Still on the subject of Fall colors from the Southwest: I had passed by this section of the slot canyon so many times until one day I found the right light for it. I have flipped from the original. What do you guys think? As always, any comments and critiques are much appreciated.
D750, 200mm, f/16, 1/20 sec, ISO 50
Original:
@adhikalie
Great light on the leaves, highlighting it quite well. It works great with the dark background. Interesting in the presentation of both versions. I prefer the original shown second. The flow of the image works better for me.
Flipping images is fascinating - I am always surprised by how much my perception of something changes. In this case I think both work really well, but for some reason I like the first image best. Maybe it’s something to do with being used to reading left-to-right.
Tiny nitpicks - maybe crop the top sliver of the image such to get rid of the highlights in the ULC (of the first image), and also heavily burn just the highlights along the very edge on the left. I find highlights at the edges of frames to be distracting.
Overall, I think this image is pretty nice! That tree really stands out with its color and light and has some personality in its shape. Well seen.
Very nice capture
I love the spot light on the tree
very interesting what @Brent_Clark mentioned about reading left-right; before i read that comment i found the flipped one (right to left if you well) more pleasing and easy on me to look at…perhaps because my mother tongue is Arabic which is a Right-Left language !
Very enjoyable image that reveals more as it is seen. For me, the unlit leaves act like a water reflection of the lit tree. Then one sees the lichen patterns. Then the sweeping line at the base of the tree. By not exposing those things very much, you allowed me to discover them slowly.
For me, a left-right reader, the second image works … with the bright rocks on the edge being an optimistic continuation of the lit tree. When flipped, the brightness on the left edge is a distraction to me.
Great image Adhika, gorgeous and light, and very well processed. I love the subtle details of the lichen in the shadows. I agree with @Dick_Knudson, those subtle details get slowly revealed, which is a treat. I prefer the flow of the second image. The left to right flow of an English speaker makes me look at the left side first, and my eye ends on the subject at the right. But one subtle aspect of the left to right thing is that in the first image the tree is leaning in the same direction as the left to right flow. In the second image, I view the image from left to right, but the tree leans back against the flow (back to the left). This creates some visual tension, which adds to the image for me.
Very nice work Adhika, not much to add, but I also prefer the flow in the second image. I view this image beginning from the darker lower left, then diagonally to the subject and up and out of the frame in a reverse “c”. Not sure why, maybe left handed vs. right has some effect as well.
Either way, your treatment of the color and shadow is really nice. Sadly, fall colors are a memory here in the midwest.
I have to admit, Adhika, that I have the darnest time taking images like this. I see them fairly frequently but by the time I’ve setup up the tripod, decided on a composition, and made the camera settings the image isn’t there. The sunlight has shifted. Often the light is totally absent. It’s not like shooting with an iphone.
The first image displayed feels right to me. The other just looks awkward by comparison. I can’t explain why.
The backlit leaves seem to lack glare. I think that’s a big deal here. The other big positive is the color combination of deep brown and bright yellow. I think that works really well. There’s sort of a Rembrandt lighting effect here. I would push the browns just a bit in the red direction, or experiment with that. The other positive is the sunlight on the rock. That seemingly small thing adds interest in my opinion.
Beautiful light on the leaves; the background as processed is a great support. I prefer the original; @Ed_McGuirk said it better than I can. I also like the idea of taking down the slight distraction of the very upper right corner (in the original); might just drop the luminosity a tad.
Great contrast and what I imagine was fleeting light in this image.
I prefer the bottom image - I have a strong preference for images that move from left to right for some reason.
Adhika, I just saw this – have been having some sort of computer issue with the site. Good to be able to keep up with your work! I much prefer the top image, as visual flow from L to R just feels more natural to me. But interesting different opinions above. You managed a wonderful tonal capture. I wonder about burning down the bright wall above the bush…
Interestingly, now that I read the comments, the highlights against the edge don’t bother me in the bottom image, but they do in the top one! I imagine if I am starting on the left I see those highlights before I get to the tree. Brains are weird.
Thanks all for these thoughts. I kept going back and forth with both presentation and from what I have read, obviously, this comes down to each individual’s way of seeing things.
As @Dick_Knudson and @Brent_Clark havr alluded, when flipped certain elements (like the highlights on the edges) can be more or less distracting to different people. This is fascinating to me and clearly beyond my level of understanding at this time. But one thing is clear to me and that is NPN is a great place for discussions like this to flourish.
Your comment makes me wonder if my aversion to bright elements on the edges is a “composition rule” that I should un-learn, or at least apply thoughtfully, or if indeed my mind is truly distracted by them.
