When I saw this Weekly Challenge topic (“in a forest”, this image immediately came to mind. Yet I am hesitant to post. This was my first time photographing in the redwoods, and was fortunate to have fog and sunlight breaking through. For me, standing there, I was in awe of this scene. Except for some birds singing and dripping water coming off some leaves, the forest was quiet. So, pardon the somewhat “cliche” composition with the sun rays. It was a memorable experience and I’ve decided to go ahead and post even though there have been other redwood photos posted.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Big dynamic range. This is one of three images that I took, the middle exposure of a 3-exposure planned composite. I didn’t think the exposure blend was that much different, so I’ve stayed with this single image.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Some have told me they don’t like the angle/distortion of the tree trunks. I don’t mind. Thoughts?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
f/16, 16-35 @16mm, 1/15 sec, ISO 100
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Are you kidding me? This is great! Yeah, the sun beams are everywhere in the Redwood forest on those foggy days (almost everyday in summer) but this is just terrific. Only nit for me might be that the left side of the frame seems a little heavy compared to the right side with all of those big trees but including them gives more of a sense of what the redwood forests really look like. Last thing, the blues in the sky look a little too saturated for me. Maybe just tone those down a hair and this is awesome Mark. I just LOVE the redwoods. Great that you posted this. I think the redwoods are just calling out to us for this weekly challenge. Well done!
I think this is a wonderful of the redwoods Mark. I know what you mean about being “awe struck.” There’s nothing like a walk in a redwood forest. Great photo and wonderfully captured. Thanks for sharing it.
Oh my! This is gorgeous. Getting those shafts of light to come out like isn’t that easy, in my opinion. You did a great job on that. You should post this in the landscape gallery. This looks like a winner to me.
The blues in some places (top left) are a bit too strong. In other places (top right) the blues in the sky overlap the vegetation with the leaves coming out blue. As I recall I had similar issues and went to b&w. But the color is so good here that I would keep it that way.
I actually like the way those big trees on the left lean in. It sort of works well with the shafts of light.
Thank you @David_Haynes, @linda_mellor, and @Igor_Doncov . I think the vignette I applied created extra blue saturation, so I can adjust that. Thanks for your encouragement!
Mark, the crepuscular rays are wonderful! Yes, I’ve often found that with careful raw processing the middle exposure of a three shot sequence is often as good as what you get from all of the effort to blend two or three exposures. The angled tree trunks work well at pulling the attention to the source of the rays, which creates a nice “zoom” feeling.
Mark: Shame on you for hesitating to post this. This is marvelous. I think when some folks label something cliche’ they are simply justifying their own arrogance. My only suggestion would be to print it large and put it in a prominent place for all the world to see. A major tip o’the to you sir! >=))>
I just love this Mark, every thing about it. It’s so inviting to the eye, it just requires a good long look. I especially like the diagonal line formed by the ferns in the foreground, leading to where the path goes over the hill.
to you sir! 