Mini Challenge #220: Into the woods

pegelli

Hello fellow Dgrinners,
The theme for Mini-Challenge #220 is: Into the woods
For this mini challenge I’m going to send you “Into the woods”. I’m always amazed how some people are able to put order in a random mix of trees and shrubs. I always find this a difficult challenge and I’m hoping I can learn to see better myself from your submissions.
I’m going to make it extra challenging by stating that I just want to see trees, broken branches, shrubs and forest floor. No stacks of firewood or streams/paths or other non-forest elements to help the composition. I really want your shot in the woods in its purest form. I also want more then one tree, it really has to be a forest.
At the end of this post you’ll find some examples of what I’m looking for, as well as one examples of what I am not looking for.
Time period for this Mini challenge will be: Today, Monday January 18 thru Saturday February 6, 11:00 am NEW time (Brussels/Paris/Rome)
Happy shooting,
Pieter

************************************************** *******************************************
Usual Stuff:

OUR UN-OFFICIAL GENERAL RULES
1. Have fun sharing and seeing what others share!
2. The host supplies a topic and YOU POST 1-3 IMAGES. The host judges the winners (1st, 2nd and 3rd) and is not eligible to enter. The 1st place winner becomes the next host, chooses the next topic and becomes the next judge.
3. Any photo you’ve taken is eligible, regardless of when taken or camera used.
4. Any amount of post-processing is allowed. However, it is helpful if you list your camera and lens along with your photo.
5. You may comment on other contestant's images. If you want someone to leave you some critique or criticism, just ask within your post.
6. The winner has up to three days (72 hours) to begin a new mini-challenge, or the honor goes to the #2 finisher and so forth.

Guidelines:
1. Enter 1-3 photos and put them in a single post.
2. Either embed your image in the thread or, if you must, supply a link to it. Keep in mind, however, most people don't want to click to open photos hosted elsewhere (i.e. on your website).
3. Also try and resize your photos prior to posting so they're sized appropriately for viewing without having to scroll (~800 pixels on the longest side works best.)
4. Give each image you enter a title.
5. Enjoy discussion with members about their images, don't let this just be an entry thread!
6. When quoting a post, change the IMG urls to a 200x200 size picture so it is clear your post is feedback and not another entry. (See here for help).
7. Don't be hesitant; share 'em and enter!

Mini-Challenge pointers:
1. Upon winning a mini-challenge round, your first step is coming up with a new theme and starting a new thread using the same format as others have used.
2. Make sure to notify the admin of this thread to update the main thread links with your entry thread.
3. Feel free to watch the thread as it grows or wait to the end time and look at all the entries all at once.
4. After the time/date has passed, then officially close the thread with a single post notifying everyone of the fact.
5. After you're finished judging, start a new thread (again using the prior formats) and post your Winner and runners-up. It is important to have runners up in case the winner does not show within the 72-hour window.
6. PM the winner with this info above and let them know they have 72 hours to set up the next mini-challenge.
7. If the winner does not show/start the next mini-challenge after 72 hours, notify the next runner-up and post a message on the Winner thread of the fact.
8. Remember, if you're the Winner, you run the next mini challenge!

************************************************** *******************************************

Here’s some examples from my own gallery:
1:


2:


3:


And here is an example of what I am not looking for, i.e. where the composition is helped by the stack of firewood and the path leading to it (it’s not a great shot, but I hope you get what I mean).


In case you have questions just ask, and I'll try to explain further.

sarasphotos

Pieter, this is going to be tough! I've just taken a quick look and seen that 95% of all of my forest/tree pictures feature a path or stream. That what comes from being on my bike underway, I guess!

Here are three that I hope fit the qualifications - if they don't I'll be happy to dig out another :

NEW 1) Fall Forest, Augsburg, Germany
Camera: Panasonic DMC-G1
Lens: LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 40.0 mm (80.0 mm in 35mm)
Aperture: f/16
Exposure Time: 0.008s (1/125)



2) A weird tree, Siebentischwald, Augsburg
Camera: Panasonic DMC-G1
Lens: LUMIX G VARIO 14-45/F3.5-5.6
ISO 200
Focal Length: 19.0 mm (38.0 mm in 35mm)
Aperture: f/4.3
Exposure Time: 0.05s (1/20)



3) Snowy forest, Wendelstein, Germany
Panasonic DMC-G1
LUMIX G VARIO 45-200/F4.0-5.6
ISO 100
Focal Length: 45.0 mm (90.0 mm in 35mm)
Aperture: f/9
Exposure Time: 0.00313s (1/320)

pegelli

sarasphotos wrote: »

Here are three that I hope fit the qualifications - if they don't I'll be happy to dig out another

I think they all fit the qualifications, although the traffic signs (and maybe the large open area) in the first are borderline. The second and third are "spot on".

sarasphotos

Pieter, I've switched #1 since you considered it borderline. Hope that's ok.

Forests are obviously not my forte but I also hope I can glean some tips from the other entries.

Cheers, Sara

pegelli

sarasphotos wrote: »

Pieter, I've switched #1 since you considered it borderline. Hope that's ok.

Forests are obviously not my forte but I also hope I can glean some tips from the other entries.

Cheers, Sara

That's fine Sara, and I actually choose this challenge for exactly the same reason

travelways

Here is my contribution - please let me know if they respond to your expectations

1.


2.



3.

pegelli

@ Tatiana, perfect!

travelways

pegelli wrote: »

@ Tatiana, perfect!

:ivar

grandmaR

Here are some trees without other elements, but it isn't really a forest. I'll see if I can find something else
(This is Vermont)

This is more a jungle than a forest


We were in St. Croix and got on the wrong road and the sun would come suddenly through the trees and hit the windshield, blinding us. I was trying to get a photo of that.

2005 in Talladega AL

puzzledpaul

Just wondering whether wildlife is considered to be a 'non forest element' for this MC?

(not thinking of entering anything, btw - just curious )

pp

pegelli

puzzledpaul wrote: »

Just wondering whether wildlife is considered to be a 'non forest element' for this MC?

(not thinking of entering anything, btw - just curious )

pp

Good question, and one I hadn't thought of beforehand. So I had to think of an answer on the fly. I'd say it's out unless it's small and inconspicuous in the background. The objective of the shot really needs to be about the composition and juxtaposition of the trees/shrubs and not about something else.

puzzledpaul

So, would something like the fourth pic (heron pano) here fit that remit?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/puzzledpaul/with/12802112935/

(tried a direct link, btw, but flickr didn't want to know)


pp

grandmaR

pegelli wrote: »

Good question, and one I hadn't thought of beforehand. So I had to think of an answer on the fly. I'd say it's out unless it's small and inconspicuous in the background. The objective of the shot really needs to be about the composition and juxtaposition of the trees/shrubs and not about something else.

I assumed that if you didn't want wood piles or paths that animals and people would also be out.

GSPeP

All less than 1 mile from my house ...

1.


2.


3.

pegelli

puzzledpaul wrote: »

So, would something like the fourth pic (heron pano) here fit that remit?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/puzzledpaul/with/12802112935/

(tried a direct link, btw, but flickr didn't want to know)


pp

I'd think it's out. The heron is small, but still an important part of the composition.

Cavalier

Boy, this one is a toughie since most of my shots have something else in the "way". But I'll try these three - do let me know if they qualify or not. If not, since I live in and about the Tahoe National Forest, I would be remiss if I couldn't get something that does qualify!

Foggy forest view:




Snowy forest:




Lundy Lake area:

fjcvisual

Here are a few

travelways

Love this one

GSPeP wrote: »

2.

Earache

Denali N.P. - Alaska




Eucalyptus Grove




Joshua Tree N.P. - California (an arid climate forest)

kdotaylor

There are some truly beautiful photos here! I'll add a couple:

#1


#2


#3

Boogs10712

Into the woods
Sleeping Bear Dunes, Michigan

Seefutlung

(Into the Woods - Into the Woods is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine.)

sapphire73

Here are a few that may fit the parameters of this challenge...

Woods in the Rocky Mountains


Aspen

lkbart

A couple that might fit (& time to post them!):

Cypress grove in winter
(This fits as long as you consider the swamp is the forest floor in the bayou. The water can be the focus but wasn't meant to be in this shot, it's just the floor.)
If this is a stretch for you, Pieter - it's your challenge - I'll replace it



Redwoods showered in sunlight and fog



A Kansas forest - sand plums

synature

Into the woods
Into the woods


vertical pano




Inside the forest

PhotonSnapper

Snow in Birch Forest
That's a great theme, I love trees and forests very much!
Take 1) Taken in a forest in Leinfelden, Germany, with my Nikon D810, 100mm f2 macro lens at 1/60 sec, f8 ISO100. This is a significant crop of the original version, a 200mm lens would have worked better with hindsight I used a tripod to prevent blurs from motion of the camera. It was not easy to really look through the viewfinder, because it was very windy and the falling snow quickly covered the whole equipment including my glasses.
During post processing I emphasized the luminositiy of the leaves.

PhotonSnapper

Snowy Forest
Take 2) Taken three years ago with Nikon D800 50mm 1.4 at 1/50 sec, f7.1 and ISO 100. During post processing I had to correct the verticals. My frame is certainly a matter of taste, I often try to simulate a matte and frame to give me the feeling how the final image might look like.

pegelli

This mini-challenge is now CLOSED.

I'll start the difficult task to comment and pick winners/HM's.
Might take a little bit of time, but don't despair, it will come