The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
New Eucalypt foliage back lit by a small shaft of light penetrating the forest canopy. The background is a dark patch of forest behind. The twig is approx 3mm diameter.
Specific Feedback
Is the crop ok? The original photo had slightly more above and below, but I felt those two areas did not add the photo.
Technical Details
Hand held, 1/640 sec, F6,3, ISO 200, 45mm. Top RHS twig burnt in, sharpened, cropped
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
Rob, I like the red against the black BG. Remembering everyone has their feelings about post processing. I find the out-of-focus branches distracting. What do you think about cloning them out?
Very nice find.
Steve
Hi Rob. Beautiful backlight on those red leaves and the twig supporting them. I’m inclined to agree with Steve about at least some of the out of focus background twigs. While they kind of make a frame, they don’t quite succeed. I’m not sure what it is about the composition, but looking at it, I find myself tilting my head to the right, which probably means a slight rotation to the left might be in order (or my head just might not be screwed on right).
Very lovely, and unique. I love the color and sharpness of the new leaves. But I also feel the OOF twigs in the three corners are a distraction. Before cloning i would try darkening them so there is just a subliminal hint. It will be a challenge not to create dark halos but I think it could be done with masking or low-opacity cloning.
To see the results of working in dark areas, make a temporary Curves on top of everything and pull in both ends to severely brighten the dark areas. Then go back to the layer underneath and adjust.
Thanks so much for your time. I originally looked at the framing and was not entirely happy with it. I still believe I would like some. Using Diane’s technique, I burnt in the framing twigs and I agree that it looks so much better with a much more subtle frame (and some bits of the framing so dark that they are essentially gone). I suspect the top rhs twig can go in it’s entirety - your thoughts please. Re the “tilting head to the right”, Is this still present or was it an artifact of dominant and irregular framing? I did rotate the photo (not this version), but could not make up my mind.
Rob: Your rework is spot on. This puts the emphasis on the wonderful lighting and vibrant color. I also edited your title to reflect the repost. It’s a good idea to do that so that folks know to revisit the image. Nice find and a fine capture. >=))>
