beech grove

The detail here is wonderful.  The soft sepia is almost too sentimental, but then those rich details in the leaves and bark give a counterweight, pulling this back into reality.  This is an effect I admire greatly but can never reproduce adequately.

many thanks for your recent comments. The main "trick" here was combining three exposures with an HDR tool (HDR Efex 2 - if you're interested in tooling). Although the scene as such might not immediately suggest using HDR it helped a lot in balancing tonalities. Fine details are primarily due to the equipment - although web resolution is far lower than original - I have the impression that at least a bit of the detail conrast translates into lower resolution images.

Premium German forest part ... want to walk there. BR JV

Wolfgang, great image, great tones, can you present a version with the top 1/4 cropped out, my opinion is that it would be stronger. It would give the image a bit more of a focal point to the trees in the background. Try it and see if you like it. But regardless of my opinion, it very good work.

Regards Richard

A very nicely composed beautiful shot, Wolfgang!

With best regards,

Ruud.

 

@Jörg, many thanks for your comment - it's near Blauer See, Ratingen. Despite densly populated area there are some "islands" of green (like this) around.

@Richard, many thanks for your suggestion. You have a point, viewers gaze might drift off the upper edge. Here's a quick an dirty tighter crop and 3:4 aspect ratio.

@Ruud, many thanks for your favourable comment.

What a lively little scene, this animated grove of beech trees. The undulating forest floor really adds a feeling of animation to this woodscape. Great tones and trees with real character.