Judith Lesnaw
January 2025 - Leaf on Wall
Original
Original 2
About the Image(s)
Happy New Year! Several weeks ago while hiking in a park nearby I discovered an abandoned and deteriorating stone house. I was attracted by the patterns on one of the external walls, and by a sole leaf that had paused on the wall. I captured the scene with a Canon R10 and 18-150 Canon RF lens. 1/15 sec; f6.3; ISO 800. The image was processed in Lightroom Classic. The leaf and background were masked and their color and detail were adjusted. In a variation, the masked background was converted to monochrome, and the leaf (masked) was given the golden hue by adjusting its warmth. I look forward to your thoughts.
7 comments posted
I went back and forth on this quite a bit, but I think I prefer the red leaf over the gold. I appreciate the effect of all the different textures in the background. I think this image has a lot of potential. My personal rule of thumg is to simply whenever possilbe. Having said that, I think this image would be stronger if you removed all the twigs and cropped in close so that the the leaf nearly fills the frame. Posted: 01/12/2025 15:32:11
Thanks for your suggestions. I will try the simplification.
Posted: 01/12/2025 16:02:42
Posted: 01/12/2025 16:02:42
I like the red leaf version the best. To me the image looks a little soft. A shutter speed of 1/15 sec, if not on a tripod, makes it pretty difficult to get a sharp image. I agree with Sharon on simplifying the image. The leaf is your main subject so for me I would put it front and center so the eye lands on it and stays there. Because there is so much space in the image my eye wants to wander around to see what else I can find. Posted: 01/12/2025 21:46:57
Thanks! I will simplify. Posted: 01/12/2025 22:25:20
To me a thought provoking image and your artistic prowess in converting the leaf to the bold red colour makes it even more so. The gold one less so for me. I like the patterns in the stone wall compliment the red leaf. I too would like it just simplified slightly with taking out the twigs on the right at least for a stronger image. Posted: 01/14/2025 22:01:54
Very artistic. I agree with what the others have already said. I might look at it with the brightness of the grout between the stones a bit darker. Not sure which I would like better. I definitely like the red the best. Posted: 01/14/2025 23:59:50
Judith, you see things in nature that I miss. This is a fun image, the red leaf is perfect for winter. You might consider darkening the grout, as Mike suggested. The contrast between the white and dark grey takes diverts attention away from the leaf. I like the twigs and their shadow, for me it adds a bit of drama. Posted: 01/16/2025 01:09:18