Mary Hinsen, BPSA
July 2026 - Firewood
Original
About the Image(s)
Camera settings: 14.00mm, 1/250sec, f/7.1, ISO50.
We are in the depths of winter and it's a rough flu season, so there's not much outdoor photography happening for me! I took this image before the hoar frosts arrived while visiting a friend's firewood business. I liked the textures of the cut ends of wood, so I widened the focal length and got in really close, to add perspective. In Photoshop I tidied distracting elements and used adjustment layers to give a slight dodge and burn. I stamped up and used a high pass filter on overlay blend mode to increase contrast, just on the cut ends. I was undecided whether it was too much, and whether I should decrease opacity - but in the end I left it as it was.
2 comments posted
Donna Becker
Very creative and I like it! The log with 4 swirls (middle of photo) makes a great anchor. It is so interesting, as a separate shot or doing a heavy crop, make that separate photo. You were right to feature the textures. I don't know enough about post processing to know what to do but the clouds might benefit from some adjustment. Posted: 07/02/2026 11:55:24
Congratulations for seeing the photo opportunity in this scene that most would just walk by. You did a great job bringing out the textures. I like the perspective and angle from which you took this shot. I also like that you kept some sky in the frame. As Donna said, you may want to soften or blur the clouds a bit, otherwise a great and unusual shot. You can find art in the strangest places! Posted: 07/02/2026 14:05:11