The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This photo was made on a fairly typical Washington morning at the end of May 2023. The skies were overcast and the landscape bathed in diffused light which drove me into the forest in search of a subject. Moving slowly and carefully through the trees, I initially passed by this little sapling in an attempt to compose an image of the small stream in the background but struggled to do so. It was pure luck that I turned around just as the sun broke the through the canopy and dappled light made its way to the forest floor, delicately illuminating the subject of this photo. Quickly re-positioning and re-composing I was able to photograph this beautiful little sampling which was growing out of the deteriorating stump of its predecessor.
I love this image because it feels like a small window into the world as it wants to exist. Intimate, delicate, and undisturbed.
Specific Feedback
I would love some input on how I composed and balanced this image as well as any general feedback.
Technical Details
Shot this photo with the following equipment and settings:
Exquisite in its simplicity. My first thought was a little tighter crop on the right-side, but looking at it again, I wouldn’t want to lose the stream in far background. Good choice of aperture to show the background out of focus and lighting is perfect. Tighter cropping would also lose some of the context that you were trying to capture (new coming out of the old). Maybe just a slight opening up of the shadows in the foreground; make it appear that the light is hitting the root system. Nice job; you have a winner here.
I like this image. The closeup on the sapling alters the scale of it relative to the trees in the background, and I think that works well. My only nit would be the small branch in the lower left corner, which has a specular reflection coming off it. I’d darken that down.
Such lovely light. The soft background contrasts well with the sharp little tree, while giving context to the scene. What really catches my eye, though is the bright stream in the background. I can see that you would want to keep the stream, but I think burning down the highlights quite a bit would make it less eye-catching.
Hi everyone, thank you so much for the great feedback. Here’s a new version taking the suggested tweaks into account. I’m happier with this. Thank you again. (Still happy to receive any helpful critiques)
