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Do you feel, the image is too busy?
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Image Description
I saw this one accidentally and I was fascinated by the alignment. Still, there’s a lot going on, even if I have been cleaning up in PS.
Hi @Markus_Albert, It’s not too busy for me! I find it quite lovely. The atmosphere and the mood you present is really effective. You might be getting a bit of wide angle distortion from the close shooting position on the near tree which stands out a bit for my eye, but otherwise well seen and processed.
What a unusual and beautiful winter scene, you captured it masterfully! The wind-blown snow on the trunks emphasizes their unique shape and really makes the photo.
Thanks for posting it BIG and no, not too busy IMO…
I like this. I think the vertical composition works very well with the shapes of the trees. A little more separation on the LH trees would be nice but that’s very minor.
Hi Markus, well my first reaction was…that’s different! The trees have been bent, but not broken, speaking to an underlying strength. The scene evokes feelings of quiet and stillness, not busy at all. Well seen and captured!
This is a great image on many levels. Perhaps on the most obvious level the contrast of tones while at the same time appearing soft. Most contrasty images appear harsh. Here the subjects look elegant. But the best part of this image for me is the gestures of the tree trunks. As a result they appear animated.
I have to say that I very much like this image as posted, Markus. I love the soft glowing light coming in from the upper right corner and softly playing into the middle of the scene. I love the playful nature of the tree trunks and their whimsical curves (and this doesn’t look like like the aspen trees in Colorado that have been shot to death). I very much like the added bushes at the base of the foreground trees as lends a mice balance to the image and doesn’t appear to be cluttered at all. In fact, I think they enhance the image. I like the snow caked on the side of the trees and how the background fades away quickly in the fog. This is nit picky but I would remove the branch in the very upper right corner peaking into both the side and the top of the frame. I would also remove the tree trunk that is poking out of the right side of the main tree at the very top. You might also want to play with warming the light coming in from the upper right although that might be a distraction since the rest of the image is very neutral to cool in tones. Like I said, very nit picky since the image stands on it’s own merits as is.
If only trees could talk. I sure do wonder about what made these trees grow in their twisty shapes. This view is very attractive with its lots of depth along with interesting lighting.
@David_Haynes Thanks for your detailed feedback, David. Actually, I didn’t pay attention to the details in the upper right corner. You’re right, I will delete them. I already warmed the light coming in from the right side. It felt like warming it even more made the image fall apart, therefore I pulled up the slider ever so slightly.
@Michael_Lowe Thanks, Michael. I already took down the contrast and put on some minus dehaze on the trees in the background. But maybe this part needs some more. Will look into it!
It doesn’t feel to busy to me at all; I think everything flows together very well for a superb total. I agree that the foreground branches really add, and I don’t even mind the stuff in the urc. Overall, this is outstanding.
Based on your prior post and the similar theme in this one, I’ll assume you prefer a lower contrast and darker image. (My preference is for more contrast in my snow images since even in overcast light snow is so bright, but I respect your preferences.) I also second @David_Haynes thought to slightly warm, but with a mask that restricts it to the brightest 25-35% of the image.
Very nicely done Markus; this forest really paid off.
Wonderful. I don’t think I can add much to what has already been said. This is just such an elegant and subtle rendition - all tone and texture, soft, dark and yet strangely inviting. I love the way the three trees (left third) are framed by the two leading trunks. A beautiful, thoughtful composition.
@Markus_Albert, this is a very interesting scene! At first, I thought that you might have used a tool in Photoshop to curve the trunks. The trees remind me of cobras, standing and waving in the air. Ick, I know! But that was my initial thought! I agree with @John_Williams’s suggestion to add a little more contrast. It would pop the image to life. And, removing those items that @David_Haynes mentioned is a must. All in all, a wonderful image!
