Critique In the autumn forest just behind our house

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ntz

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Hello,

I am struggling pretty much with finding compositions in the woods .. Give me please feedback if possible. This photo was intended to be just calm vista from local forest with nice warm light that happens in late afternoon when the sun is going low ..



Also I've used here a black frame which I normally don't use as well .. Wondering if you think that's OK or if it would be better with my (default) white frame which is normally invisible here ..

I am learning ..

Thank you very much in advance for your feedback ..

cheers, ~dan
 
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I think most people struggle to find compositions in woodland.
 
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One question with so many trees is do you include the base of a tree and if so which one? I do like the picture but maybe everything needs to move up a bit to just below the base of the tree slightly to the left of the entre and this would move the light line in the centre of the frame downwards? I suppose another option could be to go for a portrait orientation shot?

But please feel free to ignore everything I've said as these are just personal suggestions and I do like it just as it is :D
 
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A key part of successful photography is often to have a subject or tell a story. With woodland it's hard to find a single subject, so a story can be told by talking the viewer's eye through the scene or by showing an aspect of the scene that produces thoughts.

Looking at this on Flickr the largest tree is nearly a subject, but there's too much fiddly stuff around and not enough isolation of that to make it stand out. Lighting is not unpleasant, but not winning either.

I quite like isolation, where possible:
Trees 3 by Anton Ertl, on Flickr

Silver beech by Anton Ertl, on Flickr

Or arrangements that suggest passageways:
Safe passage? by Anton Ertl, on Flickr

Shears copse-6781 by Toni Ertl, on Flickr

In your case I'd get out into the woodland and look for shapes, pattern, individual trees that are striking. Be prepared to clear some of the junk from a scene - I've seen it suggested the most useful tool for this kind of work is a chain saw. Also wait for great light if you can, because that makes all the difference.

Hope that's useful
 
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Do you like woodland images? I only ask because I spent 3 years and a fair amount of money trying to do woodland photography (and mostly failing) until I realised I wasn't a big fan of woodland images anyway (even by those who are good at it) and was just trying because it seems to be a fashionable genre right now. I think mist/fog and tidy forest floors are a necessity for a decent image and then you have to find a composition too, long odds !! I gave up and enjoy my photography more now for doing so.
 
Worth saying that woodland photography is challenging to do really well - there's only a few here that make great woodland images.
 
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Almost central in the image, in the distance, is an arch formed by two trunks and a branch, and it is drawing my eye every time I look at it. I played around with your image and cropped it quite a lot to a square format with that arch on the lower right third intersection of a grid, if you get me, and I liked that. But equally a portrait orientation might work as Alan said above, keeping that arch as the focal poiunt? I'd say there was quite a lot to work with there but you need to keep looking at it and playing with crop and compopsition to find the place that draws your eye and wonders what is beyond...at least that is my approach and reaction to your image. I hope it helps.
 
I like it BUT (always a but!) I would have a look at cropping the dark right out of it, leaving the brighter stuff on the left. Pretty much as @lindsay suggested.
 
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