Wonderland is one of my favorite places to visit in October while in Acadia NP, ME. The reds from the lowbush blueberries and the greens from the evergreens are almost a sensory overload of color. I could spend hours there as the area is amazing and is aptly named just for the range of it’s bio-diversity. We arrived a little later in the evening so this exposure required 20 seconds. Fortunately the wind was non existent.
As always I appreciate those taking a moment to leave a thought.
Specific Feedback Requested
All C&C welcome.
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Nikon D800, Nikon 17-35 @ 35mm, f 18 @ 20 sec, ISO 400, cable release and tripod
I think this is a very successful image. The greens are managed well without oversaturation. The reds are very very strong and to balance the image a bit more, I’d be tempted to use a color-based mask and use color selection tool to add some cyan or green to offset the intensity of the reds and magentas just a bit. Living in the appalachian range, I am familiar with the intensity of reds/magentas in blueberry bushes and believe you have rendered them accurately. So color accuracy is not the issue, but just trying to create a little less imbalance of color power in the scene.
I also like the dark shadow “arch” toward the base of the image as it helps to offset the otherwise narrow dynamic range in the scene. I might just dodge it slightly to bring up the darkest shadows just a touch.
Regardless, please take my comments with a grain of salt as they represent my artistic eye, not yours!!! Technically and compositionally, the shot is a hit!
I like the contrast of the reds and greens, Ed. The flow of the image works very well. My eye i stopped by one bright seed head just at the top of the red zone and about 1/3 of the way in from the right edge.
This might be blasphemy, but I would be inclined to crop the bottom to above the bright red leaves. My favorite part of the image is the bare tree and the surrounding color serves to frame it. The foreground leaves tend to stop my attention and keep me from getting back to the tree and fights with it once I get there, if that makes sense. Real nice scene, though.
Ed, there are a lot of things to enjoy in this photo. The red blueberry leaves stand out dramatically among the various greens. I also like that dead tree in the center. I can see a number of possible alternatives, including a vertical. Given that this is what you’ve got on hand, I’d be tempted to try a bit of mid-tone dodging in different areas to help the viewer’s eyes roam the entire frame, especially that center snag.
Many thanks to @Jim_McGovern, @Dennis_Plank, @Harley_Goldman and @Mark_Seaver for taking a moment to leave a thought as it is always appreciated. @Jim_McGovern: Funny that you mentioned the reds being to intense as I had already reduced them by 15 points. Nikons are notorious for blowing out the reds so I usually try to base my exposure on the red histogram. I will try reducing them a little more. @Dennis_Plank: I think I see what you are referring to so I cloned it out in the rework. @Harley_Goldman: Here is a horizontal version I composed a couple of frames before shooting the vertical. Hopefully that addresses what you are suggesting. @Mark_Seaver: I dodged some of the midtones as you suggested.
Nikons are notorious for blowing out the reds so I usually try to base my exposure on the red histogram. I will try reducing them a little more.