Mike and I went down to the lake to shoot some lupines one evening and I wound up being so enthralled with the greens along the shoreline that I did not take any lupine images. I arrived with this crop as I had some very OOF reeds toward the bottom of the image so they had to go. Even though I had my head net on some black flies still managed to get in and feast on the back of my neck. This was still worth the bites.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
All C&C welcome
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
All C&C welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Nikon D800, Nikon 80-200 @ 170 mm, f 14 @ 0.3 sec, ISO 100, cable release & tripod
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.
Hi Ed,
I tangled with some black flies years back in Maine. Those are some rough bugs…
Some seriously beautiful, vibrant greenery. To me the most compelling part of the image is the fern area and their reflection along the shoreline. I suggest cropping a bit more off the bottom to get a bit further away from a centered 50/50 comp. and place more focus on the central area. Other than that, processing looks good.
I agree with Dave about cropping out the reflection. I would even crop almost to the reflection of the fern, leaving only a small dark band at the bottom. Nicely processed, Ed! Black flies are some of the worst though. Hopefully, it’s not so bad now.
Ed, I am going along with others on this one and like the idea of a crop from the bottom. I love the color in this scene! Thankfully we do not have black flies but do have a super hungry crop of mosquitoes all summer until first frost.
I never knew about black flies when I came to UNH. I kind of shooed them away but wasn’t particularly bothered. There was a bit of blood around the knuckles but that was wiped away. A few hours later my hands were on fire and itched like hell. Unlike mosquito bites this went on for 3 weeks. What a lesson. Thereafter the mere sight of these things would put me in a panic.
I don’t recommend the crop from the bottom although I can see the attraction. The greens are far too intense for my taste but that’s a personal choice.
Ed, I can see why you ended up not shooting any lupines, this reflection is great. The greenery here is just so lush, and the reflection of the ferns is wonderful. I can see why the others have suggested a crop from the bottom, to me is a combination of the fern reflection being a key element, and the reflected tree trunks pulling your eye away from the ferns. A crop would minimize the impact of those trunks, I would lose roughly half of the trunk reflections.
@Igor_Doncov mentions that the greens are very intense for his taste. While shooting with you folks on this meetup, I found these wet spring greens to be naturally this intense, but I can see why viewers who were not there might find them too intense. I’m finding that using TK Saturation masks to reduce saturation in only the most saturated colors is working well to reign in these greens, without losing the color vibrance that attracted you to this scene in the first place.
Many thanks for your thoughts @Dave_Dillemuth, @Adhika_Lie, @Harley_Goldman, @Alan_Kreyger, @Igor_Doncov and @Ed_McGuirk; always appreciated. Here is a repost with the crop as suggested. I also cropped a bit off the top to make it more of a horizontal. Both versions work for me, but I am partial to the vertical. @Igor_Doncov: I actually reduced the greens in PS because they were so intense. @Ed_McGuirk: I will have to second you on the black flies being the state bird of NH.
Just love the greens you’ve captured here. Sure, it’s well withing personal choice and interpretation. I know I always struggle on the computer attempting to recall what I saw and captured in the brain. I do like the consistency of the color/sat throughout. Even the bare trunks. They’re every so slightly blue/cyan, but given the light and conditions, more than appropriate. Bottom line - excellent processing here.
My vote is to not crop. I don’t know if this was mentioned (haven’t read all the comments yet,) OR if anyone else sees this, but for me when I view this image, I see the ripples in the reflection moving! You know, like those animated gif images where a pool of water is moving… I swear they’re moving! In reality it’s probably the refresh rate on my monitor syncing with my slow brain this morning.
The black flies? Yikes, not sure I would even be out there… but glad you ventured out.
You made some nice lemonade here, Ed. I didn’t get any shot at all. I tried a landscape view with FG lupines and the bluebird sky which didn’t work at all. Should have paid attention to what you were doing. Those greens are really set off by the subdued lighting. I’m also for a crop from the bottom.
