Chaotic Aspen

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 18, 2011362 views24 comments

Gunnison National Forest, Colorado

Still going through some raws from last autumn in Colorado. On my first take of the images, I didn't really think this one would work out well. I am still a bit unsure about this one, as I find that this scene is may be just too chaotic. I would love to hear your thoughts.

Canon 5Dmk2, Zeiss 28-85 at around 50mm.

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 18, 2011 at 10:57 AM

Just a great comp(which is not easy at all in aspen forests), light, and color. The lines of the aspen boles give this a sense of rhythm and movement.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on February 18, 2011 at 11:18 AM

I'm not unsure at all - I love it. Not chaotic at all IMO - I just see three things - the wonderfully twisted trees and 2 colors. Sweet shot Jimmy.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on February 18, 2011 at 12:07 PM

In my opinion it's not too chaotic. You did a good job composing this one.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Steve Sieren on February 18, 2011 at 1:24 PM

Loving the red yellow color combo Jimmy!

Registered on January 2, 2008, 360 Posts, 5321 Comments

Comment posted by Mohsen Al-Dajani on February 18, 2011 at 1:29 PM

I can see them dancing. Nice shot Jimmy.

Registered on August 23, 2007, 160 Posts, 432 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Teller on February 18, 2011 at 2:08 PM

Very nice image. I like the comp, because most image like this the trees are very straight and in perfect order. I think this is a nice change and I like it.

Registered on August 23, 2010, 1162 Posts, 6692 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on February 18, 2011 at 2:46 PM

I think it turned out very nicely,Jimmy. The aspen shapes are very appealing. Wonder about glowing the yellow a bit more.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 18, 2011 at 3:24 PM

The is great, Jimmy. The shape of the aspens really adds some nice interest. The colors are wonderful. I like the glow of the yellow in the bg. Not chaotic to me either. Nice!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Myers on February 18, 2011 at 3:39 PM

Jimmy,

For me the colors and lighting sift through the chaos. This is beautiful. I doubt it would work as well in B & W.

Registered on September 1, 2008, 85 Posts, 757 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on February 18, 2011 at 4:10 PM

I like the wildness of it, Jimmy! It works for me.

Registered on November 11, 2008, 281 Posts, 3958 Comments

Comment posted by Raymond D Smith on February 18, 2011 at 4:15 PM

I am not sure how you guys manage to pull of these kind of comps, in these kinds of situations but you have done a good job at find a picture here. I could see giving the yellows a touch more exposure and saturating the reds a touch more in the ferns. It looks like endless Aspens, Great job. Cheers

Registered on January 22, 2009, 12 Posts, 479 Comments

Comment posted by Benjamin Olson on February 18, 2011 at 5:42 PM

This has to be one of my favorites of yours. I love it, no nits from me at all!

Registered on April 7, 2007, 169 Posts, 725 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Goldwasser on February 18, 2011 at 10:35 PM

I really like your comp here - these "in the woods" shots can be tough! I would be tempted to give the ferns and leaves a little more punch but this is really nice either way.

Registered on May 10, 2009, 127 Posts, 970 Comments

Comment posted by Jason Kim on February 18, 2011 at 10:39 PM

I don't think this is too chaotic. The wavy aspens are wonderfully photogenic and the bands of color work nicely. I suppose, in an ideal world, that lone pine wouldn't be back there but that is getting very nitpicky. You have a lot of really nice aspen forest images from that trip, it seems.

Registered on July 1, 2006, 60 Posts, 1233 Comments

Comment posted by Ben Horne on February 18, 2011 at 11:15 PM

Though there certainly is a lot of chaos, it is a very uniform chaos. The dancing trunks move my eyes through the photo, and the brown/yellow split also helps to simplify the shot. I do see some purple tones in the dark tones of the trees, but that may just be some reflected light from the sky.

Registered on August 27, 2009, 51 Posts, 959 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on February 19, 2011 at 12:05 AM

i like the curving tress and the red-yellow layers. it may have been better off without the dark green tree but I'm not sure ... would have to see another comp to be sure. not too chaotic - the wavy trees provide ample structure to keep it together.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on February 19, 2011 at 4:44 AM

Looks like they're dancing! Very interesting shapes to the trunks of these trees; I'm so used to seeing them be straight that I really like this for its uniqueness. Great colors too.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Maile on February 19, 2011 at 11:45 AM

For me Jimmy, the "chaos" of the many different curves and patterns of the trees makes this stand out from the ordinary. Excellent depth and colors too.

Registered on March 2, 2009, 984 Posts, 2518 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on February 19, 2011 at 6:30 PM

Wonderful layers of color Jimmy. They do look like they are dancing. I think it works well.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on February 19, 2011 at 7:31 PM

Sweet Jimmy! Love the textures and colors...

Sorry I missed you in Vegas. Next time!

mark

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Gabi Lach on February 19, 2011 at 8:00 PM

Nice shot, Jimmy. Very natural looking. Great fall colors too.

Registered on May 1, 2007, 101 Posts, 3187 Comments

Comment posted by David Chauvin on February 20, 2011 at 10:13 AM

This is trippy, Jimmy!

Beautiful colors and the comp is great with the arrangement of the aspen trunks.

Registered on August 5, 2004, 1007 Posts, 5595 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on February 20, 2011 at 12:23 PM

C'mon, really!
I think it is a great comp for the depth and dimension that it has. The trunks only in the foreground, leading to the color in back works well. Also the nice reds/browns in the foreground for color contrast. And the evergreen! If I had a nit, it would be that I'm not sure I'd of blocked the evergreen with the aspen bole. But if that was the best choice overall, so be it