reminiscent of the season!
As others have mentioned, the color and light are excellent in this image, Steve. I think the image may be a bit disconcerting at fire=st because we usually look up at trees instead of down, but it does work and gets a lot more light on them this way. I agree with @Preston_Birdwell on cropping in a tad from the left as that bright edge of leaves makes me want to look out the left side and see the rest of those trees you’ve chopped off. I don’t think I’d do any cropping from the right as I like that one little aspen with the crooked trunk and think it adds to the image.
I struggle with this kind of scene as well. It is saw awesome to behold and surprisingly difficult to photograph well. I’m always impressed when others do it justice.
I like this a lot, and as others have said, it’s a fine view as presented. I like the revision, but in truth, I like the crooked trunk aspen as much as I like the color. Now that is probably not what initially attracted you to the scene, but is it important to you now? If so, I think a bigger crop off the left would work as well.
Here are two more options, a vertical 8x5 and a square crop. I too would like a tish more at the bottom, but only if we can see where the trunks meet the soil, not if there is brush there.
Just some food for thought. Cropping can feel very personal, and while I love it when folks crop my images, I know it can feel presumptuous. You could even do a square or vertical diptych. Many options here, and if this is near home I’m sure the colors are still looking good for additional compositions beyond these.
