The Monterey peninsula gets a lot of morning fog in early to mid Summer. There were a lot of oak trees around my campsite and they made really good subjects for this type of scene. I had in mind the ping-pong effect that @Nathan_Klein brought up in one of his images a few months ago. It was a fun exercise and I am curious about your emotional response to it. Any comments and feedbacks are always appreciated!
I like this image. There’s really nice subtle definition in the trees for a misty low contrast scene. The feeing it conveys to me is somber, almost of the two “characters” in the scene being separated, unable to be joined together. Very apropos for the times we are in. I almost said that the scene feels crowded to me and that I would like more space around these gnarly trunks. But on viewing it longer, I think that tight view works to further convey that story of a pair anxiously wishing to be rejoined but unable to do so.
Really beautiful image Adhika, it embodies everything that I enjoy about photographing landscapes in fog. Beyond the obviously wonderful mood created by the fog, this image does an outstanding job of utilizing repetition and framing in it’s composition. The strong V shape of the trees is repeated in at least 3 places. And the draping leaves are repeated. One tree frames the other, but the framing I like most is the leaves framed in the V of the nearest tree. This is a very powerful composition, and it does not feel too tight to me.
Here are a couple of subjective things that are essentially a matter of personal taste to tweak an already great image. I would clone away the disembodied leaves along the left edge. And I would pull in the white point slightly for a lighter look, i think it does good things to the golden grasses.
This is quite good, Adhika. It is interesting that the difference in tonality between the two trees almost mimics a shallow DofF in its look. It definitely makes for a very good ping pong effect as you intended. I like the mood, too. A bit dreamy with some tension.
Excellent shot @Adhika_Lie. I too felt it was a bit crowded when I first saw it and despite the thoughtful comments of your other responders, I still don’t feel there’s quite enough room (for my taste). I really enjoy your aperture choice here…very strong. Excellent composition and I wonder if I’m being influenced by the sizeable white border enclosing the image somewhat?
Very pleasing image. Fog always adds to the shooting experience. I like the subtle colors created by the fog and the two trees balance each other and draw you through the scene. A very relaxing image.
The mood is melancholic, as if two old friends are being separated. It feels like the far tree is going away, with the way that branch from the far tree leaves the frame. If you brightened it any, it would lose that mood, I think. It’s lovely.
@Adhika_Lie I’m a big fan of this. I think you’ve created a ping pong effect that encourages flow through the frame. It’s enjoyable to the eye when going between the trees and my eye then comfortably lands on the foreground tree.
I think you’ve got great balance here between left and right but also from front to back. As the tree on the right is more foggy than the left it gives a sense of depth to the image. And the graphic V in the tree trunks makes the composition compelling. I think the nuances in you composition give this image longevity for a viewer.
I do agree with @Ed_McGuirk on removing the leaves at the edge of the frame.
This is beautiful and so well balanced, Adhika. The closer tree on the left, with the shadow under it is perfectly balanced by the brighter area around the further tree. I do agree with Ed’s cloning of the leaves, but I wish I could compare the difference the white point makes before making a judgment there.
Yes! That is the theme that runs through my mind, too: Two friends conversing at a distance. I am glad this idea is perceptible in the image.
As for the tightness, I don’t really feel it that way but @Jim_McGovern may have a point about the border. Perhaps white is not the best color for this.
It is my lifelong goal to get a picture of an owl sitting on a Y of a tree, Tony, eye level. Maybe one day. It is definitely a very strong shape.
Ed, good call on the leaves. I was on the fence about those leaves. Thanks for this advice. Like @Bonnie_Lampley, I am hesitant about brightening it but I do like what it does to the gold in the grass. I have posted on the original an adjustment where I mask the level adjustment layer only to some parts of the grass.
I really like this and, strangely enough, don’t find it melancholy. I saw images like this last weekend and decided that the color of dried grass looks wonderful in fog. There is something about those browns that looks good with the bluish/greys of fog.
This image reminded me very much of a Carr Clifton image made in the fog at Mt Diablo that was published in one of the Sierra Wilderness calendars. I’ve been looking for a similar scene ever since.
I don’t see any ping pong composition here. Just one tree echoing another. I keep thinking that the colors could be a bit stronger but then I change my mind. Fog should have muted colors.
Thanks, @Igor_Doncov. Very interesting emotional response for sure because when I think of foggy images with a lighter mood, I think of @Ed_McGuirk’s Summer Fantasy series (esp number 2). Thanks for sharing that with me.
I have never seen (or heard of) Carr Clifton’s work before so I got into researching his work some more. Fantastic work, I am honored that this image reminds you of his work. Is the first image here on the Journal of Forestry the one that you are referring to?
Yes, that’s the one. It was shot some time in the 80’s as I recall. I hadn’t seen it for over 30 years yet it’s remarkable how similar it is to yours.
Adhika, I agree with Igor that this is more of an “echo” than a “ping pong” image. In commenting on a post of mine, “Natures First Green is Gold” Igor mentioned that it made him think of Dianne Arbus’s “The Twins”, which to me is definitely a “ping pong” image. The twins are more or less dressed the same, but upon closer inspection there are minor visual differences in their expressions and clothing for the viewer to explore.
I think “echo” is a better description of your image for several reasons. First Arbus’s twins are in the same plane of view, making them clearly co-equals (which invites the subtle comparisons). In your image , while the trees are somewhat similar in shape, they are in different planes of view. One is further back, more diffuse and lighter in luminosity. This makes me think echo, because the background tree is a “ghost” of the foreground tree. This “echo” effect is masterfully done on your part. But if you were trying for the full ping pong effect, I think placing both trees in the same plane (distance from viewer) would help.
Whether it’s pingpong or echo, I really enjoy the distinct shapes you’ve found and presented here! The mist adds perfectly to the mood, as always. The removal of the leaves on the left edge made the image more pleasing to watch, the difference in the whitepoint is difficult to see for me.
Beautiful scene!
It is my lifelong goal to get a picture of an owl sitting on a Y of a tree, Tony, eye level. Maybe one day. It is definitely a very strong shape.