Rotten tree stump

[Tangmu]

I was taking some early fall pictures by the lake and saw this rotten tree stump in the water. Does the picture make any sense to you?

Thanks for any comments.

 

[sleist]

If this is selective coloring, it seems to work OK here.
My biggest problem with this photo is the composition. Pulling back some to allow the whole trunk in the frame and providing more room at the top might have made for a better photo I think.

The trunk has a creepy feeling to it that I really like - almost like old bones.

 

[Tangmu]

If this is selective coloring, it seems to work OK here.
My biggest problem with this photo is the composition. Pulling back some to allow the whole trunk in the frame and providing more room at the top might have made for a better photo I think.

The trunk has a creepy feeling to it that I really like - almost like old bones.

Thanks and yes, it's selective coloring. Here's a different crop.

 

[rlemert]

To be honest, I'm kind of surprised to find that this used selective coloring. I've seen places that have looked a lot like this to the naked eye, so to me it looks very natural.

 

[Tangmu]

To be honest, I'm kind of surprised to find that this used selective coloring. I've seen places that have looked a lot like this to the naked eye, so to me it looks very natural.

Thanks, rlemert, selective coloring doesn't seem to be very popular here, but I like to play with it, sometimes the color jumps out and looks odd, but this one seems to be ok.

 

[sleist]

Here's my take:

I rotated the image slightly, cropped, added some slight vignetting, burned the background and the hot spots on the stump, desaturated the leaves, and lessened the yellow/sepia tinting.

 

[Tangmu]

Here's my take:

I rotated the image slightly, cropped, added some slight vignetting, burned the background and the hot spots on the stump, desaturated the leaves, and lessened the yellow/sepia tinting.

Very nice! How did you lessen the sepia?

 

[sleist]

I use NIK plugins and one of the constrast filters includes a slider for removing color cast, but there are many ways to do this depending on the software you use for PP.
Of course, the best solution is to not go overboard with the toning in the first place.

In the end, it come down to the taste of the photographer.
If your version was what you saw in you mind's eye when you composed the shot, then your version is the "correct" one.

Have fun!