Aspens In Smokey Light

Beautiful scene, Harley. The smoky BG layer sets the stand off nicely.

Harley,

Great set of aspen boles. Whether or not we know that the light/atmosphere is due to smoke, the light you've captured and presented wonderful.  Yeah, I can just imagine what it was like being there and experiencing the not so normal lighting conditions.

With that, I'm wondering if you could exploit that even more?  A little warmer, more yellow and red?  Not talking much, otherwise it's no longer believable.  I'm also tempted to suggest increasing some micro-contrast, but then again, you've presented the smokey atmosphere so well increasing contrast I think would lose that look.  On balance I think you've portrayed this as close to how you experienced it.

I'm also really liking the arrangement of the trees.  There's the one leaning diagonal on the left that breaks up the all vertical patters and the way all the other trunks are grouped and arranged make for a pleasing composition.

Well seen!

Lon

This is gorgeous, Harley. The soft illumination works beautifully to bring out the details and textures in the trunks. Your careful framing is evident. Really a beautiful piece. Lovely as rendered but I wonder how it would look with a cooler color balance?

Very nice, intimate scene, Harley. The large version really brings out the subtle detail. I think the color and contrast are just about right, given the hazy light. The framing works nicely for me, and I like leaning tree.
--P

This is a composition which is quite common. In fact I shot an image like this up there that didn't come out as well as this. You may be surprised by this but what I find most exciting about this image are the knot holes. It's a different take on the subject that makes it unique for me. It's a series of parallel white lines peppered with dots. That's visually appealing. 

I think the composition is a bit 'busy', that is chaotic. And the leaning tree isn't dominant enough to dispel that sense. 

This is really magic, Harley. I would agreed with a little bit more of saturation to enhance the contrasts. Still, I really like this one. 

I was about to comment on the ruddiness, when I read your description of it being related to the fires.  You've got a fine collection of tree trunks with their textures here, Harley.  The almost lost, subtle greens in the background make a fine contrast to the reddish tones in the trunks.  I think this is all about subtleness, so I wouldn't adjust the saturation.

It's fun to compare your smokey forest take with Ronald's next door. I saw a lot of that weird red tone with the fires, and this shows it nicely. I like that your title is explanatory though, viewing it without that knowledge would be a head scratcher.

Harley, you did a great job on separating the trunks, that gives me a sense of depth and keeps my attention. I also enjoy to explore the delicate details of the barks in the foreground. An appealing presentation of this specific atmosphere to my eye.

Peter