Pine Forest +

Gallery: LandscapePosted February 22, 2012304 views24 comments

This is an image I made last summer in northern WI. I made this on a morning while walking a dirt/sand road in a pretty large red pine forest. It was quite enjoyable working with different comps and seeing what I could come up with. The light went pretty flat not long after shooting this around 8 in the morning. I really enjoyed the time I had there, and I found a beautiful small lake at the end of the road which I will be going back to.
5D2, 24-105 @95mm, iso 100, f/16 and 1/2 sec.

Comments

24 comments

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on February 22, 2012 at 8:10 PM

Very nice comp, Nick, I love red pine forests. I particular like the darker areas between the trees, and the slight orton effect works very well here.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 22, 2012 at 8:26 PM

Hi Zack! I really enjoyed this place and look forward to getting back there, and you are right with a little orton effect. I just did a 22 x 24 print and liked the looks of it, so decided to post it here and see what others thought of it. Thanks much, Nick

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

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on February 22, 2012 at 9:07 PM

This is beautiful, Nick. The strong vertical lines and vibrant greens make this shine. I also like how you were able to create separation between the foreground and the background with the strong shadows. Were the background shadows that strong naturally or did you enhance the background shadows in processing? Either way the result is fantastic.

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by James Fougère on February 22, 2012 at 9:55 PM

Looks good Nick. I agree with the comments here, nice processing effect

Registered on October 25, 2010, 41 Posts, 831 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 22, 2012 at 10:23 PM

Thanks guys for your comments on this. I appreciate your thoughts.
Brian and James, I especially liked the dark shadows in this so I darkened them even more and liked the effect, especially in the print. Thanks much! Nick

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

Comment posted by Michael J Greene, on February 23, 2012 at 12:42 AM

Very nice Nick. The light in the back of the forest adds a lot of depth to the scene. It's also a very clean comp, which is hard to get with this type of image. The processing seems a little heavier handed than your normal style and I wouldn't have guessed this thumbnail as your work, but I think for this picture it works perfectly. Congratulations - I put this one on your "A" list.

Michael

Registered on June 18, 2009, 86 Posts, 2317 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 23, 2012 at 8:40 AM

Thanks Michael, Yes, this is different processing for me and I appreciate that you noticed it. It is not something I will normally do, but like you, I thought it worked quite well with this image while I was working on it for a print. I was after a little different look and this seemed to get close to what I was looking for. I like the print anyways! Thanks much

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

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

Comment posted by Matt Anderson on February 23, 2012 at 9:51 AM

I really like your framing here Nick. The orton look may be a bit strong for my tastes.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on February 23, 2012 at 12:04 PM

I like how the trunks standout against the dark shadows Nick. Wonderful comp too.

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

Comment posted by Tom Haxby on February 23, 2012 at 12:41 PM

I like the varying diameter of the tree trunks and the touch of green in the background. Good shot Nick.

Registered on July 6, 2006, 126 Posts, 647 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on February 23, 2012 at 3:53 PM

The Orton is too strong for my tastes, but it makes a strong artistic statement, Nick. The comp works well for me, and I like the color in this.

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

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 23, 2012 at 4:28 PM

Thanks guys! I have to say I agree that the orton effect is maybe just a little to much after looking at it here for awhile. It shows a little more than I thought it would, but still I like the look overall. I will stick to my usuall process for most things I'm sure.

I also thought I would post a version without the orton effect here so we can see the difference! Thanks much for your thoughts! Nick

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

Comment posted by Zack Clothier on February 23, 2012 at 4:41 PM

I still like the original post, Nick. Perhaps just toning done the effect to somewhere in between the two would work best.

Registered on January 28, 2010, 343 Posts, 2257 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 23, 2012 at 5:17 PM

Thank you Zack!...Some place in the middle...maybe

I'll stop now!

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

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on February 23, 2012 at 9:49 PM

Really like the comp and the verticality of this, Nick. Maybe it's my eyes, but this seems blurry and sharp at the same time. Maybe I should only use one eye.

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

Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on February 24, 2012 at 8:09 AM

I like the first version the best. The Orten effect gives it a kind of mystery.

- Dan

Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on February 24, 2012 at 11:49 AM

Beautiful nick, absolutely beautiful. Looks like you applied a slight orton effect perhaps; whatever it is I really like it. very nicely composed and richly saturated. No nits at all.

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

Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on February 24, 2012 at 8:52 PM

The last repost strikes just the right balance with the Orton effect (at least at this size - the original may work well in a print).

Registered on May 28, 2004, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on February 24, 2012 at 9:07 PM

I think the image is great and like the less dreamy renderings.

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

Comment posted by Peter Richter on February 25, 2012 at 6:13 AM

Nick, I personally prefer the version without the orton effect. The crispness of the barks and needles standing out from the mystic darkness works wonderfully for me. I also enjoy the balance of your composition as well as the natural colors that make me feel like standing in the middle of this beautiful scene.

Peter

Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 25, 2012 at 8:50 AM

I sure appreciate all of your thoughts on this! The print I did which is close to the first version here seemed to look pretty cool. I guess there might be times when this effect will work ok, but overall not something I will do often. I did it on a b/w winter scene that ended up making a beautiful large print, so decided to try it on this one as well. Thanks so much!

Nick

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

Comment posted by Robert Dayton on February 25, 2012 at 1:26 PM

Lovely, Nick! Well composed with a good DOF.

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

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on February 25, 2012 at 2:30 PM

Nick,

I thought the Orton effect was a little strong even before reading all the comments. And my pick is for the last compromised version. I will occasionally use this technique and I think this forest scene was a good candidate. Aside from the processing, I really like your composition and balance between the strong verticals, the new greens and the dark forest beyond. Well seen and captured.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on February 26, 2012 at 2:22 PM

Robert and Lon...Thanks much! Nick

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