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Photo posted by Harry Lichtman in the Landscape gallery on 04/30/17 at 1:21 pm EST
Registered on 09/17/10, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Post last edited by Donna Erhardt on 05/12/17 at 1:56 pm EST
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Comment posted by Lon Overacker on 04/30/17 at 2:09 pm EST
Registered on 11/24/06, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Resonates beautifully Harry! I like how you processed this. I don't think the blues in the background are too much, I think appropriate. The blurring works too and would have noticed had you not mentioned it.
Love the mix of spring colors here, and even the inclusion of the white trunks. I think this is balanced nicely.
If you're considering a top crop (to eliminate the leaves in the ULC?) I would consider an equip crop off the bottom. While this is of course a vertical image, I think getting closer to the 4x5 ratio gets more comfortable for me (still influenced by years with that format.) I also think there's yet another alternative crop - which is more severe, but I think cropping down just to the central, center elements and eliminating the spring green buds in the three corners might be an option. Just a thought.
Beautiful as presented.
Lon
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To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. -Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Comment posted by Mark Seaver on 04/30/17 at 4:43 pm EST
Registered on 01/23/11, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
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The glorious spring colors in the trees stacked on top of each other in this view look great, Harry. I'm thinking that the blue/cyan in the background and sides is too much, but that a personal opinion. I certainly encourage your experientation.
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Mark Seaver
Burtonsville, MD & Emigrant, MT
seaverphotos.com
Weekly Challenge Moderator
Macro/Close Up Moderator |
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Comment posted by Dan Kearl on 04/30/17 at 11:33 pm EST
Registered on 09/02/13, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments
This is one I might be tempted to blur a tad for an impressionist view.
Superb splashes of color...
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Comment posted by Gary Minish on 05/01/17 at 01:04 am EST
Registered on 02/04/06, 625 Posts, 3583 Comments
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This is a very artistic type scene (very much a painted look) and it works pretty well for me. On my computer it seems to have a pretty strong green caste (even the white tree bark on the background trees look green) but it fits the painted appearance so it's not a problem. Good eyes to see the potential of the scene and a good job of capturing and processing it, Harry.
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Gary Minish
Valdez, Alaska, USA |
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Comment posted by Peter Richter on 05/01/17 at 04:13 am EST
Registered on 11/10/10, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments
Harry, this image is one of my favorites from your gallery so far. I really enjoy the subtlety of the scene and you present it in a consistent way to my eye.
Cropping the yellow leaves at the top as well as the brown twigs at the bottom might be an option, although the composition works fine for me as is.
Peter
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Peter Richter
Vienna, Austria |
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Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on 05/01/17 at 07:09 am EST
Registered on 09/17/10, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Thanks for the suggestions. I have applied them to the repost:
1) Cropped off bottom and top
2) Reduced some of the greenish cast (moved the shadow color balance slider toward the magenta a little)
3) Added some surface blur to most of the image, except the main buds of the tree.
The bright greenish white areas of the near trees are lichen, so I left them as is. The darker greens on the trees deeper in the woods are lichen too, so I left them as is. Small versions it is difficult to make out the details in them. Oh well!
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Comment posted by Daniel Rappaport on 05/01/17 at 12:01 pm EST
Registered on 09/09/09, 294 Posts, 2006 Comments
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Beautiful balanced comforting scene. I thought for sure there was a redbud tree in there somewhere!
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Comment posted by Peter Richter on 05/01/17 at 12:05 pm EST
Registered on 11/10/10, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments
Harry, the crop works perfectly for me. I will not comment on the effect of the added blur, as I think it cannot be discerned sufficiently in the rather small web version. But finally you nailed it I think!
Peter
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Peter Richter
Vienna, Austria |
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Comment posted by Igor Doncov on 05/01/17 at 1:14 pm EST
Registered on 11/22/14, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
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Harry, the bright leaves in the llc and lrc are too strong. They're overpowering the image. I would either drop their luminosity or crop more off the bottom. The image is about the top/central area but feels bottom heavy. I do like the cropped version over the original one. Although I liked the bluishness of the original a bit more.
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"If you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person" - Jay Maisel. |
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Comment posted by Lon Overacker on 05/01/17 at 3:40 pm EST
Registered on 11/24/06, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Harry,
Love the crop. Thanks for taking the time to tweak. I think you've got it nailed.
Interesting element Igor brings up, and that would be the "top heavy" and "bottom heavy" concepts. I liken this to the left-right viewpoint and how images can be perceived differently depending on how things are arranged left to right, or right to left. Just like "balance" and odd/even things within an image.
To me, bottom heavy is more visually acceptable than top heavy. With bottom heavy, I think of pouring water in a glass - it all goes to the bottom, of course. Think of "Weebles wobble but they don't fall down" (sorry aging myself I'm guess many of you have no idea what I just said.) Weebles were designed to be bottom heavy so they won't tip over. On the flip side, too much "weight" up top in an image might make the viewer feel like the image is going to tip over or too much pressure is being put on the elements below.
Ok, that's getting a little in the weeds. What I'm trying to say is that while I agree this is bottom heavy, I think in this case it's an asset and not a liability. Most images benefit from a strong base.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
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To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. -Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on 05/01/17 at 4:05 pm EST
Registered on 09/17/10, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
Lon, I agree with the stronger base concept, similar when matting a print I guess. Â And if a tree is the subject, maybe even makes more sense to me as it helps supports the rest of the image. Rarely have I seen a top heavy image work, ends up feeling out of balance. Unfortunately, I'm old enough to recognize the Weebles reference.
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Comment posted by Igor Doncov on 05/01/17 at 9:46 pm EST
Registered on 11/22/14, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
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Well I have to defend my comments. It's not a question of top or bottom heavy. Aside from the yellow colors in the lower corners there is a very different sense in the upper 2/3rds than the lower part. The greens are more paler up above and not as rich. Even the blue trees are more defined lower down. The two areas are each good within their own area but to me they say different things and don't work together. If I crop off the image to just above the yellow leaves I don't get that tone gradient that's affecting the colors. Tone gradients look great in forests shot more wide angle where light is streaming from above but this is a different type of image, a tapestry of lines and colors, where I would argue light should be evenly distributed. I don't know. Perhaps if I look at this long enough I'll see it differently but that's how it strikes me now. At this time I find the upper section with the dappled colors across those blue ghost trees more interesting with what's below, which I feel gets away from the theme of this image as I perceive it.
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"If you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person" - Jay Maisel. |
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Comment posted by Mattia Oliviero on 05/02/17 at 03:09 am EST
Registered on 08/24/16, 43 Posts, 254 Comments
I love the mood of this image, Harry. Very nice colors and I like a lot the elegance of your composition.
Mattia
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Mattia Oliviero
Trento, Italy |
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Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on 05/02/17 at 06:33 am EST
Registered on 09/17/10, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
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Thanks Igor for your perspective. I do see what you are saying and the upper portion is definitely different than the lower area. When composing, I tired to have the yellow leaves at the bottom balance the image by including each side, and the lichen colored trees on each side of the maple in the center. I think cropping too much makes the image feel squat, and I prefer the longer lines that a minimally cropped version affords. It may have been difficult to have it all with this one I guess, but i do appreciate your insight to it.
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Comment posted by Harley Goldman on 05/03/17 at 10:18 am EST
Registered on 11/19/03, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
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Beautiful colors. I like the top crop in the repost, but for my money, I would leave the bottom as it was. For my eye, it give the image more depth and sense of the forest. Your 20 years of patience waiting for this scene paid off.
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"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."
- John Mason
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Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on 05/03/17 at 10:36 am EST
Registered on 09/17/10, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments
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Harley, Â you're too Lind. More like laziness! Always in a rush to get somewhere else.
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Comment posted by Eva McDermott on 05/04/17 at 01:07 am EST
Registered on 01/04/09, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
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I like this a lot Harry. Very painterly with an almost abstract feel about it.
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Comment posted by Sairam Sundaresan on 05/04/17 at 12:16 pm EST
Registered on 03/14/13, 100 Posts, 643 Comments
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I wanted to comment on this, but then saw that most of the comments below already covered what I wished to say and more! I love this image Harry. It's really unique!
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Sairam Sundaresan
Light Chaser and Day Dreamer |
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Website : http://www.sairamsundaresan.com/
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Comment posted by Bill Fach on 05/06/17 at 3:56 pm EST
Registered on 11/01/03, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments
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Harry: Well seen and rendered. I do prefer the crop but you have great raw material to work with. Superbly crafted image.>=))>
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Bill Fach
Soli Deo Gloria
www.sdgimages.com
Houston, Texas
Flora Gallery Moderator |
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Comment posted by Kathy Barnhart on 05/07/17 at 11:32 am EST
Registered on 11/11/11, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments
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I like the cropped image very much and don't find the bottom too heavy, nor the branches too yellow. Just right, as Goldilocks would say! Lots of interesting textures and colors here. It looks so much like a fall painting to this Californian. I love your story about passing it for 20 years and finally really getting it. A good reminder to us all!
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Comment posted by John Williams on 05/07/17 at 11:22 pm EST
Registered on 09/06/07, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments
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I'll provide a contrary vote and say I actually prefer the original. There's just so much beauty to get lost in.
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John Williams
www.tranquilviews.com
Battle Ground, WA |
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I often have wandered in deep contemplation, It seems that the mind runs wild when you're all alone. -John Denver
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