Michael Moore  


Leaf with Reflection by Michael Moore

November 2021 - Leaf with Reflection

November 2021 - Michael Moore

Original

About the Image(s)

I’m always fascinated by the variety in fall leaves and wanted to create a still life with a reflection. The original shot was set up on an old broken picture frame piece of glass and was shot at ISO 400, F8, at 0.4 seconds with one F7-II LED light. In Photoshop, I cloned out all the messy bits and removed the stem from the seed pod as I found it to be a distracting element. I added my texture using the Color Dodge blending mode. I used a Levels adjustment layer with the gradient tool to have the texture dissolve to black on the reflection and another Levels adjustment layer to reduce the glare on the seed pod. The image was finished off in LR by adding a little clarity, texture and vibrance to the upper leaf.


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




Linda M Medine   Linda M Medine
Michael, I love this image. You can do so much with the image. I have a visual image. I selected the subject and filled with black. I removed some of the blemishes and went into camera raw and color match and upped the yellow and orange a little. Great Image. Love it.   Posted: 11/07/2021 16:39:47
Comment Image
Michael Moore   Michael Moore
Thank you Linda. I can see how going with all black adds a touch more drama. Thanks.   Posted: 11/27/2021 09:34:09



Denise McKay   Denise McKay
Very nice composition and concept Michael. You did a really good job of blending the textured background fading into the smooth black of the reflection surface. I personally like how you did additional edits to the top leaf but the reflection doesn't mirror those edits. At first I thought that would bother me, but I actually think it keeps this image interesting.   Posted: 11/08/2021 07:56:23



 
A simple and interesting photo. I like the colors and the composition and the texture. Also, you've done a great job cleaning it up and removing the bright glare. In my opinion, the leaf reflection is a bit too bright - perhaps you might try to get the reflection to have the tonal feel of the starting image and see if that is an improvement.   Posted: 11/14/2021 15:59:21
Michael Moore   Michael Moore
Thanks Witta. I see your point about toning down the reflection which would also help to focus attention on the upper leaf. Well worth exploring.   Posted: 11/27/2021 09:36:22



Connie Reinhart   Connie Reinhart
I love it.   Posted: 11/15/2021 14:43:28



Mary Hinsen   Mary Hinsen
I really like this. I like that your finished image has a lighter background at the top, darker at the bottom.
I sometimes use reflections with portraits - they make interesting end results.   Posted: 11/23/2021 16:55:52
Michael Moore   Michael Moore
Thank you Mary. I never thought about trying reflections with portraits and can see how that could generate some very interesting images.   Posted: 11/27/2021 09:37:52