Parking Lot Tapestry

What technical feedback would you like if any?

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Beside any and all suggestions or critiques I would like to know if I shoot boost the overall brightness and should I crop a little from the right to get rid of the empty spaces?

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
My brother Ed spotted this nice scene on the edge of a parking lot along the Kancamagus Highway in NH. I told him I didn’t think it was all that great. Maybe it was the proximity to all the caars and blacktop. But upon opening it up on the computer I was glad he persisted in my taking of the photo.

If you would like your image to be eligible for a feature on the NPN Instagram (@NaturePhotoNet), add the tag ‘ig’ and leave your Instagram username below.
You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.
2 Likes

Beautiful scene. I slid the right edge in to eliminate that bright bunch of yellow leaves, and it did look a bit better balanced. Also, if you have any more on the left, that tree there is a bit shaved off.

What wonderful colors. I’m so envious of your forests in autumn.

Mike, this is a stunning fall scene, and I’m glad you listened to your brother. I love the spacing of the birch trees and the variety of fall color and green throughout.

My first thought for a critique was to get rid of the yellow leaves lower right, either by cloning out, desaturating/darkening, or a crop. I also think that cropping the birch on the left might be helpful because it touches the edge. Or, if you have more in the original, just give it a bit more breathing room there.

The brightness could probably be bumped up a little, but maybe not globally. The red center tree and the yellow to its right are brighter than the rest, so brightening everything outside that just a bit might be worth looking at.

I am also jealous with your trees in the Fall. We do not get this red variation here and I think it adds a lot to the image. I am with Craig about the brighter yellow leaves clump on the LRC but no other nits from me. This is gorgeous as presented.

One small suggestion. This has the usual forest lighting of lighter to darker as you go from top to bottom. You could use a gradient adjustment if you wanted to even it out. Or keep the natural look.

Michael,I myself am for a lot of colors and your image is giving that, About the empty spaces, I should let it as it is, Because it gives a feel of peace to the whole image ! The colors are beautiful divided in this composition. So very well made.

Personally I think that the brightness looks good. I like how you have used the dark background to simplify the scene a bit. My vote would be not to crop any of the right hand side of the frame because I like the leaves there.

This is a great photo and I’m very glad you went ahead and took it!

In some of the better foliage photos, it looks like a photo of a flowing stream if you squint a little, and this is one of them. The bright yellow swathe has a nice dynamic shape, as do the reds.

Also inherent in these photos is a problem with cropping correctly. There are few natural frames. I don’t have any advice except that you’ve done a good job and aren’t the only one furrowing your brow about this.

I like this a lot as is Michael. If I would offer any critique it would be that the the birch trunks look a little too cyan but it is shade so it maybe normal.

Mike,
Every now and then I have a good idea.:crazy_face:Seriously though, this is fantastic and we did not have to travel far to get it. I love the punch of the red maple leaves complimented by the yellows, oranges and greens of the surrounding foliage as they change into a lovely swath of fall color. My only suggestion would be a small crop from the right side that you already mentioned. Gorgeous scene.