Red Oak leaves in B&W

These magnificent leaves are on the same tree I posted several days ago (in the snowstorm) and something about them caused me to try them in B&W, basically as an abstraction. I think it works but this is not my usual territory so I welcome all comments and responses.

Specific Feedback and Self-Critique

any and all

Technical Details

Sony6000, 1/2000, f/11, 60mm, ISO1250 with minor sharpening and cropping and conversion to B&W in LR

2 Likes

Hi John,

Great shot! I think the concept and shot works great as an abstraction. I love just working with repeating patterns or textures to create images. The patterns of these leaves are awesome. Just wanted to share a thought as I viewed your image for the first time…

One of the things I pay attention to when I’m doing stuff like this is what I call “tonal interruptions”…basically breaks in the pattern or tones that may draw the eye to them. If I have those in my shots, I assess whether they are helpful or not in an image. Of course its always a judgement call of the artist and their choice.

The first thing I noticed when I opened your image was the two darker areas in the upper part of the image. Those caught my eye directly as a “tonal interruption”…something different than the rest of the image. And, being dark, they carry a bit more visual weight. It is subtle, but noticeable to me. Now, the question is, are they helpful or not? I can’t answer that :-). The image works with them AND it would work if they weren’t there and it was just an abstract of similar pattern and tone. It’s really up to you.

I do think the image works wonderfully and is a keeper for sure! Keep up the great work.

1 Like

Nice abstraction. Works well in black and white. The first thing that jumped out at me was the two black areas in the upper part of the image. To my eye, they break up the overall pattern of the leaves. I think if it was cropped down to just below the lower black area, the patterns of the leaves would be more emphasized. Wonderful image, though.

Thank you @John_Pedersen and @Chris_Baird for your thoughts. I AGREE! And I have cropped this to 1:1 as another option, one that I think works much better than the original.