Critique Style Requested: In-depth
The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I like that there is faint sunlight in this image and how it gently highlights some subjects. I had been looking for the light you get on rainy days so this was sort of unexpected.
Creative direction
There is no particular style here. I wanted to convey a sense of the sublime in this image and hope that is conveyed to the viewer.
Specific Feedback
Iām interested in aesthetic, emotional, and technical feedback. The image is pretty straightforward, with no conceptual suggestiveness.
Technical Details
GFX50R, 45-100mm, f/11, focus stacked
Description
This was shot a Hoh in an area that people drive by rather than off a hiking trail. Most of the moss on trees hangs down in a dark manner that I didnāt think would look good. That was my experience from previous shots. Some of the trees in this grove had ropes hanging down, suggesting that climbers had scaled them, but the moss looked undisturbed.
3 Likes
I tell youā¦a scene like this I just love. I can feel the relaxing mood I would be in, if I were walking the path. Iāve been to Olympic National Park a few times. The last time, it was dry and not as gorgeous as the other time I had been. I love walking their trails and being in with the trees, moss and ferns. youāve captured it beautifully. I hear the best time to go is May. Will be rainy, but colors will be saturated. Lovelyā¦thanks, a wonderful picture to wake up to!
Thank you Judi. I have been there in May, June, and July. July is a crapshoot. This July is probably not good but the year I went there was morning overcast and therefore decent light until noon. The year I went in May it rained every day. The light was good but was hiking muddy trails each day. This year I went early June and we had sunny days and rainy days. You could not shoot on sunny days but light was excellent on rainy days. There is an experienced NPN member that recommends March as I recall.
The luminosity of the greens is splendid. I also like the separation of the three tree trunks. They weave the viewer through the lush forest. I swear the foreground tree has the face of and Ent.
It is a wonderful image Igor, the moss is so luxuriant. I think that you manage to convey the peaceful atmosphere of the forest succesfully. If I were the photographer, I would try to rearrange the light a bit, as the background is quite bright and the main tree quite dark. Here is a quick edit (which obviously would need more work) to show you what I mean.
Igor, What a beauty, what a light!
Igor, if this didnāt have a name on it, I would think it was shot by Adam Gibbs. What a beautiful, calming scene. The trees you chose to include work very well in the composition. I think the lightening really enhances the greens. The light on that little lime patch of leaves in front of the big FG tree blends in with the ferns and adds nice contrast. This shot has a very peaceful feeling. I could imagine walking through this lush forest very slowly looking at all the wonders there are to see. I wish I lived closer to these kinds of forests. It seems like they are a magical place.
Did you see his video from this morning? He shot it along the Spruce Trail. Thatās the same trail where I made the āscary manā image a couple of years ago. In fact, he stood next to the downed tree for a few minutes and talked about nursing trees. The Hoh Rainforest is a wonderful place to shoot but takes a bit of time to get used to it. Itās overwhelming at first. Some composition that seem great in the beginning arenāt that great. The draping moss against the lighter background, for instance, looks eerie rather than luxuriant (to me).
Igor,
Outstanding job of isolating and framing this scene within what we all know is the chaos of the rain forest. Not too many chances to witness and photograph such a clean sceneā¦
The light is indeed sublime - very subtle in fact, yet clear. If that makes sense. I particularly love the character of the main tree. Letting loose on the imagination and the ālive treesā portrayed in āLord of the Ringsā comes to mindā¦
I really like what Adrien did in terms of masking or mitigating the bg highlights. Very minor indeed, but I like that the rest of the scene gets just that much more attention. I do think however, that your original processing in terms of that subtle light works best in your original post. Adrienās version is very good though.
I donāt know how much, or even if you did any dodging/burning, but I could see taking a painterly approach and emphasizing those sunlit areas a bit moreā¦ But as presented works beautifully.
Lon
I usually dodge and burn using masks, rather than a brush. Actually, I brush out part of the mask I donāt want showing because masks are usually imperfect. In fact, the area @Adrien_Nieerhus refers to has already been burned in using a mask. Iām always amazed how quickly people see the problem areas, even after they have been addressed.
I printed this today and am pretty happy with it. Weāll see if the satisfaction stays. The funny thing is that I was initially drawn to the two trees on the right. Try as I might I couldnāt come up with a compelling composition with just them. So I moved back and added the main tree as a foreground. And then I realized that this is going to be about the moss covered lumpy tree and the spirit it exudes. Still later, in post processing, I realized how important those bright green leaves near bottom left are to the image. That brightness is natural. So it seems as if things happened by accident. But after years of photographing I believe that we are aware of all this things at some level when we shoot. At an āunconsciousā level that with time we become conscious of what we felt.
2 Likes
I love this image. The light is soft and balanced throughout, with a bit of highlighting in the foreground leaves near the base of the tree. The colors are natural with saturation controlled. I might darken some of the background just a bit as @Adrian Nieerhus suggests. The image certainly captures the feel of the Hoh; I was there once in October, and would love to visit again for an extended photo experience. It can be overwhelming, but you have isolated one image very nicely.
I think that this image is an elixir for the soul! The greens are so calming and the softness of the mosses and ferns so lush and comforting. I can just imagine standing there and inhaling the cool, moist and musty air that one only finds in forests like these.
2 Likes
@Ben_van_der_Sande, @Lon_Overacker, @Tom_Nevesely, @Adrien_Nieerhus, @Donna_Callais, @Eva_McDermott, @Robert_Betka, @Judi_Hastings
Thank you for your comments. This one turned out better than I expected. There is really nothing really unique about either the subject or the composition. Yet it has a spirit about it somehow. I printed it, stuck it to the wall, and am still not bored with it. The good light has much to do with it.
1 Like
Itās funny that you say you were originally draw to this scene because of the two on the right but I love the character of the larger tree on the left. It has a very distinctive FACE to it. I also love the bright spot in the foreground clover? and soft background light. The ferns all seem to be playing to the larger tree almost like they are surrounding it and leaning in towards it as if the tree was some sort of mythical character. The colors look just right and light appears soft and almost dreamlike. Well seen. I like this image quite a lot.
1 Like
Thank you, David. This is pretty much the sort of image people seek when they come to Hoh so Iām not surprised by the interest (number of views).
