Image was taken in the Redwoods nears Klamath CA, just off the Damnation trail. I tried to get the rhododendron framed between the redwood trunks, it was a foggy morning with very little sun coming through. Image was taken on June 2, 2022 during a photo workshop lead by Michael Frye.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
The color of rhododendron flowers against the green leaves and and foggy background sort of jumped out at me. Any comments and/or suggestion on composition and processing are most welcome.
Technical Details
Canon R, 25-105 mm L, f13, ISO 200, 1 sec, image processed with Affinity photo version 1, with enhancing the vibrance, saturation and red colors.
Ian, the Rhododendron leaves and blooms stand out nicely in the midst of the fog. I am thinking that the redwoods should be vertical, while as understory, the Rhododendron may not. This would also be very much the same view with about half of the foggy area above the Rhododendron cropped. One issue with cropping relates to printing. Should you want a print, it much easier if you use “standard” ratios (like 3:2, 4:5, 8.5 x 11, etc. What that suggests is that getting a few steps closer would let the Rhodo fill the frame more, while maintaining the same sense. The colors look nicely realistic.
Thank you for your comments and suggestions, each time I submit an image to NPN I learn more about composition and how critical it is to set up the image before pressing the shutter - I will attempt to record the original raw file and straighten the redwoods. Thanks again. Ian
I really like this!!
Images with heavy ground fog have always been appealing to me and this one is unique since it’s in the midst of those Redwood trees.
I think the framing is excellent with the exception of the trees not being vertical.
Rather than using the rotate tool to straighten the trees, try the Distort tool (Edit>Transform>Distort (in Ps). Stretch the URC corner to the right, then stretch the LLC to the left, it does cause the scene to be slightly wider than normal but you can stretch it vertically as well to maintain the original shape (width vs height ratio), this approach brought the Rhododendron in a little closer as a result (I didn’t crop it in the example edit below).
Using the Distort tool as described prevents you from having to crop in tighter than you’d want.
The Rotate tool leaves you no choice but the crop tighter “unless you have more canvas in the original RAW file”, if you do have more canvas in the original RAW file, then the rotate tool would make more sense.
In most foggy scenes like this, elements that are close to you are still pretty clear but it does depend on the density of the fog.
Maybe try adding a slight amount of contrast just to the Rhododendron and its blooms to make it appear a little more clear (as though you were closer to it).
Also, maybe try adding a very slight amount of brightness to the blooms only.
These points are only to bring the Rhododendron and its blooms out a bit more to give them a little more definition and clarity.
The above suggestions are just “suggestions” for you to consider and the Distort tool is something to remember for future images that may benefit from that tool, especially when using really wide angle lenses like 12mm for example.
Note that these edits are always better when applied to the original RAW file rather than the compressed jpeg file.
Even if this information doesn’t help you with this mage, it may come in handy for future images.
Anyway, it’s a very inviting scene and I’m glad that you captured it when it jumped out at you
