Here’s a second image from a different tripod position - a little higher. Seems the first one wasn’t working for everyone and maybe this one will be a better image of this sapling.
When the fog rolled in I went to a bit of forest that shows it well. The deciduous saplings had all shed their leaves so before finding the old tractor, I concentrated on a couple of conifer saplings. This little balsam fir was so cute that I circled around it a few times deciding how to shoot it. After reviewing what I had I decided this down low view was the best - it shows its isolation yet connects it to the rest of the forest that dwarfs it right now. Hopefully it will catch up eventually.
Specific Feedback Requested
Yeah it’s not as crisp as it could be in the immediate foreground - the log - deal breaker?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Tripod
Careful Lr processing to harness colors and present a more muted palette. Curves adjustment as well as some brush and radial filter work to enhance the mood. Sharpening, lens correction and a little transform to manage the tree geometry. Ps to remove a distraction on one of the logs.
I like the composition with the log leading to the balsam fir with the soft fog-laden trees in the background. The colors of the fallen leaves nicely compliments the colors in the log and tree trunks. The fall off in focus in the LLC isn’t necessarily a deal breaker for me if you want the viewer to spend more time on the fir or other elements of the scene. Just wondering if you thought about focus stacking in the field.
Thanks @DeanRoyer - I should have thought of stacking, but I didn’t. I do a lot of it with macro and microscapes, but it almost never occurs to me to use it for larger scenes. Doh!
It also suggests a palm holding up new life amongst the old. I actually don’t like those type of associations that much but it’s there. I might desaturate the brows more and just have the tree colored strongly. Just an idea.
Thanks @Igor_Doncov - I try not to make overly sentimental images because there is no room for sentimentality in nature, but we do tend to project. That’s how humans are. It’s how we relate to the world. I can certainly play with the saturation levels to bring up the green. I tried, but maybe didn’t go far enough.
Hi Kris! I love this little scene but I feel like the sapling might be too centered, like if you went more to the left it could be more of a dramatic image. That’s just my little opinion! Something like this…
This image doesn’t quite work for me, Kristen. I find the sapling becomes a distraction, as though blocking my view. This is partly because it doesn’t stand out enough and gets kind of lost in the background trees. As I read this image it’s the relationship between the wonderfully entwined logs and the leaves leading into the dark vertical trunks in the fog that form the backdrop and contain the image. Those are three strong elements that, I feel, really work together. My feeling is that if you want this to be about the sapling, I’d stay low as you have but move in much closer having the entwined logs and sapling hold the frame with really soft verticals making for a foggy background. But then, everyone’s got an opinion, right?
Kris, for me the problem is the forground too much invasive. In fact it is the main subject. Have you tied a vertical photo that reduces to the minimum the trunks?
Seems like this isn’t working for everyone. So I’ve put up a new image.
Yeah, I tried to move it over in the field, but see that dark bit of tree to the right? It really worked against the little tree so … yeah. The new shot might be better.
I’ve added a new image and have a couple more I could show as well so stay tuned.
Understood. The second image might work better for you since it shows less of those two downed trees and brings the sapling a little closer. See what you think.
Here’s a different little tree, basically just looking in the opposite direction of the first one and a few yards away. I went for a slightly different feel with this one. I switched to my medium telephoto to compress the depth a bit in hopes the sapling would be a little more prominent.
