Image Description
This location is in the eastern section of the Columbia River Gorge on the Oregon side. I spent some time searching for a comp with the lupines and balsam root in the foregrond with this stately oak tree in the background. The weather was changing quickly and the primary destination on this hike was at the top of the hill in the background, so I was working fast. This is a focus and exposure blend (three frames).
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Looking at the comp, the trunk of the tree is dead center, but the branches go all the way to the left of the frame, which I don’t like. The foreground is more balanced but I could improve on it as well. I don’t like the leaves coming into the frame in the LLC, but trying to remove them did not work. Also, I tried to lighten up the tree a bit, so that it wasn’t completely black, but I could work on that a little more. Also, in hindsight I should have shot this at f/16 instead of f/22 to use a lower iso and improve sharpness.
Technical Details
Nikon Z7ii, Nikkor Z 14-24mm, f/22, 1/100, 1/100 and 1/250, ISO 800. Processed in ACR and PS. I applied a little bit of an Orton effect.
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I like this capture a lot. Not sure anything needs changing. Reminds me of how it’s looking around here right now (Sierras). A wall hanger IMHO
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Patrick, this is a fine look at these blooms, set off well by the interestingly shaped tree. I like how the tree is unbalanced, even as the trunk is nearly centered. It feels like it’s pointing to the sky, coordinating with the slope of the ridge. The greens seem slightly oversaturated for my taste, but it’s a thoroughly enjoyable look at spring.
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Hi Patrick,
wow, that really looks like spring. I love the flowers in the foreground and the beautifully shaped tree.
You’ve already listed the only things that bother me a bit.
I don’t know how creative you want to get with your editing. But I took the liberty to download your image and messed around a little bit:
- I removed the leaves coming into the frame in the LLC. I ended up using a horizontally flipped copy of the LLR and masked it into the LLC.
- I used warping and content-aware fill to add a little bit of room on the left side and at the top of the tree.
I sometimes use techniques like this to tidy up the edges of the image. Often I already noticed the distractions in the field. But moving the camera sometimes does not do the trick. And I never pull out plants just to make my picture more beautiful.
Again, this is a really beautifull picture. Well done!
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@Jens_Ober, thank you for those editing suggestions! Much better! I will try these on the large version of this image.
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You are welcome. Tell me if you have any questions.
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