Autumn 2020 photo project - taken 10/09/20 in the Quabbin Region Massachusetts
This is what passes for a grove of orange trees in Massachusetts
On this cold, crisp morning the fog was particularly heavy on the waters of the Quabbin Reservoir. This was my pre-sunrise shot taken before my prior post āChanneling Autumnā. I liked how the orange maple tree on the left seemed to be reaching out through the fog to itās sister tree on the other side of the inlet.
In the raw file the fog was much heavier, and I had to apply significant LR dehaze to restore some detail on the opposite shore. This was as far as I dared push the de-haze, it was already starting to make the orange and green colors wonky, which I had to de-saturate. Does this level of fog vs. detail work for everyone ? I have also provided an alternate version with less de-haze. Which do you prefer?
Specific Feedback Requested
Any critique or comment is welcome
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 5D MKIV, Canon 70-200mm f4 lens, plus 1.4 teleconverter. at 280 mm, ISO 400, 1/5 sec at f13
Beautiful, Ed. I much prefer the alternative with less dehaze, as I find I like the increased sense of mystery and suspense in the image. No nits, quite liking this one.
I prefer the image with less dehazeā¦Iād be tempted to subtly burn the reflected water in the lower R. corner as itās brightness distinct from the rest of the water distracts my eye a bit. Thatās itā¦a tremendous image you were blessed to be able to witness/capture.
Ed,
I toggled back and forth a couple of times trying to decide which one I liked better and I do prefer the second version with less de-haze. For me it has more of a sense of mood and mystery that I find appealing. It is as though the colorful maple decked out in it.s autumn splendor is not quite ready to revel itself to us and will do so when the time is right. My only suggestion would be to concur with @Jim_McGovern about the LRC. Minor stuff though as this is gorgeous.
This is a really difficult choice. I can like one and then switch my thinking and like the other. You canāt go wrong with either one. I think I like the foggier one more. There is a lot of darkness in the ulc of the less foggy image that, if dodged could switch my preference.
The difference in De-Haze is subtle, and probably only noticeable when the images are presented side-by-side. I donāt think it makes any real difference in terms of the overall meaning and feel of the image, so it just depends in your own personal aesthetic. I personally love fogginess, so the more the merrierā¦
Thank you all for your thoughts and comments on my image. I know the difference between the two versions is subtle, and that ultimately itās also a subjective choice. But I had been struggling with the processing of this very dense fog for a while now. So I thought why not seek out some other viewpoints from the very capable group here at NPN. Iām just going to sit back and see what the consensus is. The point about darkening the LRC is helpful, and only comes out in the comparison.
Lovely! I prefer the foggier version for its greater mystery, but one could go either way, as Igor said. As far as burning the LRC, Iād say it would be better to lighten or increase ease the haze on the LLC up to about the bottom of the tree trunks, to balance it out more.
Iāve seen enough comments in favor of the foggier, less de-hazed image to run with that as my final version. Bonnie, I think you are onto something with dodging the LLC, rather than burning the LRC. It seems to fit better with the foggier approach. Here is a rework with that reflected.
