Window to Aspen

Welcome to NPN Cheryl. A pretty nice first post, the aspens in the BG are terrific. I think I understand the effect you were going for with the framing aspens but it just doesn't do it for me. You might try a version cropped in tighter. Handheld at 1/40sec is pretty tough. Also it helps to post a large version (1200px), makes it easier for others to comment. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your images.

Welcome to NPN Cheryl.

This image interests me. I like the idea of the frame but I think too much of the overall image is taken up by the frame. I agree with John that a tighter crop would work better. As the image stands, the subject (sharp in focus aspens) takes up too little real estate. Still, it's a very interesting image.

Again, welcome. I'm looking forward to seeing more of your images.

pat

Welcome to NPN Cheryl, I like the concept of what you are trying to convey, I think what might help alot, is a crop just above the pine on the right side, I think that would help draw attention to the BG which would work much better in my opinion. Hope to see more of your work in the future.
John

I agree that the image might stand a better chance of succeeding if it was cropped, particularly the out of focus aspen trunk on the right side. The foliage being OOF doesn't detract as much as the trunk does. You might also consider some clockwise rotation since everything seems to lean to the left. It might very well be that way in the real world but sometimes an image is better if we "cheat" a bit.

Welcome to NPN, keep posting and commenting!

Welcome to NPN, Cheryl. I like the starkness of the trunks against the glowing tops of the trees in the middle. The framing leaves look good as well, but I find the starkness and bright edge of the trunk on the right distracting. I don't know if it was possible, but moving closer to the framing leaves would let the most interesting part of the image occupy more space. Looking forward to more images.

Cheryl, so excited to see you here! This is a great place to share and learn, even if you just "lurk" and look at images and read the comments.

I like the color and light and what you wanted to do with this with making the foreground aspens into a frame. You've already gotten some nice suggestions so I'll add my 2 cents (which is probably only worth a penny ) One thing you could have tried is to move back a bit and include more of the aspen trunk on the right, focused on the colorful leaves in the front, and used a deeper depth of field (f14, f16 or f18). You probably would have needed a tripod as your shutter speed would have been much slower. That way, the aspen leaves and trunk in front would have been sharper and the aspen trunks in the background would be sharper as well.

Remember, you will get a lot of suggestions and you can take them or leave them - they are just someone's opinion. However, by posting here and reading everyone's suggestions, and in turn commenting on the images of others, you'll find yourself looking at your images and thinking more before you click the shutter button. As I told you, I have grown so much by posting and critiquing the images of others on this forum. I would not be where I am without the folks of NPN. There are a lot of talented folks in this community and most (if not all) of them are happy to share their knowledge and experience. Although I'm more of a lurker than a poster here these days, I still continue to learn. Looking forward to seeing more of your work