I like the soft, muted look in both photos. Though the compositions aren't problematic, they also don't move me.
I feel like I wouild like to see more shadows darkened, in order to maybe make the spruce stand out more. The aspen is commanding more attention.
Quote James: I feel like I would like to see more shadows darkened, in order to maybe make the spruce stand out more. The aspen is commanding more attention.
Thanks Mike and James; I may have to do some land clearing! Or wait forty years for the aspen forest to mature and thin. That particular spruce with snow falling at mid day is a subject I have been trying for several years. The forest is just too dense and the image cluttered with extraneous vegetation. This was the best of many attempts, I was hoping the snow density was just right to allow the spruce to dominate. If only the darn thing wasn't right there, right outside my window, taunting me.
I really like the first one. The muted greens and reds (brownish) are very subtle and give a warmth to a winter scene
Hi Trevor,
IMHO this is a typical scene where you want to capture the beauty before your eyes and you simply do not know how to do it. The scene does not render itself to produce what you would like to convey. I so often have the same problem.
It may not be a WOW image but for you it means so much more than for the viewer. We cannot feel the cold and experience the mood in that moment, only you know what it felt like.
It may not be a facinating image that captures the attention of the viewer, for you it is a keeper to remind you of that spesific moment in time. Not all of our images will always be WOW - we have to capture images simply to remind us of what we saw.
Thank you for sharing that moment in time.
EDIT: BTW - #2 takes me closer to the cold and deeper into the forest.