The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I had scouted this spot in the Sierra Foothills previously and decided to return for a 4x5 shot in the early hours. The light was very soft so the details in the grass and the trunks of the two oaks were well within the latitude of the film I was using. I was fortunate to also have a nice sky.
A few years later, I went back to this spot, and the upper oak had fallen.
-P
Specific Feedback
Do the grasses and the greens look OK color-wise?
Any other thoughts will be appreciated.
Technical Details
Tachihara 4x5
Astia 100F ISO 100
Lens and exposure not recorded.
Recently tweaked in PSCC 2025. Some minor dodging to bring up the leaves and slight cooling of the grass.
Critique Template
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Vision and Purpose:
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Preston: What a great scene and a fine comp. All the conditions fell into place for you. The color looks good to me. I didn’t use much Astia but what I recall is that I did prefer it to Provia but trying to recall now I’m not sure why. The sky is icing on a very fine cake. Glad you got there before the oak fell. Most excellent.>=))>
Hi Preston,
Now that is what I call a peaceful inviting scene. I have been sitting here for a couple of minutes and enjoying the serene vibe. I am enjoying the graceful undulating roll of the landscape along with the placement of those two beautiful oaks; all topped off with those lovely clouds. The light is also quite nice as well. For my tastes the grasses and greens look just fine. Good thing you captured this when you did with the upper oak falling down. I had a couple of trees that I photographed in Shenandoah NP and went back a few years later and they too had died and were falling apart. Anyway, this is wonderful.
Beautiful photo. It perfectly captures the essence of the quintissential central valley foothills: grass and oak trees. The composition is perfect and the sky is frosting on the cake. Well done!
When I find cool trees to photograph and don’t get the image I want, I’m always worried that one day I’ll go back and the tree will be gone. I actually checked on one of my favorite trees last weekend in Canyonlands. I’m a nerd. As for your image, it’s perfect. The composition is fabulous and I love the interaction between the two trees. Lovely sky, beautiful golden grasses. This is just wonderful.
Outstanding image here, Preston. My immediate thought was, without the trees, was the infamous “Bliss” image taken with an RZ67 & Velvia for the MS usage many years ago now.
It was the hill and the sky that gave me that recall. The addition of the two trees and staggered placement is a really neat addition to this scene.
Colors look just fine, maybe a slight boost in contrast / saturation but just an idea on that point.
This is such a cool scene!! It almost looks to me like the tree off in the distance is a “memory” or “ghost” of the main tree, such a neat composition. The clouds and the implied movement adds a complimentary texture to the grass. I also really like the shadow and space underneath the close tree, it really makes me want to go spend an afternoon on a sunny day right under it.
My eye would like a little bit more space between the main tree and the right edge of the frame. It feels a bit too much to the edge. I totally get that creating a 4x5 probably necessitated that, but just sharing how I’m responding. I think the grass in the middle ground between the two trees looks good color-wide and exposure-wise, but the grass in the immediate foreground seems a tiny bit overexposed and a little cool temperature-wise. I’d be keen to see the grass have a little bit more yellow in it.
Thank you for all of your constructive comments They are appreciated, as always.
@MitchPaine Thanks for the suggestions! I tweaked the color and brightness of the foreground grass using a Selective Color layer where I masked out most everything other than the FG grass.
With regard to the space on the right, there was a fence just off-camera that did not work with the scene, so I gots what I got. I thought about repositioning, but the light was changing and simply moving a view camera would have meant redoing adjustments and there was not time.
The oak woodland in the Sierra Foothills is very special. Entire hillsides were once thick with Valley Liveoak, but the ravages of development and creating grazing land have taken their toll, unfortunately.
This reminds me of an egg tempera painting done by Andrew Wyeth (Christina’s World perhaps!). Grass and trees are perfectly exposed with a killer sky. Repost is a touch better than the original version. A very impressive piece of work and have no nits for you…Jim
Late to the discussion, again, but what a nice, attracting, relaxing and beautiful scene! Peaceful and healing the soul. I love the not-too-saturated (subdued) colors as well. A very well deserved EP, congratulations!
The composition is strong. The textures are strong. Consider a monochrome/Black & White/Greyscale interpretation. Do the colors add anything? Are the emotions in the colors? Or, somewhere else? This is almost a kind of decision filter I use sometimes.
I’ve been meaning to circle back to this one. Preston, because it’s a treat. I love the composition, and agree that this really speaks to a lot of the beauty in the rolling hills in California. Excellent! The rework is even better.
Hi Preston! I joined just a few days ago, and I’ve come back to this image several times. It’s such a lovely, peaceful scene. The grasses and greens feel natural, and I really like the subtle warmth you added to the reworked version. I wonder, have you considered trying a monochrome version? I think the textures and tones would translate beautifully in black and white.
What drew me to make this photograph was the repeating shapes of the hills and the two trees. I was fortunate to have great light, nice textures in the grasses, and that wonderful sky.
I might attempt a B&W of this just for grins. If I do, I’ll create another thread.
Preston what a beautiful image. I think this image like the subject has an enduring quality to it. It is the kind of image that you could live with on your wall for a very long time without tiring of it. Congratulations.
