A beautiful end...by
rocklova72Comment by skief: Greetings from the Critique Club
The signs of decay in nature can be a good source for photography. Stumps, fallen trees, forest growth, ground cover all work to make interest in a photo. It is good that you are able to recognize that your photography can grow. Do not let these results detract you from continuing your quest.
Let me give you a few suggestions that may help your photo.
1. Color/Tonal Range: The coloration may add to a photo in post-processing, but what has happened here is that it has made everything blend into itself and there are no real distinction between your subject (the fallen tree) and the background/surroundings. A real black and white conversion with more contrast would help.
2. Picture Size: Hard to make out the details in small pictures, and when you make them smaller than what they can be makes it even harder to see and judge the details in the photo. The width of this image is 498 pixels, when the maximum allowed is 640 pixels.
3. Lighting: Now it is an outside picture, am I supposed to bring out the lights and reflectors, etc... No. With this picture, being fairly wide, and in the shade, the splotches of light shining through the canopy give it a mottled feel. A tighter picture, getting rid of most of the splotchy lighting may help.
Overall Impression: This is a tough thing to take a picture of. There are possibilities here, but I think you need to ask yourself what is the focus of this picture? How can I show that focus the best and minimize any distractions to it at the same time? Most of the time, especially here on DPChallenge, the best pics go for simplicity. Too much going on in the picture and you get hurt in the voting. Walk in, and focus in on the stump, get it to shine and the picture would do better.
Keep trying, like you said in your profile, it is all a learning experience. Good luck in future challenges.
If you have any questions on this critique, feel free to PM me.
Photographer found comment helpful.