The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
While on one of our April spring trips to Susquehanna SP, MD I couldn’t help but notice this colorful redbud standing out in stark contrast against the backdrop of soft green of the emerging spring leaves. There were a couple of other redbuds in the field, but I just loved the graceful arch of the limbs along with the character of this particular one.
Specific Feedback
This image is busy and chaotic, but I love all of the chaos and implied motion with all of the exposed trees with their branches not fully concealed by the emerging spring leaves. Just wondering how others feel about all of the chaos or am I to close to the image. Does it bother anyone that I didn’t ground the redbud by including any grass in the image? When I was composing the scene the grass just seemed to disrupt the flow. Anything else you notice please feel free to mention it.
Technical Details
Nikon Z 7, Nikon 24-200 @ 200 mm, f 11 @ 1/100 sec, ISO 400, Kase magnetic CPL, cable release & tripod.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I think the redbud tree provides the anchor and sense of order amongst the more chaotic background. The color contrast works nicely too. I never even considered the grounding until I reread your comments. Doesn’t bother me at all. I think this works quite nicely.
That is one healthy Redbud! I love the juxtaposition with the budding trees but do wish for more at the base to ground it. Or maybe less at the top would be another possibility – maybe both. This one feels a bit too half-and-half.
Well, that’s just fun Ed. You’ve been posting such a nice series of early spring leaf growth and now bam!, the pink just jumps out at you. It’s quite lovely, and my only nit is to echo @Diane_Miller that a bit more at the bottom would give a little better balance. It’s hard to say that for sure without seeing the grass though. The chaos doesn’t bug me at all.
Many thanks @David_Bostock, @Diane_Miller and @John_Williams for your thoughtful C & C; always appreciated. Here is a slightly different image with a little field included in a vertical format. Does that work any better for you? For whatever reason that bit of mowed field along the bottom did not work as well for me; maybe because it was mowed.
Ed, my a bit late reaction. First a well made different image . With in my view more than one possibilities. To me the composition feels a bit uneasy. Because of the large top of the background. I made a rework. For my feeling the image is more in balance this way.. Hope you can appreciate it. Ben
I like @Ben_van_der_Sande’s version. I think the version with the base included will work if the grass is minimized a bit and the tree brought out. Here is some quick tweaking with Selective Color (mostly for the tree) and a Curves on the grass. I could go further on the grass.
That brought out what looks like some clone repeats on the grass. Expanding canvas can do that – AI isn’t completely intelligent yet.
Ed, I actually like your second version with the grass better and @Diane_Miller’s re-work, especially her color adjustments. I can see your reservations about the mowed grass, but IMHO in the og image the tree feels a little too “scrunched” toward the bottom. My compositions were all the same as your OP. Don’t know why I didn’t try something else.
Thanks everyone @David_Bostock, @Diane_Miller, @John_Williams, @Ben_van_der_Sande and @Michael_Lowe for your thoughts on this image; always appreciated. You have given me some ideas to play around with. @Ben_van_der_Sande : Thanks for taking the time to do a rework with your thoughts. I like what you have done. @Diane_Miller : I appreciate you taking the time to do a rework with your ideas on this image. It looks good; especially the redbud.
Ed, this captures early spring in our area very well, with the redbud in full bloom as the forest is just starting to green. My first impression was that you found an amazing redbud, since the blooms and branches stop before you get to the bottom of the frame. (Seeing the full scene make it clear why…) I do think that cropping the bare trunks and branches near the top focuses the view more on the two major parts that you describe (similar to Ben’s version).
Quite late to the comments here, but I really like this image in the many variations that have been presented. These kinds of scenes are happen a lot around here, and “busyness “ in them is a constant problem. I think the strong color contrast tames the complexity of the background.
