Quivering (with suggested edits)

Image Critiques Landscape Critiques
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Edited…burned the deadfall on the ground

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Original post

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3rd edit to remove some of the foreground saturation in the trees

Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.

Questions to guide your feedback

This is another image from my Fall colors trip a few months ago. I’m still processing a few more but wanted to get your initial reaction to this image.

Other Information

Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.

Image Description

This was the last day of my trip. I came upon this group of aspen that were rapidly losing their leaves to the wind (the name quivering) yet the forest floor remained mostly free of fallen leaves. I’m just wondering about what you think about the light, and the two apposing trees in the foreground and the overall balance with this image. As always, thanks for opening my mind to other points of view.

Technical Details

Z9, 100-400mm lens @ 400mm, ISO 200, 1/100th, f/8 hand held

Specific Feedback

Aesthetic
Conceptual

3 Likes
2

I can smell the damp earth and the aspen motes floating on the breeze! I really like the balance you have acheived between the white trunks and the golden leaves; the leaves accentuate the trunks rather than the typical vice versa, I think. Just the right amount of ground, too. I really wouldn’t change a thing with this composition or your processing.

3

I think this is a pretty joyful image. The combination of yellow and white is pretty uplifting. There are some somber colors at the bottom so it has some mixed feelings as well.

I saw an image like this shot by Charlie Cramer in the same general area and wanted to make one ever since. I think the key is to have some fairly flat to gentle light. He had a light fog as well and that made all the difference. How often do you see fog in Utah? Probably close to never.

I like the color scheme in this image. The yellow tree on the right really makes this image for me. I like the tonal richness that the lower part has. The upper part is less interesting, in my opinion, as the branch distinction starts to dissipate. I think the composition is good. I don’t see any crop that would make this better. I really like the forest floor. I can’t remember seeing this type of image where the floor was so dominant in terms of interest.

1 Like
4

Hi David,
that is a really beautiful fall scene. I love the composition and the colors.

There is only on litte details that is distracting my eye slightly.

image
I wood burn the highlights of this dark fallen tree trunk. But it really is nitpicking.

Other than that, I wouldn’t change anything about the image.

I like this kind of trees with the beautiful white bark. The reason may be that I have never seen such trees in our region. So I can enjoy your pictures of it even more.

5

Hey David, as the others have stated, this is a really really strong image. The slight hints of green and mostly yellow leave me exploring all over the place. As @Igor_Doncov said the floor is actually interesting too which is so rare, I’m typically fighting to find a way to exclude it entirely. Your scene here is clean and that makes a huge difference. One thing I would consider is maybe just slightly reducing the saturation on the foreground leaves. This would be really minor.

Thanks for sharing, makes me want to head west in the fall!

6

Hi David,
this is really a joy to watch.
The tight composition works here so the color pallet.
That fallen log ,dead center between the white trunks really caught my attention (I’m not sure it is what you expect).
Beautiful image .

7

Initial reaction? WOW! I would love to see a large print of this as it’s the kind of image that usually has all kinds of wonderful little details and “images within the image”. The patterns created by the tree trunks and pops of color throughout keep me engaged. Love it.

8

I really don’t have much to say other than that this is a very lovely image with a great autumn feel to it. I love all of the vertical lines of the white tree trunks.

9

The beauty of the vertical white trunks interspersed with the yellow leaves certainly was my first reaction. There is a serenity and stability to the scene - a feeling of stillness, waiting for winter. Then on second reading, I see the dark logs/roots(?) lying on the ground behind the aspens and I get a slight feeling of foreboding. The darkness and cold color of the fallen logs feels like a death in the forest.

Now off to read your intent…

I’m not sure what you mean by the apposing trees - those two with the most leaves? If so, they give this that sense of stabilty. The colors look great.

10

I very much appreciate your suggestions and comments on this image. It’s been lurking on the hard drive for 7 or 8 months and as usual, you’ve helped me see things I didn’t see before. Thanks @jefflafrenierre , @Igor_Doncov m @Jens_Ober , @David_Wallace , @joaoquintela , @Bret_Edge , @Tom_Nevesely , @Bonnie_Lampley.

Jeff…Glad you like this one as is. It was a damp trip so you really could smell the damp earth. Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Bonne and Igor…I think you both noticed the same somber like deadfall on the forest floor. Much the same as one of my earlier Fall images I like the dichotomy between the vibrant colors of the Fall leaves and moodiness of the deadfall in both of the images (this one and my previous deadfall fall colors image). Good of you both to pick up on that. This one is different than almost all of my Fall images with aspen because of the relatively clean forest floor. It’s actually why I shot this image. This one feels a little like the cycle of life. Thanks for your comments.

Jens…You nailed it! Good call. I’ve reposted with the brightest spots brought way down. Let me know if it works for you. Thanks for those eagle eyes and for your constructive help.

David…The clean floor is actually what caught my eye initially with this scene. Glad you like that. I wasn’t sure what you meant by the reducing the saturation of the foreground leaves. One the trees or on the floor? I have not touched either yet as I wanted to get your understanding of it first. All the mountains West of the Rockies have aspen so come on out! :slight_smile: Thanks very much for your suggestion, David.

Joao…I took your comment to heart and burned down the bright spots on the dead fall. Thanks for taking a look, Joao and your constructive comment. Very appreciative.

Bret…I’m glad this one kept you engaged. I love your initial reaction too. Thanks for that.

Tom…That’s all I needed to know. This one almost didn’t see the light of day but I thought I’d give it a test drive here to see. Glad I did. Thanks Tom!

Bonnie…This is a little like a family gathering with the young, the old, and the deceased. From the old comes new, reclamation, rejuvenation, how ever you want to say it. The two foreground trees on the outside edges, frame the image and it was those two trees that I used to compose the scene. I generally don’t include the ground on Fall color aspen scenes because it tends to be quite chaotic and untidy but I loved the cleanliness of this scene’s floor so I included quite a bit of it. As always, Bonnie, thanks for your comments.

1 Like
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@David_Haynes, I was thinking the two trees in the foreground. The ones closest to the viewer. They are already prominent due to their proximity and the fact that they are unobstructed. They also seem to be a bit more saturated. It’s not over the top but it might balance them with the background trees a bit. It’s a super minor thing and may not actually improve the image. It’s already great!

12

Thanks for clearing that up, David. I’ve added a third image with a minor adjustment to the saturation on those two foreground trees. I could certainly go farther. I removed about -19 on the saturation slider in a selection of just the trees leaves. Let me know if you think I should go farther or not. Thanks for helping.

13

I think you nailed this beauty with the third version, David. I love these kinds of scenes where you get a glimpse of what lies beyond in the BG forest that you usually do not get after everything has leafed out or in this case where some of the autumn leaves have dropped. My only suggestion; and this is being super picky; would be just a little more canvas at the bottom as the one tree on the left of center looks a little tight. Lots of details and structure to savor in the vertical lines of the aspens!