From last May in the foothill of the Sierra Nevada. This is definitely the usual time I take out my camera and shoot but while driving past this area, this grove caught my attention and I turned around for a picture. Any feedback is greatly appreciated!
D750, 185mm, f/16, 1/200, ISO 400
Alternative crop and more contrast on the tree:
@adhikalie
Your style is revealing itself Adhika! Hard to articulate, but I can see your influence and knew this was yours before seeing who posted it!
This is just so pleasing. The color palette and luminance range are limited enough to create a sense of peace and calm. The BG has a little more light and detail than I would prefer, but that is my preference. Had this been mine, I woulda been tempted to darken the background some, but then the contrast may have been an issue given the lit slopes. Thus, at the end, perhaps it’s best left untouched from the original post. Looking forward to others thoughts.
Beautiful light and scene. A very, very minor thought - maybe clone out the branch with leaves uppermost on the right to mirror what is going on with the left side. Just the top cluster of leaves. Looks great, very much my kind of image and I like it a lot.
Adhika,
Fantastic image! The light is just gorgeous. Great pano and I love the balance here with the 3 main layers; of course the spring trees are most glorious and the bottom and top, beautiful supporting cast.
Hard to find anything to be critical of or suggest. This may or may not fit your vision or experience of the moment, but I could see boosting the contrast ever so slightly - and just in the trees. The fg and bg are just right as presented.
Beautiful work! I’m guessing you’re glad you stopped. 
Lon
I love the layers of light and color that you have captured here. No nits from me.
Adhika, if you hadn’t said this was spring, I might have guessed this was one of your first autumn shots, it would be hard to tell. I like how your processing kept the layers lighter and hazier the deeper you move into the scene. Some folks might have darkened the background significantly to make the trees pop, but I prefer the lighter tonality you used in this background, it creates a very soft mood.
I have never visited the Sierra, but this sort of reminds me of the stand of trees at the base of the Towers of the Virgin in Zion National Park.
The trees and the foreground a re wonderful, Adhika. I love the late afternoon light. I do think the background slopes are too dominant. Rather that adjust tonality, perhaps a crop from the top for an even more pano presentation.
The processing is real nice, and supports the sense of enveloping light. Well done!
-P
@Jim_McGovern, @Harley_Goldman, @Lon_Overacker, @Eva_McDermott, @Ed_McGuirk, @Preston_Birdwell: Thanks, guys!
@Ed_McGuirk I have read your article when I made this trip and it inspired me to look for occasions like this one. Thanks for the reminder because otherwise, I wouldn’t have looked. Spring was not necessarily my favorite season.
@Harley_Goldman I think I know which branch you are talking about but I am not quite sure how I would be able to clone that out so it matches the leafless branches on the left. It does sound like a good exercise to do though. Maybe with some scotch. 
@Lon_Overacker and @Preston_Birdwell: I added an alternative with your suggested crop and also added some contrast to the tree. I am on the fence about the contrast but I really like the alternative crop. I think it works both ways for me.
As for the background, indeed, the design I had in mind was a decreasing contrast as Ed mentioned above. But yes, I should look for other opportunities for a dark background!
Adhika, This image really works for me! It is the kind of image that looks like it would make a wonderful print and that means alot to me. The second one with a little more contrast in the trees and a little off the top looks even better to me. Beautiful work!
Oh @Harley_Goldman, lol. That’s easy! Consider it done. I thought you were thinking of working on this branch symmetry:
Adhika,
The back lighting on the grove of trees is sweet and the three layers work beautifully in this scene. I think your repost with the couple of tweaks has pretty much nailed it for me. I do have one minor suggestion; and it is being super nitpicky; but the one rock just to the left of the center top with the bright area catches my eye. I think cloning out that bright area would elevate this outstanding image even more. Just a thought.
@Ed_Lowe, thank you! Yes, now I see that rock you mentioned I cannot unsee it. Very easy fix! Thank you for spotting that.
