Every time I drive by some of these red pine plantings I want to shoot their symmetry and regularity, but without the snow it would be too hard to make out. Lucky for me it snowed. This is an example of how people need to thin these plantations regularly. It hasn’t been done here and the trees are small for their age and won’t develop the thickness for the board feet of lumber envisioned when first cultivated. Not sure if the owner died, moved, lost interest or what, but it won’t produce well.
Specific Feedback Requested
It’s tough to compose these shots - something always gets cut off, but I did my best. Any other thoughts are welcome.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Handheld
Lightroom for B&W conversion and a bit of a crop. Some management of tonalities, texture & clarity. Messed with the orange and red sliders to maximize the tonal range. Sharpening.
Good one and good one for the challenge. You have done a fine job making order out of chaos. The trees provide great repeating patterns and overall the image looks really good.
The composition looks good - I’m not getting a feeling of anything odd cut off around the edges. This has a great sense of depth, and the pattern/texture is very cool. Did you consider darkening those grasses/twigs at the bottom edge? They feel too bright to me, compared to the rest of the frame - they grab my attention away from the trees a bit.
Hi Kris! This is a very interesting image. As said by others, I really like the pattern and texture here. All the lines make for a very interwoven pattern that keeps my eyes engaged. Well done!
Hi Kristen
After studying you photograph, it looks like the pines are pointing to the left hand side of the frame. (as in we should be going that way. Nice photo.
Peter
Thanks @Bonnie_Lampley, @Harley_Goldman, @David_Bostock, @Steve_Kennedy & @peter - I hoped it wouldn’t be too crazy, and yeah, they all do seem to be pointing left! I never noticed that before. I can play with the grass and see. It’s never bothered me, but I could have a try.
Kris: Way back before I knew better I thought shooting aspen or pine forests would be simple. NOT! This is a fine comp and I like the density of the trunks even though its not ideal for their purpose. Well done. >=))>
Many times have I tried to capture a pine plantation…and failed miserably. You’ve done well! I like your composition and also noted the left-hand directions of the pines. The tonalities are good and I like your idea of messing with the orange and red sliders. I think those sliders make a difference.
Thanks @Bill_Fach & @glennie - we have tons of these here and make for some interesting photos. I’ll have to get one of a plantation that is properly thinned for comparison. I’m heading out today to a record store about an hour away and so maybe I’ll pass one or two.
I usually do mess with the color sliders in a B&W conversion since it makes such a difference. Sometimes a little nudge is all that’s needed, sometimes a big push, but it usually does something interesting.
