Still hanging in there but leaving soon! I'm trying to convey a sense of the onset of winter, loneliness and vulnerability. I can feel it but I'm not sure my photo shows it! Perhaps...

Malky Loc: Originally UK, now Kansas City

I'm trying to convey a sense of the onset of winter, loneliness and vulnerability. I can feel it but I'm not sure my photo shows it! Perhaps the day was too bright to be doleful?

My work here is done.

Heirloom Tomato Loc: Oregon

Malky wrote:

I'm trying to convey a sense of the onset of winter, loneliness and vulnerability. I can feel it but I'm not sure my photo shows it! Perhaps the day was too bright to be doleful?

I really like this image, but the color is too cheerful to convey the mood you are aiming for. You might be able to quickly change this to the right mood by altering the color of the photo. Different things you could try would be b&w, sepia tone, changing and/or de-saturating the bright color. It would be fun to experiment.

Malky Loc: Originally UK, now Kansas City

Thanks HT. I think you're right. It's the colour that spoils the mood. Some experimentation is called for - maybe sepia will do it. Thanks again.

Heirloom Tomato wrote:

I really like this image, but the color is too cheerful to convey the mood you are aiming for. You might be able to quickly change this to the right mood by altering the color of the photo. Different things you could try would be b&w, sepia tone, changing and/or de-saturating the bright color. It would be fun to experiment.

Heirloom Tomato Loc: Oregon

Malky wrote:

Thanks HT. I think you're right. It's the colour that spoils the mood. Some experimentation is called for - maybe sepia will do it. Thanks again.

I'd love to see what you do with it, please post again!

Chuck_893 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Malky wrote:

I'm trying to convey a sense of the onset of winter, loneliness and vulnerability. I can feel it but I'm not sure my photo shows it! Perhaps the day was too bright to be doleful?

It may be that the picture as presented fails to convey what you intended, but it's nevertheless a terrific picture. There has been quite a lot of discussion elsewhere of "negative space," and I think this qualifies. I would therefore be inclined to remove the high-lit branches and leave just the leaf floating in inky black. That probably still won't tell the intended story, but it will still be a terrific shot. (I incidentally don't believe that every picture needs to tell a story. It is like music: there is "program" music intended to tell a storyfor example Pictures at an Exhibition, as opposed to "absolute" musicthink for example Brahms' First. There are many, many wonderful pictures that are "absolute." There is no story; it just is.)

Nightski

Chuck_893 wrote:

It may be that the picture as presented fails to c... (show quote)

Chuck, I agree with you here except one thing. That little tiny branch that is lit in the lower right? Keep it. I think it would be fine for a negative space. There is a relationship between the leaf and that little branch and they relate to the negative space. Remember michael, in my thread, suggesting that if I had a small child beside me in the wheat(barley). ?

Malky Loc: Originally UK, now Kansas City

Thanks for your insight Chuck. There's something in what you say. I now believe that it was the total environment that inspired my sensibility but the selection of an image of a single leaf to carry the message failed. I'll enjoy experimenting with your suggestions. I like your musical metaphor but surely something inspired Brahams?

Chuck_893 wrote:

It may be that the picture as presented fails to c... (show quote)

Chuck_893 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Malky wrote:

Thanks for your insight Chuck. There's something in what you say. I now believe that it was the total environment that inspired my sensibility but the selection of an image of a single leaf to carry the message failed. I'll enjoy experimenting with your suggestions. I like your musical metaphor but surely something inspired Brahams?

There are myriad opinions as to what might have inspired the "Great" composers, the Giants of the 19th into the 20th centuries. I think it was, at least in the case of Brahms' incomparable First Symphony, raw emotion. That's what listening to it does to me, anyway. I cry. I dissolve, actually. But I don't "see" anything other than rich colors and textures, much like looking at the orchestra itself with the bright brasses and the deep delicious wood tones of the basses. So it is in some photography, and any other visual art: colors and textures that do not necessarily tell a recognizable story, but rather evoke an emotion. You were trying to evoke an emotion with this picture. You think you missed the mark because you had a specific story (program) in mind, but the picture still works, because I have begun applying what I am calling "Graham's Rule;" if I linger over it, it's good. :thumbup:

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

I love backlighting and I particularly like backlighting on autumn leaves. It's a very lovely image, the composition seems perfect - and I also really like the little "extra" twig :)

MIKE GALLAGHER Loc: New Zealand

Simply reduced the Exposure on the leaf. Nothing else. (Cs5.)
Image > Adjustments > Exposure. Turned the exposure down. But the more I see your original the more I like it. But I think you'll agree that it absolutely needed the black border I added!
Mike.

Edit

JC56 Loc: Lake St.Louis mo.

Beautiful photo......but i would crop out the crap on the right....it distracts from the photo.

windshoppe Loc: Arizona

Love the color intensity. I find myself wondering if the twig connected to the leaf is also connected to the fragment at the bottom right of the image, thus my attention is drawn away from the main subject.

Malky Loc: Originally UK, now Kansas City

Thanks Mike! You're right - the black border is the magic ingredient. How I wish I'd thought of that.

MIKE GALLAGHER wrote:

Simply reduced the Exposure on the leaf. Nothing else. (Cs5.)
Image > Adjustments > Exposure. Turned the exposure down. But the more I see your original the more I like it. But I think you'll agree that it absolutely needed the black border I added!
Mike.

Nightski

MIKE GALLAGHER wrote:

Simply reduced the Exposure on the leaf. Nothing else. (Cs5.)
Image > Adjustments > Exposure. Turned the exposure down. But the more I see your original the more I like it. But I think you'll agree that it absolutely needed the black border I added!
Mike.

Such a subtle change can make quite a difference.

Malky Loc: Originally UK, now Kansas City

Thanks for your comment windshoppe. I thought that the bottom right twig helped balance the composition and I hadn't thought of its distracting potential, but you have a point.

windshoppe wrote:

Love the color intensity. I find myself wondering if the twig connected to the leaf is also connected to the fragment at the bottom right of the image, thus my attention is drawn away from the main subject.