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Snowy Beech Leaf WC #569

Gallery: Weekly ChallengePosted January 28, 2013101 views8 comments

One of my favorite winter sights is fresh, fluffy snow piling up on marcescent American beech leaves. I like the texture, lines and structure of dead beech leaves, with or without snow. And in the winter, the warm tan-brown adds a splash of color to the woods. This is a particularly small (2 or 3 inches) and delicate one. I wanted to capture its paleness and translucence.

Canon 5DII
Sigma 150 Macro
1/60sec. @ f/20
12 images focus-stacked in CS5

P.S. I posted a previous version of this last year, with a white vignette to fade out the twig leaving the frame, and most people did not like it, so this is a second try.

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Rob Graham on January 28, 2013 at 10:13 PM

the tan really is striking against the snow. I like the elegant lines of the leaf, with the gently curves. You did a great job separating the snow from the background. The twig almost seems harsh against the softness of the rest of the scene, but I don't know what you could do to help this.

Registered on August 22, 2006, 842 Posts, 2824 Comments

Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on January 29, 2013 at 6:37 AM

Nice detail in both the leaf and the snow as well as a nice composition. The simplicity of the composition together with the detail in the subjects makes this sing. If you wanted to get rid of the dark leaf in front of the snow try "content-aware - fill" in PS.

Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on January 29, 2013 at 11:01 AM

Wayne, I really like how you've processed this to bring out the details in the snow and the leaf in a high key approach. Your dof choice is just right. I'm fine with the twig as is, but can understand why you'd want to reduce it's impact. The only idea for that twig that I can think of that you may not have already tried is to go back to your stack and paint in some blurring, that might reduce it's visual impact.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Lucy VanSwearingen on January 29, 2013 at 1:31 PM

very nice curves. I like the contrast between the tan and the white. Together the color and curves make for a very pleasing composition.

Registered on May 23, 2009, 800 Posts, 2042 Comments

Comment posted by Rick Diffley on January 29, 2013 at 8:11 PM

I always like to acknowledge those that to focus-stacking. For me, I do find my eye quickly going back-&-forth between the leaf and the twig. My eye deeply desires to stay with the leaf and the twig is a slight distraction.

Registered on April 8, 2012, 52 Posts, 279 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on January 29, 2013 at 10:08 PM

Wayne, the tan and white is a good color combination to me, and the sinuous curve of the leaf edge is nice. I like that the fine detail in the leaf veins show nicely too.

Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments

Comment posted by Carolyn Derstine on January 30, 2013 at 5:44 PM

I like the POV you have on this leaf to show off its artistic side with all the nice curves and lines. The fluffly snow on the top adds a nice winter touch. I like the high-key treatment and your comp but I might wish for a teeny crop off the left side of the image Others have commented on the stem which doesn't bother me much. If you wished, you could make a selection of just the stem, lighten it, and maybe desaturate some to make it less dark and eye-catching. Very nice artistic winter macro find, Wayne!

Registered on February 16, 2011, 610 Posts, 3684 Comments

Comment posted by Dennis Plank on February 1, 2013 at 9:00 AM

Beautiful, Wayne. Lovely shapes and textures in the leaf and snow and I like the presence of next year's bud.

Registered on January 28, 2008, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments