The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is an image that I took yesterday on the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. I was drawn to the contrast of the maple leaves in their fall color against the backdrop of the oak trees which have yet to dawn their fall color. Of course, the fog helped add to the mood of the image and create some separation with the background.
It has been a while since I have posted. In part that is because I haven’t had as much time for photography this year. I have also been doing some soul searching about where I fit in within the landscape photography scene. For a while around the time that I last posted the majority of the posts from photographers here on NPN were taking a more philosophical approach to their photography and I honestly struggled to know how to comment on those kinds of images since I do not approach photography in that way.
For me I’m drawn to the aesthetic beauty of a scene and in simple terms I am just looking to convey the beauty in the places that I see. I am not looking to convey a deeper philosophical meaning with my work and other than my aesthetic tastes I don’t think my photography conveys anything about me as an artist (or maybe not an artist?!?).
That said, I do care about the artistic qualities of an image (light, composition, etc.)
I suppose that this image is about as philosophical as I get since as the title conveys the maple leaves are standing out from their peers (the oak leaves that are still green) as they lead the charge into autumn. At the end of the day for me, though, it’s still a pretty picture.
Specific Feedback
All comments and critiques are welcome.
Technical Details
Technical Info:
ISO125
f/14 (doh! - should have used f/8) @ 1.3 sec (fortunately no wind)
27 mm (APS-C)
RAW Capture
It seems I’m out of practice and I’m also getting used to new equipment as I switched to Fujifilm in an effort to lighten the load a little.
Processing Info:
All processing for this image was done in Capture One. I reduced the contrast and adjusted the white balance to cool down the image. In capture, I exposed for the highlights so I brought up the exposure and lifted the shadows in Capture One.
I hear you about approaching nature photography from a more documentarian stance and how that is often poo-poohed by some photographers. Mostly the ones striving to make statements. Like you, I’m aware of artistic and aesthetic elements of capture and presentation and I don’t ignore those, but neither do I go out of my way to alter nature too much by pushing the processing envelope. It puts on enough of a show for me most of the time. I also don’t demand that people have deep emotional reactions to my work. It’s ok to either just like it or not. No philosophy need apply.
That said I wonder about this image a little bit. I can see why you were drawn to it, but other than the contrast of colors, it seems a bit haphazard. The fog is a great aspect that doesn’t show up very much in this shot. Was it that blue/cyan in reality? I wonder if different processing could bring out more presence and three-dimensionality in the scene. From one “non-artist” to another…that’s my take.
So I guess another aspect of this is how much enjoyment you get from your photography. Recently I wrote a blog post about how AI is getting people down about photography, and that is mainly true for people who are trying to make a living at it and being replaced with AI-driven prompts and illustrations. But for us mere hobbyists with our lack of seriousness (tongue in cheek), it isn’t a job and so hopefully the act of going out in nature and testing our technical skills to photograph it is enough to make it worthwhile. I hope it is for you as it is for me.
I was in this area this summer and was really impressed by the landscape. It looks as though you sed a color cast adjustment to show how you feel about this place. I think that overall color adjustments are a great way to show mood (am I being too philosophical). I played around with this image thinking it needed more contrast but that destroyed what you were after. I then played with the reds and oranges a bit to make them stand out more against the greens and blues. In doing so I decided that the low hanging branch in the lower part was my favorite part of the image.
Hi Brian, I’m fortunate to live about three miles from the Parkway! It’s my favorite drive, just about any time. As the color comes in, there are scenes like this dotting the Parkway. You did a nice job photographing this. I like the slightly bluer white balance. And the mist is lovely. The main area of the orange leaves stands out nicely. I have a couple of suggestions about the orange leaves: 1) I’d like to see those smaller areas of orange (above the larger area) stand out a bit more. They’re barely visible now, but saturating a bit and increasing their luminosity would give a sense of those leaves dancing through the scene. 2) The orange leaves at the very bottom are a distraction for me. I would be tempted to clone out those that are “kissing” the frame. I hope this is helpful. Lovely, early fall image!
Images like this are quite often my favorites, and this is no exception. I think it’s well composed and the subtle colors/contrasts are lovely. Agreed that the fog seems a little too blue and I really enjoy Igor’s processing of the image.
