Remnants of the Glacial Period in Wisconsin can be seen on woodland floors with small to massive boulders. In Waupaca County, these boulders are often granite. This collection of boulders is on the southwestern side of Grenlie Lake in the Skunk-Foster State Natural Area. The beauty of the late summer sun setting illuminates a portion of the woodland with the boulders revealing the interplay with light and darkness and linear and oval objects. Tech stuff: ISO 400, f/11, 1/400 sec., -2 step, manual, center weighted average metering, 31mm focal length. Initial processing via RAW then opened in PS. Did crop and linear adjustment. In LR used various presets, gradient filters, then opened in PS to do some dodging and burning. Opened in LR again and used a gradient in upper middle to dehaze, then inverted and darkened the surrounding area slightly to emphasize the contrast of light and dark and to slightly emphasize the sunlight while creating a slight out-of-focus area about the upper boulders to soften that area.
This round’s discussion is now closed! 10 comments posted
Trey Foerster
As to WHY I took this, I am compiling images for a book and a calendar on the Skunk-Foster State Natural Area and have been shooting there for several years. Posted: 08/01/2022 14:21:25
Charles Walker
Trey, the Skunk-Foster State Natural Area is lucky to have you as a photographer. You have a gift for capturing the subtle beauty of hard-to-compose natural scenes. I like what you did to capture the feel of this spot in the forest, and at once, define a subject amonst the clutter Mother Nature challenges us to select a central dominant viewpoint. Posted: 08/09/2022 13:12:06
Trey Foerster
Thank you! Posted: 08/20/2022 19:34:41
Mark Fox
I like this a lot, Trey. You've taken a fine photo of a natural forest scene, portraying how the light touches all of the various elements of the scene in different ways. Your post processing adds an air of mystery, as if inviting the viewer to pause there a while. Posted: 08/11/2022 16:10:02
Trey Foerster
Appreciate your kind comments! Posted: 08/20/2022 19:35:14
Quang Phan
Hi Trey, thanks for sharing this image. This is a good photo for a book and calendar. Color and composition are nice. The contents of this image show all natural scenes of forest. I like the way you added fog very carefully from front to back.
Well done. Thanks Posted: 08/13/2022 22:29:42
Trey Foerster
Thanks! Posted: 08/20/2022 19:35:45
Rich James
(Group 80)
Trey, wonderful mystical image. Think your crop was right on, leaving the bolder as the focus. I also like the light layers you've been able to create. Kept looking for the fairy, but could find her. I do think it would work well in a calendar or notecard. (I do my flower macros every year for the family and they always seem to be a hit.) Great job. Posted: 08/20/2022 16:47:04
Trey Foerster
I think I will at least make a 4x6 for a card. Posted: 08/20/2022 19:36:39
Sanat Kumar Karmakar
Dear Foerster, I like this type scenes of forest. You have created an enviroment of the forest with expectation that a wild animal may appear at any moment. Skunk-Foster State Natural Area, as you have described, is beyond my reach; but I could feel it only. Thank you for sharing the image. You have also inspired me to share a similar scenes of Ranthambhore Wild life sanctuary (India), visited two months back. Posted: 08/21/2022 02:29:16
