Morning Sunlight

[sleist]

From last weekend in NH.

Comments welcome as always.

 

[Bynx]

This one almost makes it. But because of the dark black areas it falls just short. Maybe had you shot it as an HDR it might have hit the mark.

 

[sleist]

I agree, in part. It's the tree on the right that kills it for me I think. I don't mind the dark overall.
In addition, I should have stopped it down much more. Wasn't thinking - just not a morning person ...

Thanks for the comment.

 

[FanBoy]

Backlighting is very tricky to properly expose. The center trees seem to be almost perfectly exposed for this type of photography. The deep shadows here make quite an impact.

 

[Jaemie]

I like what's going on in the center, the wonderful light rays and haze. The severely underexposed areas seem to overwhelm a bit. Is that a utility pole with wires in the area of the sun? Otherwise, I like the mood and wooded feel.

 

[sleist]

Thanks everyone for your comments. There was quite a bit of post processing involved here and I felt I needed some fresh eyes.
I have a few shots to work with so I may return with an update.

Thanks again!

 

[LaFoto]

Wouldn't just a bit of a crop solve the "problem"? And the dark part on the left is gone!?

 

[KenC]

I disagree with some about the dark areas. This is a contrasty scene that should have dark, even black areas. If you were there, you wouldn't expect to see much detail in the backlit trees, even though your eyes register a larger brightness range than digital or film. The dark areas make the rays of light seem brighter. If you did HDR to bring out a lot of detail in the trees it would just look fake.

 

[pgriz]

I don't think HDR is what is needed here. The subject matter is/are the sunrays, and secondarily , their lighting up of some parts of the forest. The dark areas have a place to establish the contrast. Where I would consider making changes, is in the cropping, as LaFoto already mentioned. In my mind, the right side can be at the dark tree at right in the foreground, the left just to the right of the bright space between the trees, on top at the level of the wires, and at the bottom at the level of the reddish leaves out of focus in the foreground. That crop would keep the center part, and the sun, but eliminate a lot of peripheral stuff that (in my opinion) does not contribute to our enjoyment of the sunrays.

 

[sleist]

I agree that some cropping is in order, but my attempts did not satisfy me when I tried a few options.
I tend to need to walk away from shots for awhile in order to regain a clear image in my mind.

As for HDR, I don't practice the technique despite enjoying the effect (even overcooked samples) when applied approprately.
I don't believe it would give me the effect I'm looking for with this image as a whole. I agree that it would flatten or dull the overal tone. I believe portions of the image could benefit from selective tone mapping or contrast enhancement - even some selective Active D-Lighting to portions. I have applied this to the image already, but was just not 100% satisfied with the result - this was why I posted it.

Thanks again and I will update the thread later.

 

[Bynx]

I strongly disagree with the remarks about HDR. If you had shot for it then you would have the files you need to really make this image stand out. HDR doesnt have to be overcooked, flat, dull, or fake -- thats up to the hand on the sliders. But you could have had some details that you could have put in the darker black areas so they werent so black. I think the idea is to show it like you saw it, and not the way it is now. If you learn to think HDR for every shot then you would walk away with all the information you would need to do whatever you wanted with that image. As it is you end up stuck with having very little.

 

[sleist]

I strongly disagree with the remarks about HDR.

I stated:

As for HDR, I don't practice the technique despite enjoying the effect (even overcooked samples) when applied approprately.

I made a point of NOT critisizing HDR. Sorry if that was lost on you.
I don't look negatively on the technique, I simply choose not to use it. I may change my mind later - I usually do.

I think the idea is to show it like you saw it, and not the way it is now

Don't assume how I see anything. Further, I don't necessarily think of photography as recreating what I see with my eyes as much as what I see with my mind. Anyway, I think we can both agree that, at this point, the suggestion of HDR is a tad too late for this set of images.

 

[rexbobcat]

I like the dark part. I think HDR is appropriate for some things, like if detail is very important or helps to tell a story. But with shots like this the difference in light values is what helps to make the photo. Darkness helps to guide the eye sometimes, and sometimes it's used to evoke mystery or contrast the range of contrast for artistic effect.

Is detail in the trees important to the "story" of this photo? No, not really. Is the sensation of an almost ethereal shaft of light important to the theme of this photograph? I think so.

I like the mystery as well as the kind of enchanted forest feel that the dark areas bring. That left area is a little bit cast in comparison to the rest of the photo, but I don't think HDR is the answer to that.

 

[Nette]

It's beautiful, maybe a little crop to be perfect!

 

[Bynx]

Its not just me that has mentioned the overly dark areas in the image. Im only suggesting that had you taken another couple shots with slightly longer shutter speeds you might have been able to put in just enough details in some of the dark areas so they arent something to dwell on. That little bit of detail that is lacking is the reason I said this image almost makes it.