Six Trees

[Alskoj]

Shot this today with a Canon 400mm.  Some farmland near us.  Longs peak is in the background.  Had some beautiful skies today.

Farm-32617-1-2 by Joseph Alsko, on Flickr

[Jeremy Roussak]

I like that. Good composition. It would be interesting to see it with different skies.

Jeremy

[Paulo Bizarro]

Very good.

[sdwilsonsct]

Nice! I'll add the inevitable suggestion for black and white.

[RobMacKillop]

Very nice. I like it as is!

[Alskoj]

I like that. Good composition. It would be interesting to see it with different skies.

Jeremy

Thanks!  Here's a wider shot showing more of the sky.  I used a polarizer with this one to darken the blue.
I can revisit this since it's so close and get some different skies, weather, snow, etc.

[farbschlurf]

Very nice view, worth trying a lot of things! I like the horizontal line of the clouds behind the trees. It looks pretty dark here, but I think it's the way you wanted it?

[Alskoj]

Very nice view, worth trying a lot of things! I like the horizontal line of the clouds behind the trees. It looks pretty dark here, but I think it's the way you wanted it?

Thanks all!  Yes, I processed it a bit dark because the trees didn't need much detail as opposed to the clouds around Longs Peak.  I'm no processing expert, I just work it until I see what I like.  I would love to be a fly on the wall when some of the more experienced members here work an image.

[John R]

It think the last images are way too dark. I have learned to skip images like this when in the field unless I do bracketing (to use layer masks) or use a split neutral density filter. I am sure with a split-neutral density filter you could bring the light levels closer together and improve both the sky and landscapes areas. I just tried it at home by selecting the auto-fix button and the results are much better.  A more rounded three dimensional effect. Right now, although the composition is good, I see it as darkly flat.

JR

[Leszek Piotrowski]

The first to me says lots,... "standing together" staying strong!

[Alskoj]

It think the last images are way too dark. I have learned to skip images like this when in the field unless I do bracketing (to use layer masks) or use a split neutral density filter.

JR

Thanks for your opinion and suggestions. I really only submitted the second one to show someone a wider view of the sky.

[John R]

I wouldn't spend so much time on it if I didn't like the image. Would you mind if posted what I have in mind? Not really changing your image, just the contrast and light. I am thinking mostly of brightening and opening shadows and trying to separate the beautiful tree line from mountains and sky.

JR

[Alskoj]

I wouldn't spend so much time on it if I didn't like the image. Would you mind if posted what I have in mind? Not really changing your image, just the contrast and light. I am thinking mostly of brightening and opening shadows and trying to separate the beautiful tree line from mountains and sky.

JR

Sure, go for it.  Any image I post is open for reprocessing.  It would be nice if there was a place we could post the RAW images so that anyone could work on them.

[John R]

I use Elements. I selected dark areas and lifted the shadows.

JR

[farbschlurf]

It would be nice if there was a place we could post the RAW images so that anyone could work on them.

that would be nice indeed ...

[Rajan Parrikar]

I like John's reworked version.

[Alskoj]

I use Elements. I selected dark areas and lifted the shadows.

JR

Good job!  Thanks for your re-work on it.  I still have a lot to learn.

[Jeremy Roussak]

that would be nice indeed ...

Dropbox. Or some similar - and free - service.

Jeremy

[JNB_Rare]

A fine capture.

Sometimes when I see a very dark interpretation I wonder if it's deliberate (which it certainly CAN be), or if there's something else at play. Certainly, working with a monitor that's set overly bright can cause one to process darkly. The histogram can give one a clue as to whether this might be the case. Below are the histograms of the original post and John's reworked image with the shadows lifted and the overall brightness adjusted a bit. On my monitor, the original looks too dark and a bit "muddy" as a result. John's interpretation retains the mood but elevates some interesting detail in the shadows and, overall, looks more pleasing. Although I work with a calibrated monitor and fairly consistent ambient lighting conditions, I still pay attention to the histogram as I process. Just a thought.