Went back a second time to this canyon road in the NF to get his image without electrical wires in the background, which is why the trees are cropped a bit. Also wanted a better more uniform foreground so to not distract from the subject. Was disappointed that I did not do a better job scoping this out on the first visit, but for me it was well worth a second trip.
I like the nice spacing and uniformity of the trunk sizes and the splayed shapes of the branches and the leaf spacing throughout. Also liked the orange/gold leaf tones with the gray /white bark textures. A slightly different color combination. During the shooting and the processing of the image, I got the anthropomorphic sense that this grove of young Sycamores enjoyed shaking loose their Fall leafs in an early Winter fling… thus the title.
Specific Feedback Requested
Do you get a sense of movement and playfulness? Any comments on colors and composition are appreciated, but any and all comments welcome. Added a second image cropping the foreground a bit to get a little more focus on the trees…what do you think?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D7100, Nikkor prime 85mm, f16 @ 1/2 s, 100 ISO
I really enjoy this image. Sycamores really are great trees to photograph in the fall/winter. They don’t get such vibrant foliage as aspens. But their white bark gives great contrast, and they can have really interesting shapes as opposed to the stick straight aspens. Would you mind sharing the general region you’re in out of curiosity? Here in the midwest/Missouri, we have a lot of these around the waterways, so I can see this type of scene locally which I think is why it speaks to me so much.
To my eye, I like the version with a wider FOV and more foreground. It gives the sycamores a bit more room to “frolic.” I think the slightly haphazard nature of the handful of trunks bending one way or the other in contrast to the vertical trunks does lend to a playful pattern. I like that the trees have some foliage left. You don’t really get to see their interesting forms when they’re in full summer leaf.
Stephen, both views are very well seen on your part. I have a slight preference for the foreground crop as it adds more emphasis to the sycamores and their scattered leaves. The scattered leaves with their bits of color do create a feeling of playfulness.
Well seen! I do get a sense of playfulness. The two images are pretty similar and I don’t have a strong preference, but I suppose I would pick the cropped version because my favorite part of the image is, as you said, the spacing, uniformity, and shapes of the trunks and leaves. Additional foreground does not add to that, for me.
Nit pick, but what do you think about a very slight vignette? I think it helps focus my eyes a bit.
Adam, this was shot just outside of San Juan Capistrano in So. California along an old canyon road in the Cleveland National Forest. This particular grove is set back against a steep canyon wall and these trees struggle to get full sunlight especially in the shorter days, which may explain the lean awkwardness of their branches. I have other shots in a more open part of the canyon where the Sycamores grown higher and have a more stately reach.
Mark, appreciate your comments on preferences I think they are mine also. .
Brent, thanks for the suggestion on the vignette, I usually use them in most processing, but did not try it with this one yet.
I overall love the subject matter in this photograph, and I like the tighter view a tad more, as it emphasizes the sycamores and creates a stronger asymmetry in the composition. It expresses the last phases of autumn, too, which is nice to see as so many images of autumn concentrate on the peak of colors. This suggests the transition so well!
I definitely prefer the cropped version and might crop even more. I see the grass as just providing a base for the trees and nothing more. I might desaturate those greens just a tad as well. The crinkly leaves that sycamores possess are really interesting and they play a major role here.
Stephan, this is really nice. I like the nature story of seasonal transition. The sparsity of leave not only tells that story, also allows the interesting shapes and textures of the trees play a more prominent role. The sparsity of leaves also emphasizes their own interesting shapes better too. Here’s another vote, I prefer the crop by @Brent_Clark, it tightens the image up nicely.
Thanks for your comments and your preference on the crop @Ed_McGuirk. I agree on the seasonal transition story. In California this is an early Winter image.
