The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
For anyone who’s followed my photography for the last decade or so, this is a familiar sight - Indian Pipe - my favorite wildflower. While I haven’t seen any blooming in WI yet, I saw tons at a nature preserve in NH. While marveling at a large vernal pool at Oaklands Town Forest, I spied these blushing beauties and went right over while they were spotlit by a bit of sunlight. Actually, Indian Pipe was blooming all over in this nature preserve. Glad I got to walk it at the perfect time.
Handling direct sunlight on the forest floor is one of the biggest challenges for me and maybe most woodlands photographers. Over the years I think I’ve figured out a few things in the field and in post to better convey the way it reveals and conceals at the same time. For a few moments it lit these up so perfectly. And yes, they really are that pink. Not all Indian Pipe is and I think it has something to do with the quantity and type of fungi that they depend on for nutrients since they make no chlorophyll and so can’t manufacture sugar themselves. In return for the sugar the fungi gives them through their root systems, the plant returns carbohydrates. It’s a beautiful example of fungi symbiosis and is one of many myco-heterotroph relationships in nature.
Specific Feedback
So I say I know how to handle this light, but did I? The highlights were especially concerning to me - they are bright and they should be since the plant is very white, but I didn’t want them to be overwhelming.
Technical Details
Handheld
Lr for initial work on the raw file to smooth luminosity and manage colors. Ran a denoise AI action, but didn’t add any more sharpening. Ps to do some distraction removal that I didn’t think I could pull off, but damn, that new Remove tool is magic. Also added a Gaussian blur layer and painted it onto the background in just a few areas. Cropped to eliminate a bright patch on the left that was too intrusive. Freehand vignette action in TK8 panel (anxiously awaiting the TK9!!)
Kris, to get right to your question, I think you handled the light really well. I really like how the eye gently flows from the dark forest floor to the bright tips of the Indian Pipes. To me, that is like a burst of life being captured as it emerges from the dirt. The color transition is superb, especially with the complementary colors providing the backdrop for the Indian Pipe. Gorgeous capture!
The brightest lights look great to me. What an interesting plant. Since you’re cloning out distractions, I might go for that straight dark twig in the LLC. That’s a nit-pick, though.
Thanks @Egídio & @Bonnie_Lampley - glad I wasn’t talking through my hat there. Indian Pipe can be especially challenging when not in full shade. Walked in a nearby wood yesterday and saw just a few coming up so maybe soon.
The remove tool is addicting and once you realize how much can disappear and still look good, it’s hard to know when to stop. I was afraid removing more would distance it from the forest floor too much, but maybe that one stick can go.
A super shot, Kris and I can see why you like this plant. One more tiny change I’d make is to darken the green patch to the S-W of the left-most bloom. But, as said, you handled the light with aplomb!
It’s one of those things to use cautiously. Just because we can, it doesn’t mean we should. I have to be very careful not to alter the scene too much. The same goes with the beta Generative Fill and Expand in PS. It’s amazing what they can do.
Thanks @Mike_Friel & @Tom_Nevesely - I’ve made some tweaks as per ideas and put an updated version in the OP. Glad you like the title. It’s hard coming up with them after this long.
Yeah @Egídio - it can be taken too far that’s for sure. I try to strike a balance between keeping things natural and making things more ideal.
Wonderful capture of an amazing subject!! The light looks perfectly natural, and I appreciate how difficult the light can be for subjects like this.
I’ve always had good results with the Spot Removal tool, used like a brush for something like a stick. It may need a little cloning afterwards (and some isolation with careful cloning before, to avoid end smudging) but can be amazing. I haven’t tried the new stuff yet. Great title, too – I could never come up with ideas like that.
Kris, this is an amazingly dense collection of Indian Pipe. The plant is clearly very well fed. I’m surprised by how pink they are. I like the mottled background, it speaks well to their habitat with its dappled light.
Thanks @Diane_Miller & @Mark_Seaver - forest floor stuff is always a draw for me, but it is so hard to convey effectively sometimes. This arrangement did a lot of the work for me and yeah, I think it gets plenty of food from its partner fungus. Pretty much all of this species in this preserve looked very lush although not all was this pink.
