Just another cliché path in the forest?

[bleys]

This was taken at a park outside Revelstoke, BC on a roadtrip last year. Gorgeous place full of 500+ year old Western red cedars.

Commenting and critique very much be welcomed, thank you very much.

[Donald]

Bleys

As an expression of natural products being used in a natural setting, I think it's a well-planned and very pleasing image. You do yourself an injustice with the title.

I like the flow of the walkway. It takes you up and through the picture. You have the handrails confined to the top right segment, allowing them to form a nice line and shape, but not interfering with the opportunity to see the vegetation.

I think it's right that we see the walkway behind the vegetation in the foreground. It reminds us that the walkway serves the purpose of allowing us to view the natural environment, not the other way around. However, if that piece of plant life that is front and centre at the bottom was not there, I think the image would have an overall more powerful impact (only a thought).

You were faced with two pretty substantial tree trunks at the back of the scene. Whether by accident or design you have each of them exactly on the vertical thirds lines. This contributes to a sense of balance and harmony in the image. If they hadn't been so well spaced and located, I think they would have created an imbalance and the image would have suffered.

In terms of DoF, am I right in thinking that things start getting a bit soft from the start of the handrail back? I notice, from the EXIF that you shot at f4.5 and wonder why you went so wide-open and where your focus point was. Maybe that's what you wanted, but I think it would have benefited by being sharper at the back.

So, it's not just any old path in the forest. It's a lovely concept. And it sounds like a fantastic place to walk.

Hope this is seen as helpful.

Donald

[bleys]

Thanks for taking the time to write such a thorough response Donald. I appreciate it!

The reason why I bought my camera was to take nice pictures during a road trip that I went on during the summer. I was pretty much a photography noob (still am I guess, but getting better), fiddling with the camera's settings, trying to get a feel for how to use it properly. That's why this one was shot in JPEG, wide-open.

I agree your thoughts about the DoF (and pretty much everything else). This shot would have benefited from a smaller aperture to bring both background and foreground into better focus.

Alas, the spot where I shot this is over an eight hour drive from where I live, so another attempt is out of the question. I still love this one, though. It's one of my favs.

Thanks again, Donald.