This image is a followup to my recent post on spring foliage colors from a late May 2020 trip to the the Berkshire mountains in western Massachusetts. Some comments on my recent post indicated that folks wanted to see more of the white and pale green flowers on the birch trees. Here is another composition that emphasizes the birch trees against the background of green leaves from surrounding beech trees. This image also illustrates the difference in color between the white vs. pale green birch flowers. I believe the white flowers from the birch on the left are at an earlier stage, and the pale green on the birch to the right are at a later stage. Since it was drizzling rain, I used a polarizing filter to remove glare from the wet leaves.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any critique or comments would be appreciated.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
Canon 5D MKIV, Canon 70-200mm f4 lens at 176mm. ISO 400, 1/15 sec. at f16
Used circular polarizer to remove glare from wet vegetation.
Love the trees and subtle difference in white and pale green. Foreground feels a little too loud. I want to keep my eyes on the trees but bright greens pull my sight towards foreground and I need to force myself to stay focused on the trees.
Oh, this is it, Ed. Pretty much what I was looking for from the previous image. I like how prominent the flowers are. I think this is pretty much spot on. No nits from me, I only wish to have an even bigger screen to marvel at this.
I really like the left side of this image Ed because there is more separation in the foreground tree from the background greens and the flowers are a brighter, more defined white and I also like the 3 tiers on that tree. The tree on the right side of the image blends into the background too much for me making it really busy and the tree is not as interesting as the tree on the left. Just wondering if selectively darkening the greens would help a little bit. I see what you saw in this image though Ed. I might also try a verticle crop of just the left side of the image.
Addendum to my comment…I am now seeing this on my calibrated home computer instead of my work computer and what a difference it makes. I must be careful in the future to hold my comments until I see images on my home computer. I now see much better separation of the flowers and the background greenery particularly on the right side. Not sure I would do anything to this to make it better. A spring symphony. Well done.
Hi Ed, I enjoy busy images like this. The two levels of emergence is an interesting story in this one. To me, the tonality of the green leaves in the background could be separated a bit from the blossoms, so I agree with the notion of darkening the greens. Also, I was not a fan of the tree on the right.
Ed,
This is one of those images that needs to be viewed large to really appreciate all the subtle nuances and varying shades of color. I am enjoying the way you framed this lovely scene first with the white blooms, then some greens and finished off with a lighter shade of green/white emerging leaves. The horizontal format works perfectly with the vertical tree trunks. Even though your spring was later than usual and you had less than ideal shooting conditions this is definitely a keeper. Great eye to spot this!
Lana, David, and Dick, I do agree with your comments about the flowering birchs (especially the right one) not separating enough from the green background. When I first processed this I was concerned about the saturation of the green, but your comments have brought me around to seeing it it as an issue with the luminosity of the green beech leaves, relative to the birch flowers. Dick’s change separates the flowers, but I think it loses some of the vibrancy in the greens. So I did a rework aiming for somewhere in-between, and via a combination of TK Color Range and Zone masks was able to tease out separation of the flowers, without losing too much of the green vibrance. I also did a LR HSL Hue adjustment to shift green a little more green too.
This is another beauty Ed! I like how you have filled the frame with the spring blooms that contrast nicely with the green background. It’s a busy scene but the composition works to my eye.
