An intimate scene from New Hampshire of a fallen birch tree nestled among bunchberry flowers. Bunchberry is my favorite spring time wildflower, and to find a patch of it alongside this fallen birch was a special treat.
Any comments and critique are welcome
Beautiful forest floor detail, Ed. Bunchberry are indeed a very attractive north woods plant. I recall from my time living in New England. The diagonal log works well to anchor the scene. Comp. and post look spot on to me. I can’t think of any way to improve.
Ed,
A lovely and most intimate scene. Agree with most that Dave said, the diagonal is key in making this a bit dynamic. The colors, processing all look spot on.
This suggestion is solely based on my prejudice against tall, digital frames. If it were mine - and of course it’s not… I would crop slightly from the top about half way down to the start of the knot, and then similar crop on the bottom, I’d say splitting the different between the two lowest flowers.
Now this is really a minor thought and really doesn’t change the image. And it’s ok, there’s really no reason I shouldn’t like the tall format… Your image is framed perfectly as is.
Lon
Hi Ed,
I’m a fan of this comp. it’s eye catching but also has subtlety to keep the viewer engaged. No nits from me
Ed, I like how this is framed, for the long aspect of the truck. My only nit is the blooms at left edge are close or partially cut off. To me the rest is quite nice.
Unlike the other bunchberry image this one’s about the log and not the flowers. It’s nice that the plants overlap the log which gives a sense that the log in sunk into them. Both have processed this warmly. I wonder how this would look cooler in the manner of Porter’s image. I also wonder if a lower angle rather than perpendicular would have conveyed the sense of a sunken log better. But that’s not what you were after.
@Igor_Doncov @Lon_Overacker @Bill_Leggett @Dave_Dillemuth @Nathan_Klein thank you all for your comments, I appreciate your input.
Bill, I agree with you about cloning blooms near the left, I have posted a rework below to reflect that, although I left the one in the ULC, I like keeping that one for balance.
Lon, I think I’m in a minority on this in the NPN landscape critique forum, but I generally like the 3:2 aspect ratio for verticals. I think your suggested crop from the top does help how the top of the birch looks, but I need to ponder this a bit further. Maybe you all will eventually be able to convert me on this issue.
Igor, I was not familar with Eliot Porter’s bunchberry images (though it makes sense he did some). I did an internet search for Porter / bunchberry, but oddly all it returned was a B&W image !!! At any rate, the warm color of the green leaves both here and in Michael Lowe’s recent post looks pretty close to how I remembered seeing it. However, I did a second rework where I pulled the Temp in Lightroom minus 10 cooler, and I have to say that I do like how the birch looks with the cooler WB, so thanks for that suggestion.
Rework to clone edge flowers, retaining original warmer WB
Second rework to a use a cooler White Balance
It’s also the cover picture of one of his books. Warmer colors are also more attention getting I think. Perhaps that’s why we see them used more these days. A print is also much flatter than an online image. This is a scan of a print. Perhaps his image looked quite differently than what I’m displaying.
Really love this image. Agreed on the cut off flowers on the left, and the adjusted image with those removed looks great. I do prefer the warmer tone.
The only thing that still catches my eye a bit is the yellowish flower in the lower center, just above the knot. It feels out of place with all the others being such a beautiful white.
Regardless, I could definitely enjoy a print of this hanging on my wall.
Ed, I am late on this one but I really love this comp with only the two elements. Being that it is more about the white Birch makes me favor the cooler version you reposted. A great find on your part.
This is a sweet looking forest floor scene, Ed. The diagonal placement of the fallen birch adds some nice visual tension and the scattering of bunchberry throughout the image helps fill the frame rather nicely IMO. I went back and forth a couple of times on the reposts; and I am surprised to hear myself say this because I tend to like my images a little warm; but I too prefer the cooler version. The whites in the birch look a little more neutral to me. Anyway this is a beauty!
@Michael_Rung @Ed_Lowe @Alan_Kreyger thank you for your comments, they are appreciated. Michael, these flowers are yellowish when they first come out, that one in the lower center is a late bloomer for some reason, it may be worth cloning away. Alan and Ed, I agree with you that @Igor_Doncov suggestion to go cooler really enhances the look of the birch (and the whites of the flowers).
