The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.
Self Critique
I’m happy with the colour of this image - I made intentional effort to achieve a level of colour separation amongst the greens and yellows without going overboard on the saturation. I’m also content with the composition.
I wonder if the foreground tree is a bit too bright and blends into the background as a result. I’m also a little unsure about the overall minimal use of contrast as it’a an unfamiliar creative choice (though one that I thought was necessary).
Creative direction
I set out to convey the mossy, tangled and stunted undergrowth at 2800m altitude. I wanted the structure of the trees and the colour of the moss to be my main elements within the shot, so I thought minimal contrast was a good way minimise the patches of sky poking through the foliage while remaining faithful to the overcast conditions and passing the viewer’s attention to the trees. I want the viewer to feel like they’re surrounded by forest such as this as they breathe cold mountain air.
Specific Feedback
I’d love feedback on the aesthetic, conceptual, and emotional elements of my image.
Technical Details
Nikon Z7 with 24-70mm f/4 lens.
24mm, f/8, 1/40sec, ISO 64.
Image was focus stacked and exposure blended.
Processed in PhotoShop.
Description
This was Day 1 of a mountaineering expedition in Nepal. This patch of forest was right next to the populous trail, making it feel a bit sterile in nature, but the character and aesthetic of the mossy, stunted trees caught my eye nonetheless. My wife and guide waited for me while I shot the series of images needed.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
First, welcome to NPN. I’m not a Landscape person, so I’m sure you’ll get more useful tips, but I do love being in this sort of environment. The only thing I’d be tempted to do here is crop along the bottom to remove the piece of clear land in the LLC (path?). This might also make that near tree less dominant. Or alternatively clone in more vegetation in that corner to preserve your aspect ratio, but this might be tricky. I love how you’ve treated the colors here and wouldn’t alter that at all.
Kaid, welcome to NPN. This is a fine look into this forest. The limited contrast does an excellent job of letting the details show (and it’s clearly the details that make this photo attractive, with the mossy trees and the hanging ferns, to name a few parts. I too find the brightness in the lower left corner distracting some burning-in there for a better brightness match with the nearby leaves should fix that.
Hi Kaid,
Welcome to NPN! This is a wonderful first post full of lush green mosses and leaves of the sub-alpine forest. The FG tree looks just fine to me as does the low contrast as it is perfect for showcasing all those wonderful details. My first impression of this image was one of being surrounded by the forest, so I would say that you succeeded with your intention. My only suggestion would be to crop or tone down that brighter area in the LLC as it does pull my eye a little. Very nicely done. I hope to see more of your images as well as your critiques.
Welcome to NPN. I think that this shows the complexity of a forest very well. Many have made suggestions about the lower left corner. In my opinion the scene looks a bit overly chaotic. I was thinking that maybe those dark trees were adding to the issue but I can’t be sure because I can’t seem to download the image to test that. There’s a sense of visual overload here because of all the detail.
Welcome to NPN. Please don’t let what I’m about to say run you off. we’re all here to help each other out. I feel the image is a little too chaotic. There’s not much tonal separation between the trees and foliage, causing everything to kinda blend together without anywhere for the eye to settle.
There’s nothing wrong with being complex, but being chaotic does not help an image. Also you didn’t mention wether you used a polarizer or not. to my eye it doesn’t look like it. I think it would have helped to take some of the glare off the foliage.
Welcome to NPN Kaid! I really enjoyed the image that you posted in your introduction, and it’s great to see you adding to the mix here in Landscape.
I think this does a good job of conveying what you wanted. (Having never been in your neck of the world, I appreciate that.) I think the lower contrast works well; it fits with overcast light on an understory, and it accentuates the colors of the greens. In fact, I’d be tempted to reduce the contrast even more on the three bright spots that stick out (llc, and the two spots left and right of that foreground trunk near its base).
My biggest question mark is that foreground trunk. While it shows detail, it tends to dominate and I feel like it’s blocking a significant amount of what I think are the best parts of the image, the background trunks. I’m curious what the scene would have looked like if you had moved left and swung the camera right to take that trunk out of the scene?
I’m not a big fan of Creative Fill for my final images; I’d much rather capture what was really there. But, I do find it useful to play with “what ifs” to see alternative possibilities. Curious about your picture, I used Creative Fill to remove the foreground trunk. See what you think; as always, your final preferences are what matters.
Thanks all for the valuable feedback! It’s useful in both affirming what I thought worked well in addition to the concerns I had regarding the image. I think I’ll sit on it for now instead of publishing!
