Took this shot in Alachua County, FL. Beautiful little ravine with a small creek that wound through hill country in North Florida. Post a small rainstorm and found these trees. The roots covered in moss dripping rain drops just spoke to me and I spent about 2 hours just checking this place out. Would love feedback. Feel like I need to tone down the whites it’s not clipping just feels a little harsh.
Edit: thanks guys for the recommendation on the crop! That was something I had been struggling with was keeping top of the image from being a distraction but still having some awe factor from the tree trunks as supporting elements. I posted a slight crop above to show the difference. @Lon_Overacker to answer you question on color, as you identified, the highlights didn’t work for a color photo in my opinion. I need to go back to this place and catch the right light for a color image. @Harley_Goldman one of the things I love about Florida is how diverse the ecosystems are and how many changes in the state a thirty minute drive can reveal. We even have mountains, cumulus clouds haha. @Ed_McGuirk I agree the highlights in the top were my struggle! Thanks for the suggestion
Adam
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This is wonderful. I think the b&w works beautifully; I do wonder though, what the color might have become. I’m guessing with the bright/high clouds/sky coming through it would be more of a distraction in color.
Speaking of which, the only suggestion I have really would be a slight crop from the top. To me, I think you’re showcasing more of the root system and growth in the bottom section than you are of the upper tree. IMHO, with much of the upper tree trunks, structure, there’s a slight competition between the top and the bottom halves. Not a huge deal, but worth noting perhaps. A crop eliminating the brighter patch URC, which also cuts off the left tree trunk where the detail starts to disappear.
Otherwise, this is very cool and most certainly captures the deep and dense woods.
This is a really nice B&W image, it’s well processed and the tree/roots is a perfect subject for B&W. In terms of your question, I don’t think you need to tone down the whites in ferns and foreground, they create great contrast. Rather it’s the highlights in the sky which keeps distracting me, this ties into @Lon_Overacker suggestion to crop the top. I think this image will be perceived darker with a crop from the top. I also think you nailed the tonalities in the tree trunks and roots, they look awesome.
Real nice take from the FL hill country (which I did not know even existed - thought it was all flat). I would toss in with the crop crowd for the reasons stated.
Apart from the highlights on one or two leaves, this looks great to me in both versions, Adam. The subject has a wonderful presence which I suspect is enhanced by the conversion. Good vision !!
Adam,
The B&W works rather nicely here and has a wonderful range of tones. Your repost with the small crop from the top does place more of an emphasis on the star of the show, which is the beautiful ferns and moss covered root system of the trees. Beautiful image.
