Keeping Flora alive one leaf at a time. So as not to bore you too much, I have a slightly different variation on the theme. Cantilevering! I love how this oak leaf fell and stuck up and out of the powdery snow and holds this additional dusting. A little bit of shadow gives its positioning away.
Type of Critique Requested
Aesthetic: Feedback on the overall visual appeal of the image, including its color, lighting, cropping, and composition.
Technical: Feedback on the technical aspects of the image, such as exposure, color, focus and reproduction of colors and details, post-processing, and print quality.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Only slightly obsessed with these, but this one is a little bit different. I also did a more slightly playful editā¦but only slightly. Yes? No? Zzzzzz?
Technical Details
Tripod buried in snow at a strange angle
Lr for everything including wb adjustment, work to boost whites and exposure for a very high-key look, lowered blacks, increased texture & vibrance. HSL panel to play with luminance and saturation to tease apart colors in the snow and in the leaf. Sharpening and a bit of a crop. Used a few masks to enhance 3D spatial floating effect. Spot/heal tool to remove bits from the snowās surface.
Nice one, Kris. Love that the leaf is standing up likely saying āIām not going to be buried in this snow!ā The textured snow on top of the leaf really adds to this composition. The color is bright and realistic. I also like that ever so slight shadow. Nicely seen.
Thanks @Donna_Callais - leaves in snow are my catnip - they never fail to catch my attention, but this one is a bit special. Glad it looks decent. The sun was kind of breaking through thin clouds and so it was pretty bright, but evenly lit.
Not boring at all, Kris. Just reading your antics is fun stuff for me! I sort of understood some of the techniques you used in post processing. . .It is a beautifully unique image, IMHO. When I zoom in real close it has a wonderful abstract feel. Truly nicely seen.
This is beautiful Kris. Iām glad you keep shooting these because I never tire of looking at them. What makes this one special, apart from the dusting of snow on the leaf is the leafās jagged edges and the very subtle shadow underneath it.
I think that the placement of the leaf in the frame is perfect and feels quite dynamic. Absolutely no nits for me. Also, the way the leaf is positioned and angled to me tells a story of āthat even if something trying is to bury you, or overwhelm you, you donāt give up and you keep your head above the water.ā Or something like thatā¦ I kind of like looking for metaphors or symbolism in thingsā¦
(edit) I just noticed that @Donna_Callais kind of said the same thing.
This is fantastic, Kris. I love the angled upwards leaf. The snow is nicely toned to show the sunās impact. Now, you know I have a wonderful time with colors. It looks like the snow on the leaf is slightly cooler in tone than the snow on the ground. Maybe thatās the leaf color coming through?
Thanks @linda_mellor, @Tom_Nevesely & @David_Bostock - sorry for the tardy reply. Iām in Two Harbors, Minnesota on a workshop. No doubt you will see more single leaves from me so Iām glad Iām not alone in my affection for them. I have a couple of other compositions with this leaf, but thought the angles worked best here. Plus I used the Transform panel on this one to broaden the leaf very slightly. It gave it just a bit more presence.
I like a lot your series of leaves in snow, to me they are minimalistic images. This one is really good due to the cantilever pose. Great colors. You also have a very good balance between structure in the snow and flat white surfaces. Nothing to improve here aesthetically or technically.
Thanks so much, @Ola_Jovall - I appreciate it. As you know, snow can be tricky and Iām glad it looks realistic to you, but yet a little expressive, too.
Kristen: Your snow images are almost making me wish that I lived in a colder place. Well, on second thought , maybe not but at least I get to enjoy your efforts. I never get tired of them and do envy you the opportunities. Another beautiful result. >=))>
Thanks @Bill_Fach & @Mark_Muller - a lot of the snow is melted now, but we could get more which means Iāll be right back out there! A wimpy winter for sure.
Wow, great find and capture. That subtle shadow really does make the photo and thereās just enough snow to let the leaf below shine through. Nice work!
It looks like the snow on the leaf is slightly cooler in tone than the snow on the ground. Maybe thatās the leaf color coming through?