Fairytale forest

A beautiful photograph!  I love the fog and the way the trees just disappear into it.  The way that the yellow leaves on the ground mirror the yellow branches is perfect.  I especially like the way that the two yellow branches appear to be just floating in mid-air.

This is a classic colour landscape image done very well. It is professional in approach and style. That is, simple, clean, nice light, not pushed too far in post, pleasing subject, and well exposed. So, I would say it's a good image and I would be happy if I had made it.

This image started me thinking about what would have gone through my mind in this place 10 years ago and what I would be thinking/feeling/seeing now. 10 years ago, this is probably the image I would have made here. Now, the rule of thirds approach might strike me as perhaps too obvious and the inclusion of the branch with yellow leaves might seem too documentary. Now I might try a less predictable approach by looking for a way to avoid the rule of thirds placement of the branch and to extract a bit more mystery and meaning from this place. There is the sense that there is something deeper here. If anything, the mystery and meaning for me are in the tree trunks on the right. Perhaps an abstract composition with just the play of light on the tree trunks might be more interesting to me. That's not a criticism at all, it's just what I thought of when viewing this image.

The title is a shame for me. Rarely do titles elevate images in my opinion. In this case the title makes the whole presentation just that bit more predictable and perhaps even trite to me.

In any case, a very well done image which is only lacking for me in originality of approach and depth/meaning. Best, JJ

I'm enjoying the supressed look due to the fog that also creates a quiet view. Maybe it's me, but the leaves just seem to be stuck onto the picture with no connection to the trees. Must be an illusion. Alan.

The compositional balance in the photograph is well created and quite successful. On the other hand, and it may be the rendition of my monitor, as the colours may well be natural looking on other screens, I do not get the impression of a natural tonality, in particular in the mist about the more distant trees at the left of the image (slight magenta cast?) and the quite different lighting and colour balance on the leaves of the foreground tree. Of course, the leaves, which somehow seem strangely divorced of the tree (we don't see the sprouting branches), are quite close and subject to less, or no, fog effect, which may well provide that different reflected light. The part of the photograph that starts to appeal a bit more to me is to that to the the right of the leaves, where the effect of fog and the leave-less trunks combine to create a feeling that is to me more enigmatic and communicative than the simple and more in your face composition of the colourful leaves in a classical composition, and, as has been mentioned, the somewhat unfortunate title.

I like this picture. It's a has an interesting, misty mood to it and the simple color palette ties it all together very nicely. The golden leaves on the left are crisp enough to be a strong center of interest. There is a sense of hushed silence to the scene that I like.

That said, I think the composition could be better. It feels too right half/left half to me. I want to move the frame, just a bit, to the left. I feel like I could just crop out the right side and make the left side a good vertical or square picture on it's own. I kind of get the "fairy tale" title but, honestly, this scene isn't that otherworldly.

Those are small nit pics to an otherwise pleasant image.

First of all, kudos to you, Daniel, for having your photo selected as POW. I like this photo very much for its naturalness, its beautiful subtle lighting and the ethereal feeling that it evokes. I like the left-to-right direction of the shading as it moves my eye across its width. And I like the vertical lines formed by the trees that never seem to end. I'm not sure I like the branches cutting horizontally across the trees and I'm still thinking about them. On one hand I like them because they break up what could be monotony. But, on the other hand, they are breaking up a certain pattern that just catches my eyes in rhythm and stops me when I don't want to be stopped gazing at this very peaceful landscape.

I think Arthur makes a good point regarding the color balance. There is a reddish cast to the left and some pink tinge on the right. It isn't impossible to have a warm situation in a scene like this and certainly, the image could also have been presented in more cool tones. We can infer from what we see that there might be a yellow canopy that could/would influence color balance as well.

My sense though is that there probably is a bit too much red in this image, regardless of interpretation--cool or warm. It is a bit more of an issue on the left, in the trees. I think this could be addressed in different ways, depending on if one wanted to affect the image overall or more selectively. In fact, I expect it would take a few different adjustments to fix this issue and keep the image with a similar overall feel.

(I mentioned "red" not "magenta" as Arthur suggested because 1) that is what I see as most of the issue and 2) because eliminating magenta would increase the yellow as well and that is already pretty intense in this image.)

This quote from one well-known photographer, which represents perhaps an extreme viewpoint, is not related directly to anything said above, but when venturing to analyze our own work or to offer a critique of the work of another photographer I often feel that a good part of it rings true.

We certainly need to have reflections on our own work or approach and to make constructive comments on that of others, as it is part of the learning process and a communication with others, but sometimes the photograph should perhaps be the only voice of the photographer and the mind of the viewer the only witness to that visual communication.

I acknowledge that this quote of Doisneau should probably be more a part of the philosophy forum than the POW.

John is right about magenta versus red and the yellow tint. Daniel has perceived a fine classical composition and photo but he may be interested in revisiting the colour levels in post production to see how he might vary slightly the chromatic balance of this attractive scene. The result we see here may well be the optimum.

I like everything about this one, starting with the fact that the trees are beeches--and very similar to American beeches, which people carve their initials into. It is not typical to find such a fine stand of beeches in the U.S., at least not where I live.

I do notice that you frame in white here, but in black on your website version:

[LINK]

I'm not sure which I like better, but I think perhaps the black gives a stronger boundary, and perhaps in this case the result is somewhat more pleasing. There is, on the other hand, a light airiness in the mood created with a white matte.
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Congratulations on this and many other fine photos, especially in this folder, which seems at present to be hidden on your main page on Photo.net. I hope that others will click on other images from this same folder, since they are, taken together, truly more than the sum of their parts. I notice that moving through the folder is faster on the link I have provided above.

--Lannie

I also notice that the link that I provided above to the version on your own site gives a greater variety of shots made in the Czech Republic. These are truly awesome--and what a beautiful country!

--Lannie

I liked Daniel's photograph when it was first posted, and the short amount of time hasn't diminished my initial impression. I see this as a small portion of the edge of a forest of a type that is unfamiliar to me; the closest I can come with an experience of my own is an aspen grove or paper birch, both of which seldom have trees this size. The smooth, white bark appeals to my senses, very similar to paper birch, and quite in contrast to most of the trees in the Pacific Northwest (which have their own, very different appealing texture). I think this is a forest edge because of the distribution of light, entering on the right and diminishing to the left and further back. It's probably the openness that allows this single branch to survive, as shaded branches are soon lost in dense stands. The branch is a welcomed accent or break (either way) to the uniformity of the stand. Even the foreground vegetation, being more dense in the lower left compared to that further back in the trees, suggests this is a natural edge. I especially like the effects of the fog in combination with the light; they produce natural variation in the degree to which the trees can be seen as one moves from left to right and near to far.

I can't think of anything I would want to change here. I'd like to see a variation with a bit more seen on the left; that might address the sense of mystery Jeremy mentioned. I agree with others that is seems a tad bit warm. For me, this is a small slice of a natural forest that has been composed and framed in a way that I find quite beautiful, and I like it simply for that reason. I dismissed the title immediately -- it interfered with the way that I want to look at the photograph.

Well, all I could add has been said more or less :-) I like this image - and to me, it's tonality is right, the softness is completely right. Two stops less and more contrast would have made it a completely different photo, which I severly doubt would be as charming. Mostly likely, it would make for a far more common photo. This one does stand out the way it is now.

Usually I try not to care too much about the title, but they're unescapably there. I'm not disliking this title, but I can fully understand that Stephen above states that it interfered with the way he's looking at the image. It does set a 'framework' a bit, with associations that might or might not work.
To me, the image however does have a fairytale-like quality. The fog being a dreamland - another 10 trees in the distance, and we'll tumble down the rabbithole. It's the nicest quality about this photo to me, it's a gateway to what lies behind it, it writes the start of a story in a simple and effective way.

I love this image. I find it be very calming. I think that the tints that people think they see on the sides are simply coming from the background leaf colours as I see almost oranges on the right and dark yellows on the left and the leaves in the background. I like the composition and I'm not even a rule of thirds blind believer. I always look at an image in two ways: 1. would I like a print an my wall; 2. do I wish I had taken the photo. This image fits both counts.

It will not be the taste of everyone, but watch this photo with Radiohead's Street Spirit in the background. Maybe just my friday-afternoon-meltdown, but it works!

I like this image very much. I would love to find myself in the right place at the right time to be able to make an image--a vision--of this quality. Personally, for me, it evokes the feeling I get when I look at the photographic work of Eliot Porter. Sure, each of would likely put our own "spin" on it, i.e., title, cropping, or pushing the black-point, etc., but I very much appreciate Daniel's vision and presentation of this very special moment in time that he has captured and shared with us. Congratulations, Daniel, and Happy Holidays to all of you! Cheers! Chris

Almost took my breath away when I first saw it. I don't know whether I've simply never been in a place as beautiful as this or whether Daniel just sees stuff in a way that I don't. It's not a fairy-tale interpretation of nature, but reality made to look just perfect.

As usual, the POW enables the perusal of the author's other works, and Daniel has a rich assortment. His website is well constructed and I wish I spoke Czech to be able to communicate with him. One discovery is the great number of links he provides on his site to other group photo sites and the work of other photographers. Photo.Net is the place of many talented photographers but some of the sister sites, like Art Limited, that Daniel belongs to, are an eye opener on the world of art photography. I love the originality of some of the work that is coming out of Europe and Asia.

Arthur, I just went to that site. It is very nice, but really expensive if you want to put up large images.

I found this very interesting line in the terms and conditions:

"It's beautiful", "it's nice", means nothing for us, please argue.

--Lannie

Hi Lannie,

Go beyond those simple platitudes and you will see some great work by some European photographers. Not all like that, of course, but the best is really fine and quite imaginative. The basic 40 image membership is free (I personally am not interested in putting up large images at whatever cost; too easily to plagiarize). Not interested at this time in duplicating my presence elsewhere, but it is super to have lots of other sites and interesting work to inspire us, beyond the less structured sites like flickr.

or

please argue

or

means nothing for us, please argue

Lannie, I didn't see that part of the site description so admit I am not sure which of the three is the phrase you are referring to. I might have misunderstood you, although my response above would probably not differ much.

If it is the second meaning, I doubt that many of their posters hold that view, although many artists have been known to have that particular opinion.

Arthur, I have reproduced it as it appears on the site, punctuation warts and all. I took it to mean "This is a critique site," although "argue" can also have philosophical implications.

You are certainly right about the photos. They will remove photos that they don't feel are up to their standards.

Thanks for alerting us to the existence of the site. As I have said elsewhere, I think that I learn the most not from verbal commentary, but from simply seeing what others are doing. Sometimes commentary helps, but sometimes it is superfluous. I do like to figure out what makes a photo work, however, and there the free exchange of ideas/words is invaluable--and most welcome, although some will see it as the "intrusion" of philosophy into our discussions, a point of view which I find vacuous.

--Lannie

Lannie, thanks for the clarification. In retrospect, I should have realized that the sense of their word "argue" is what might be termed here as "critique". Their not wanting to receive simple accolades (like "that's beautiful") from the viewer is seemingly not different from the apparent desire of the POW to have a reasoned critique of why an image may be perceived as being exceptionally beautiful, or why it might have some observed shortcomings.

I agree that the value of seeing works of other photographers is valuable, and particularly I think where a series of works by the photographer provides an original point of view or form of photographic expression that we can consider in terms of our own desire for the same (Of course, developing an identity that is exhibited in a series of images may not be a universal desire for everyone, as photography has the democratic liberty or freedom in how we wish to apply it).

I liked at a first look, kinda foggy forest, very clear floor, and a single tree with the young branch and yellow leaves on it. Then I noticed the image kinda soft, all over, ( seeing on a LaCie 24" calibrated monitor) not only the feeding trees at the distance because the fog. The branch with the yellow leaves supposed to be more contrasty, or saturated, more alive. Then, the d.f. is starting at the first tree to infinity, instead from the very beginning of the foreground witch is badly out of focus, when such an image, supposed to start with a focused foreground. More I looked on the image, more the out of focus foreground disturbed me. Overall the image is nice but need a little more post processing and in the beginning, more attention for the d.f.

Christoper Harris, I too thought of Eliot Porter when I saw this, right up his alley. Great feeling, as everyone states, more or less. The piece is 'nice', but missing something to take it to the next level, like a center of interest or? I believe I may have dug a hole and put my camera in it for a bugs eye view even, giving it some foreground with fall leaves. Love his portfolio, lots of strong art. Hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. MS

I liked the POW as a work of art. The author plays very well the resources post-photo to convey an air of mystery in a European forest as if it were a fairy tale. I found it means unreal this branch in the foreground. But ... art is art! Not discussing it. In my opinion, the author has better in his portfolio. This type of photo is very difficult to do in Brazil. In Brazil, there are no trees without leaves like these. The author had to introduce some green branches to break the monotony of the scene captured. In the Brazilian jungle (rain forest), do not expect a fairy or elf appears giving this air of mystery. You can expect see a jaguar, a big snake, an indian starving and without teeth or even a caapora (see Wikipedia). Fairies and elves, in Brazil, have no doubt. Most Brazilian forests, which deserves to be photographed to make a work of art as such, are tropical broadleaf impeding the best focus in depth. I have done studies with tropical foliage in Brazilian nature. I always have problems with overexposure that can sometimes reduce with polarized filter. Brazil is a sunny country!