Poetry of Autumnal Woods, Part I

[Nacho]

Hi Folks:

Part I of a few more Autumn shots of woods here in Oregon. Your thoughts would be greatly appreciated:

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/meanwhile.jpg

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/healing.jpg

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/amber.jpg

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/sainterre.jpg

Not the usual treatment of Autumn colors, but my experiences in these woods were as close to this as my heart remembers. I can provide EXIF and processing info a bit later. I have to run to a meeting!

Thanks for looking,

Nacho

[Awais Yaqub]

These are so beautiful ! So poetic images

[leaforte]

They are all nice pictures, but I especially like the play of light, contrasted against the dark tree trunks, of #1. Thanks for sharing.

[Cuong]

Please do share your processing. These are gorgeous and nicely done.

Cuong

[Nacho]

Thanks for the kind words. I did enjoy taking these shots. The days were gorgeous, and the moments were just so full. Here are a few more, and an explanation of processing I used:

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/golden.jpg

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/reverie.jpg

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/greengold.jpg

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/woodland.jpg

Normally for post-processing, I would start exploring and fixing contrast, saturation, colors, and so forth. If I wanted a more "mystical" effect, I would go through adding a glow effect (various ways, and some tutorials online), and enhancing "local contrast," also known as tonal contrast (but I do that after the glow effects, then I reduce brightness, and continue tweaking until I got the effect I wanted. The end would see me adding saturation to selected areas, adding a vignette, and brightening particular parts of the image, etc. It was time consuming. The local/Tonal contrast enhancement I would do with the High Pass filter, and/or the USM filter.

Lately I've been playing with Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 and these images have been the beneficiaries of it. It has saved me time, but it still is not a quick thing. Nothing here is just push a button and be done. I don't like to just apply a filter as is, so I tweak as much as possible until I find what I want. For the glow in these images I've been manipulating the "Midnight" filter, or the Glamour Glow filter. I tweak contrast and brightness before going in, then apply the filter and tweak the dials until I see the effect I want. I then increase saturation in some images, or reduce it in others. After all those steps I apply the tonal contrast filter (although you can do this with the High Pass, or a combination of High Pass and USM), and often go back to soften with a bit more glow. It really depends on the image. What I look to do with images of dense forests and trees is create enough separation so that it creates the illusion of depth. Tonal contrast (whether with the filter or with the High Pass) is very helpful here.

Truth be told, the post-processing with Nik's Color Efex is fun, but it does take playing with the tools plenty. Every image is different, so each takes careful thinking and management. The first image for instance took me a long time to get as I wanted it. I just could not come up with my vision of that moment. Little by little it came about, but it took some heavy work. I'm certainly not always successful either "manually" or by using the Nik filters, but it is fun to play.

Thanks again for all the kind words,

N

[Jack'll do]

These awesome images certainly exemplify the expression "sylvan bower". :clap:clap

[Nacho]

Thank you all, and thank you Jack. Sylvan Bower indeed! I find the woods are a perfect humble abode, a dwelling space for inspiration for me. Thanks again.

Best,

N

[scole]

Really well done. I'm not normally a fan of processed images but I do enjoy these. I like Orchard Trees the best- love all the lines in the composition as well as the focused light source.

[singraham]

Exceptional images and post-processing. You really captured the feeling of the place and time.

[Eia]

Hey this is really good. I am trying this same affect and posted a few here (http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=111011)but I kept the original colors. However, I am trying it with some darker images too. In your first set, the first and last are my faves. Thanks for sharing your processing. I didn't get quite that involved. I also like your title!

[Shades of Hyperion]

Your post production work gives the scenes in your photos a very surreal feeling which is quite mesmerizing, very good work. I especially like the shot with the gate.

[Nacho]

Thanks folks! Eia, one of my fears is indeed over-processing, and I think I have done that to a few here.

I normally don't do lots of processing, but more recently I have been moving to explore an artistic vision and how it finds expression with work on forests, woodmoors, and trees. In that exploration I've been going to inducing softness, going "low-key-ish," and adding a bit of glow. In fact, with dense woods, or stands of trees with plenty of small thin branches or woodsy stuff behind and between, I've noticed that blurring or adding glow and softness to the foreground large trees allows me to create distance between them and the rest of the scene, enhancing a sense of depth and making the other stuff behind, that would otherwise get lost in a mess of detail, stand out (in short, blurring the front a bit makes the eyes travel easier behind that "layer"). What I've been trying most in that regard is softening and adding a bit of glow, and darkening, but also enhancing tonal contrast and relying on that contrast to hint at definition and evanescent detail. So far I like that effect.

Much of my effort at post-processing is stepping back from various brinks (overdone, over this, over that!). I try to be as mindful in processing as I try to be when witnessing the original scene. I'm glad these came out in a way that truly connected with my experience of the moment. In fact, I am glad I could turn that one of the road. On that one (and on the Orchard shot) I forgot that the camera was set to ISO 2000 (I had been exploring high ISO the previous night).

Eia, those are nice shots indeed. Thanks for pointing me to them. They show a nice light touch in PP, and speak to your artistic imagination very well. Thank you. Hyperion, nice shots in those galleries! Cool cool Fall colors on those roads! Definitely made me wish I was there! That transporting quality is something I definitely like.

Thanks again to all,

N

[Nacho]

Hi Folks:

Here's an addition:

http://www.willamette.edu/~ncordova/pix/goinghome.jpg

Thoughts greatly appreciated,

N

[dlplumer]

Fabulous photos and PP work. :lust :clap