Shadows of the Bamboo Forest

[The_Pearl_Poet]

Comments and critiques are appreciated.

 

[Rick58]

Sorry. It's not working for me

 

[timor]

Sorry, but I am with Rick. TBH with you the picture is a mess, a cacophony of specks of highlights and shadows. When you look on such a scene in nature looks good, but on the b&w picture not always. Maybe in color it would make more sens.

 

[pgriz]

When looking at this scene, you need to see what is/are the dominant element(s). These appear to be the many horizontal shadow lines. So the method to highlight them would be either to reinforce their regularity, or to provide a contrast. What breaks the regularity are the two fronds center left, and the rather bright stalk of bamboo running across the horizontal center of the image.
A contrast to the horizontal shadows, could have been the vertical stalks which we see in the upper part of the picture, but the way you have framed the image, we don’t get much sense of contrast.

Another effective technique is to put lines on a diagonal, at an angle that signals that you really mean it. In the current image, the horizontal lines are on a weak diagonal, and this creates some doubt in the viewer’s mind as to whether this was an accidental choice or deliberate.

Your choice of using monochrome is a good method for reinforcing pattern and texture, but in this case, the texture of the forest floor overwhelms the pattern of the shadows, and is not interesting enough in its own right. This leads to the image looking cluttered.

 

[The_Pearl_Poet]

Everyone, thank you for the comments.

 

[manaheim]

I actually think it's pretty cool conceptually. I get "the forest, gone... dead... wiped out.. darkness"

The execution seems a LITTLE off, but I get where you're going (or I think I do) and I like it.

 

[Mike_E]

I kind of like it. The white background on this site is awful for trying to display anything even slightly dark.

The shadow detail needs boosting imo, just a quick bit in PS..

 

[tirediron]

I get the idea, but not the execution; I think this needs to be in colour to get the message across.

 

[katastrophe_katy]

It's too dark for my taste and I think it would be better if you captured more of the bamboo in portrait instead of landscape.

 

[TATTRAT]

It just makes me think, That poor bamboo. . . it's sad, like a trampled trail. Very dark.