Tim Smalley

These images are from an amazing morning this week. I found some pockets of hoar frost in a part of the woods that doesn't get much sun.

I discovered a group of amazing moss-covered trees, but I could not frame them together without an extremely wide panorama.

Here are two images of the same tree with different aspect ratios - which do you prefer? I can't quite decide.

Hope your Saturday is treating you well. ❤️

#mosstodon #trees #woodland #landscapephotography #nature #art #forest #winter

Jan 21, 2023 at 7:00pmWeb
Show threadTim SmalleyJan 22, 2023

Thanks for your amazing feedback, it has been really helpful.

The small black tree to the left of the main event was bothering me - even as I composed the images, but I did nothing to mitigate its existence in post production. The straight, slightly leaning tree behind the main subject was also bothersome, but I reduced the trunk’s intensity in post production as it was quite bright.

With your feedback, I’ve made some further tweaks to the image(s) to limit the visual impact of the young tree.

Show thread꧁𝐌💙𝐑𝐆𝐀𝐍꧂Jan 21, 2023
@timsmalley Both are nice. I prefer the broader perspective...I really feel the cold from that one.😎
Show threadacmJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley I like the one on the right, for some reason. the other highlights the trunk, but I think the extra pale branches give a nicer sense of context and scale.
Show threadHikerSelmaJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley
I like both but the close up shot is more dramatic and emphasizes the tree more.
Show threadJames GilbertJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley Definitely prefer the wider aspect ratio. More interesting composition, and I think the stump on the right is better balanced by the longer expanse on left.
Show threadJoël LéonardJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley I would probably go for the wider, especially because the frozen branches on the left seems to prolongate the tree branches and add some movement. But I agree, quite difficult to decide! Good to know that the responsability is yours! 😁
Show threadAlly MillerJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley on the right!
Show threadRichard GrantJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley I feel like the wider perspective gives me a sense of the tree not as a fixed sculptural presence, but as a dynamic living being, responding to and being shaped by a particular landscape. There are areas on the left where it's hard to tell whether something is physically part of the tree, or something else.
Show threadMerry HJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley I prefer the first, but they're both stunning. :-)
Show threadCharles EubanksJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley The first one feels like I’m looking at a tree. The second one feels like I’m standing in a forest looking at a tree. To me, both are successful compositions, but each gives the viewer a different relationship with the tree and the setting, if that makes sense. Beautiful work, thanks for sharing!
Show threadCapritiaJHJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley Ooh, didn't realize at first that I needed to expand them to see the cropping! I like the one on the left -- frames the tree, and emphasizes the interesting details in the brush below and behind the tree. OTOH I'm not seeing them full size: I'm on my laptop.
Show threadaarondleongJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley definite the 16:9
Show threadRichard J FosterJan 21, 2023
@timsmalley They're both beautiful, but personally I prefer the first image (where we don't get as much of the surrounding context). I can't put my finger on the reason why.
Show threadMatthew Haines (audio/video)Jan 22, 2023
@timsmalley wider one!
Show threadMikey MikeJan 22, 2023
@timsmalley while the left photograph is more spectacular and the right more subtle, the right may be more interesting.
Show threadThomasJan 22, 2023
@timsmalley the 16-9 one all the way! I think it breaths more of the forest atmosphere.