Leaves on leaves

Image: Fallen leaves

Description: In the woods just besides my house, a carpet of long-fallen leaves moistened by the rain, dark and decomposing, over which new leaves deposited, creating patches of color.

Specific Feedback Requested: Aesthetic, emotional, technical

Pertinent technical details or techniques: Medium format digital, 35-75@75, f/9.5, 2.2 sec, tripod, developed on Lightroom

Hi Antonello, and welcome back to NPN! This is a very appealing image; I like the bright, new leaf against the grey background of the others, and the rain drops add interest and context to the scene. Detail is outstanding, as you would expect from medium format. I do wonder, however, if it would have more impact without the other 2 or 3 colored leaves in the scene

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Thanks for the comment Jim!

Indeed, I have been undecided on whether to remove the other leaves or not, and your point is fully appropriate… In the end, I opted for leaving things - and leaves - as I found them, favoring complexity over essentiality… But am not sure it was the right choice! It is interesting that as always, the same small scene has so many possible facets and representations as the number of the people observing it…

All the best

Antonello, I like your idea here as the new, wet leaf stands out against the older decaying leaves. The full view tells the story of the wintertime forest floor well. I could see going two ways from here, a square crop on the left, leaving out most of the warmer tones on the right, or burning-in those warmer tones along the right edge, possibly with some local desaturation (I think LR will let you do that). I do think having some other tones in the surroundings is important. I especially like that dot of green.

Mark, thanks! I reduced the saturation of the leaves on the right, and just a bit of the one on the left… In this way, the central leaf stands up more clearly. I like this one, indeed…

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I like this revision very much! Wonderful image!

Thanks Chris!