Grandfather Oak

On a flat light, overcast winter’s day this regal, mossy oak stood out against the delicate lichens and light-colored leaves covering the slope behind it.

Specific Feedback Requested

Any critique welcome. Does the LLC look odd? I cloned off the end of that branch as it was going right out the corner and didn’t look right.

Technical Details

Is this a composite: No
a73r, 85mm, 1/80s, ISO 200

@bonnie_lampley
9 Likes

Hi Bonnie! I really like how the moss on the tree makes all the curves of the branches and trunk stand out against the lighter colors around it. I personally didn’t notice the llc until I read what you wrote. I think maybe for me anyway there’s so much else going on in this image that my eyes weren’t drawn to any faults. Beautifully captured!

Great image, Bonnie. I really like the contrast in values between the lichen covered tips and the moss covered branches. I am not bothered by the cloning. Good composition too.

I wonder if the background could be darkened or lighted or the lichen elevated in luminosity to contrast more with one another. I’ve got an image like this with which I’ve got a similar problem and haven’t solved it yet, so I’m interested to see if you agree and how you might solve it.

What a magnificent looking tree and image. The combination of lace with the glow of the moss works so well here. A lot of my images have stubs due to cropping. Hardly anyone knows the difference. So it is with this image.

What a majestic tree with its royal cloak. Lovely light and composition Bonnie.

What a grand old tree and a beautiful image. LLC does not bother me in the slightest. The image is beautiful.

Beautiful image, Bonnie. The textures are outstanding as is the subtle colour palette (particularly that gorgeous blush peeping through the frosty greens). The tree itself - trunk and branches - holds this image together. I love the fractal geometry of it - balanced but completely lacking in symmetry.

Thank you, @Vanessa_Hill, @Matt_Lancaster, @Igor_Doncov, @Eva_McDermott, @Harley_Goldman, and @Kerry_Gordon for your comments. Glad the LLC isn’t too odd looking.

Matt, in thinking about your suggestion, I lightened the lichen and background leaves, and it does make this have a more hopeful air (although that is not exactly what you were suggesting). For this scene, I wasn’t concerned if the lichens were roughly similar in luminance to the background, as the color was enough to distinguish them (at least for me). What caught my eye was the darkness of the gnarled oak branches against all the lighter elements.

1 Like

Bonnie,
I’m late, but I had to stop by and say this is very painterly and reminds me of something in a illustrated fantasy novel. Just wonderful creativity and vision! No the LLC is not an issue for me, no nits at all.

1 Like

Another great oak and moss shot from you Bonnie. It is amazing to me how that moss looks so much like snow or ice. I also like the repetition of shapes with the second tree in the LRC.

Like Kerry, I enjoy finding fractal patterns in nature, and this is a good one. The pattern is both controlled and uncontrolled at the same time.

@Matt_Lancaster I’ll direct this next comment to your situation with another image since Bonnie is happy with the luminosity of her image as presented (and I think it works just fine as presented too). In terms of darkening the background, I thought this was an application for luminosity masks. But I had a hard time finding a tonal selection that darkened just the background without bleeding too much into the moss or tree trunks. So instead I used a curves layer to darken the entire image. Then placed a white mask on the curves layer. And used a lights selection to easily target the moss, and painted black on the mask to undo the darkening. I also used a darks mask to target the tree trunks and painted black. This essentially left the darkening only in the background. Here is a rework to illustrate how it might apply to your image Matt. In the case of Bonnies image, I actually don’t like this rework, because I think it reduces some of its abstract qualities.

Thanks, @Alan_Kreyger and @Ed_McGuirk. Ed, I agree that masking for those background leaves takes a lot of effort. I did it with a combination of color and luminosity masks, but still had to mask out the main trunks. I also agree that darkening the background doesn’t work (at least for the mood I was going for, a bit lighter). Here’s the lighter version, just for comparison. I think I like this one better, so thanks @Matt_Lancaster for making me think about that.

2 Likes

The original was better in my opinion. The rich glow of the moss is now gone and that was one of the most appealing aspects of the image.

2 Likes

What a difference among your original, @Ed_McGuirk’s, rework, and your rework above! After seeing it all, I think I’m with @Igor_Doncov - I prefer the original for its brightness and contrast, which makes me question my original critique. But if the rework brought you to a new level of satisfaction, that’s a positive outcome.

1 Like