The uncommon combination of orange, green, and white drew me to this scene and triggers nostalgia for deer hunting season with my family in Wisconsin.
There’s a lot going on, lots of lines going different directions, blank patches of grass, etc.
Does it work? Is there anything that could be done now to improve it?
Hey Brent. I think this works, but a few things make me ponder. Are those tree trunks really that green? Or is that some sort of color cast happening? The broken tree on the right middle is a bummer but not a deal breaker of course. I love the flow of the orange at center - how it flows up, very cool. Those fallen trees do carry a lot of visual weight… wondering if you could burn them a smidge?
Hi Brent,
Very nice to interact with you for the first time ever in my entire life. We don’t know each other.
Alright so I feel like this scene is nice overall, and your processing is great. Good color separation, no color cast, I like the soft contrast here too. The fallen trees with snow on them do bug me, but there is nothing you can do about them. I don’t think they’re a deal breaker either, that’s just how forests are. It’s probably my problem.
I opened this in photoshop and did a few things. First I think the greens can be desaturated a bit so the oranges are the star of the show. Next, I darkened the little broken tree trunk coming out of the ground a little. Then I darkened the entire right side a bit. Then those oranges up in the top left look a little strange, so I desaturated them, added a little cyan and green to counteract it as well. Then there is a weird washed out looking area near the top of the crown of the main tree, so I painted in some midtone contrast. Then you can also desaturate the cyans, since in the crown of the tree they become more pronounced after adding that bump in contrast.
Your brand new friend,
Eric
Brent,
I really like this autumn scene. There’s a painterly quality to it. I have an autumn image as well with the fallen logs having yesterday’s snow still on them. In my own image I have mixed feelings if they add or detract. In your image, I think they are more integrated in to the scene and I think add - they add to the nature story of the seasonal transitions… Still remnants of fall, but winter is on the way. This works well for me in that regards.
I really, really like Eric’s edits. The biggest point of contention he actually doesn’t mention, but worked on, and that’s the tree/leaves in the ULC. That is the one element that throws this slightly off balance for me. The reduction in saturation and luminosity really mitigated that corner nicely. I don’t have any concerns, comments about the colors or process in your original.
Liking this quite a lot.
Lon
Hey Lon, glad you liked my edits. I did mention what I adjusted in the ULC. “Then those oranges up in the top left look a little strange, so I desaturated them, added a little cyan and green to counteract it as well.”
