Chris Prior  


Mesmerizing Mangroves by Chris Prior

October 2024 - Mesmerizing Mangroves

About the Image(s)

Canon 20D with Canon 18-55mm f5.6 lens @55mm, 1/50sec f5.6 ISO 100

I shot this in 2008 on my way home from work. The highway runs parallel to the Hunter River at Hexham (Newcastle area) for approx. 2km and the far bank is lined with really old mangroves which look grey and drab most hours of the day but come alive at sunset. There are a few weeks every year when my drive home coincided with sunset so I would often stop and shoot at this location providing there was no wind. In Adobe Camera Raw I decreased highlights before importing to PS where I dodged a bit of the top right corner to darken the foliage down to closer match that on the left. Then did separate curves adjustments on shadow and highlights to get maximum contrast. Converted to mono by creating a new fill adjustment layer and selecting SOLID COLOR (black) and COLOR blending mode on 100% opacity.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
5 comments posted




Stuart Ord   Stuart Ord
Absolutely mesmerising, Chris! It makes me feel giddy. In a nice way, of course.

Mangroves in Hexham?? That would be amazing but I guess it's not the Hexham near Newcastle in the UK ;-)

Anyway, I love the high contrast, in a way it's not dissimilar to my photo this month, which was processed a different way.



  Posted: 10/07/2024 19:42:25



Jerry Snyder   Jerry Snyder
The bright sunlit forms of the trees and their reflections make a compelling image that keeps my eyes moving around, in a good way. The high frequency zig zags on the Mangrove's reflections on top of the smoother curves provides visual interest. The low key treatment of the water and shadows works well to highlight the Mangrove trees.   Posted: 10/12/2024 13:41:11



John Roach   John Roach
Chris, Excellent tonality, composition, subject that evokes stories for the viewer. You have an excellent image here I have no comments to offer because you created it so well.   Posted: 10/14/2024 13:20:44



Don York   Don York
I find the bottom portion of reflections very unnatural and hard to concentrate on for any time - too busy. I love the upper portion of the image. Maybe a crop removing the bottom third?   Posted: 10/14/2024 13:35:07



Keisha Becerra   Keisha Becerra
Your careful adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw and Photoshop have paid off beautifully, creating a high-contrast image that's both moody and rich in texture. Great work!   Posted: 10/26/2024 08:40:19