I took my camera with me turkey hunting last night. I don't usually hunt the deep woods like this after May 1st due to the thick undergrowth and ticks. This year I am still chasing the elusive turkey so in the thick of it I went. It was a cloudy evening within an hour of sunset. These huge hedge trees, less commonly known as Osage Orange are hundreds of years old. The Kansas Land Management have begun cutting rings in these to create nesting habitat for game animals. This area has a very healthy turkey population so habitat is good, but it pains me to see something that has withstood the test of time destroyed by man. Critiques are very welcome.
very nice and moody shots.
I like the second one better.
the branch which is hanging over to the side adds some interest with the lines and moss. the lighting is nice and bright with a bit of shadow but not too strong.
the first one though I don't really like. to me, it looks like a snapshot. but that's Just my taste others might like it better.
I hope I could help.
Jeremy, Thank you for the comments. Although I don't know what the definition of snapshot is (I envision a child with Mickey Mouse ears standing in front of the Epcot ball with a balloon). Maybe you could expand on that for my improvement? Thanks for the critique!!
Hi, Brian When I said snapshot I meant a photo without much composition or something anyone could have taken. maybe that's a bit too strong but I think you get what I mean?
Also, I wonder what a portrait oriented picture of that forest would look like? because the branches look interesting. like tangled up in themselves.
actually, when I full screened the first image I liked It more than when it was small.
Both images appeal to me, Brian.The second has a more satisfying composition, but I like the moodier darker feeling in the first. I'd be inclined to crop the left edge of the first image to just include the paler vertical trunk just left of the large one. The interestingly textured bark on the big tree's trunk looks oddly bright, as if lit by some invisible torch.
Thanks Chris. Looking at the OOC image the light spot on the trunk is real, I just warmed it up too much.
I am flattered by your comments. I try and leave too many adjectives out of my descriptions. I don't want to persuade the viewer. When writing the description I had included that I was going for a moody feel, but deleted it for the reason stated. Thank you for the comments!
This is a little more true to life. Thanks for the observation.
Another thought about how to show off that bark texture a bit without being too obvious is to warm more of the image, Brian. Here I've warmed all of it (+20Y on my software) except for the foreground leaves, leaving that nice bluish skylight reflection on them. All very subjective - I'm not suggesting an improvement, really, just an alternative. You may prefer the cool tonings. Your image, not mine!