This image was taken on one of my first post-pandemic lockdown trips in late May 2020. This image is from Kinsman Notch, New Hampshire, taken roadside along the Kancamagus highway west of Lincoln, NH. The weather forecast called for overcast and light rain, perfect conditions for shooting spring foliage. I had those type of conditions for about 3 hours. But mid-morning, I grew disappointed as the rain and fog started to dissipate, and the sun began to peek out. There was still some fog on the top of the mountain, but sunlight began to filter into the valley below. Shortly after this image was taken the sun came out in full force, and I headed home. However, once I was back home on my computer, I was pleasantly surprised by how the dappled light looked in this scene, it added some vibrance and glow without adding too much contrast.
What do folks think of the color saturation of green/yellow here, is it good, or do you think it could be boosted slightly?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any critique or comments are welcome
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Canon 5D MKIV, Canon 70-200mm f4 lens, at 200mm, ISO 400, 1/50 sec at f16
I’m puzzling over this image a bit. I definitely know what I like about it. All the things you mentioned - the dappled light, the almost infinite shades of green moving into the yellows and dun brown, plus the wonderful textures and shapes all make for an intriguing image that certainly draws and holds my attention. I also love the diagonal running from mid left to upper right, which offers a nice contrast between the overall calm of the picture and dynamic flow. I think where it isn’t quite working for me is with the fog, it doesn’t quite feel balanced to me. I think I’d like to see more of it as it feels slightly cramped up top. So, what I wonder is what it would feel like in a different aspect ratio with more of the fog on the top (not subtracting anything but only adding). I realize that might not even be possible, but I wonder.
P.S. - The Department of Trivia: There is something going on in the LRC that I’d probably prefer cloned out.
Ed, beautiful greens, they create nice flowing pattern u want to look at for long time. I find dark partial tree in URC distracting. Same with white trunks/branches in LRC
This is another lovely springtime image, Ed. It sounds like you had the perfect conditions with the light rain and fog for showcasing the delicate shades of springtime foliage. The light in the scene is very subtle, but is key for elevating this another notch IMO. The diagonals work beautifully here as does the fog up top and I never tire of viewing images with fog as they add so much mood. I could see the saturation boosted just a touch, but that is more personal preference rather than a critique as this works just fine as posted. I could also see cloning out the darker evergreen toward the URC and the slightly bare LRC. Here is a rework with my thoughts. At least you were able to make it to NH even if you did miss the lupines. Hopefully by fall things will have eased up.
Hi Ed, I like the saturation as it is, more would look unnatural to me. The variation in the greens is the key element for me. Very small nit, not really a nit - I would clone out the vertical yellow lines in the LRC. I appreciate the way you see nature.
@Ed_Lowe@Larry_Greenbaum@svetlana@Kerry_Gordon thank you for your comments and input, i do appreciate your insights. I think the consensus is that color saturation is fine as presented.
The image originally posted is a crop of the raw file’s composition. There is more fog above in the raw file. Below I have added several reworks, including the uncropped image. I did the crop of the fog to avoid the even uglier dark patch in the URC. And in the un-cropped version you can also see what is causing the minor yellow distraction in the LRC.
Original un-cropped image, with more fog, and more dark issues in the URC
@Ed_McGuirk, I like the original crop except that I’d add more on the top. But I like where it is on either side and the bottom. In my opinion, this image has too much dynamism due to the diagonal slope to work particularly well as a square crop. Personally, I would not clone out the dark patch in the upper right. I would consider lightening up the darks and maybe pulling up the green in that section but I think, as a darker area, it nicely balances with what is going on below. In the version where you cloned it out altogether , it feels dead up there to me. You have a kind of triad - dark in the lower right, upper right and upper left (more or less) and I feel like that contains and balances the visual mass of the lighter areas of the image.
I like the 3rd re-work best. For me it adds a bit of mystery. I want to know what is back there.
I would clone the top of the dark tree poking up through the fog. The high contrast of the dark green on the light fog demands a lot of attention for me.
The texture of the leaves in the foreground looks great.
