Ground of the fallen

[Desmond Chan]

D700 105f2.8 micro hand-held. ISO 800 f8 1/160s. All natural light.

Probably not something that you expected, but I really would like to hear what you think about this.

Thank you very much !

[Stuart Frohm]

I like it! The variety of colors is very appealing.
Because my eyes were drawn to the area at right where the pavement and large crack are, I tried the cropped version I've attached.

[Ed Vatza]

Good morning, Desmond.

The good news here is that you have some absolutely beautiful leaves with color to die for. The bad news is that the background really detracts from the image in my estimation. It would have been much better to either have them scattered on a natural background (i.e. grass) or add more leaves or spread them out more or focus in tighter against the background you have. Just my two cents.

[Christopher Miller]

Very nice leaf photo, Desmond. Lovely variety of colors. Personally I don't mind the BG. One point I will make is that there are some pine needles throughout the image that distract a little IMHO. In my own leaf photos, I try to look for and remove any obvious debris such as pine needles. Small thing, but it can really help the photo look less busy.

[Julie Kenward]

Well Desmond, you aren't going to get any slack from me on the BG because I did the same thing about a week ago.

Here's my thoughts, though...

I really think you could have played up that crack more - moved the leaves so they were on one side of the crack or the other - and then the curve of the line would have drawn your eye through the photo.

Love the side light going across the image...Stuart's crop really electrified it for some reason. You might try a slight curves adjustment to see if you can get it to brighten up in your version as well.

Beautiful leaves here! I'd get back out among them and take some more images - you've really got a bounty to work with!

[Desmond Chan]

Thank you, everyone, for the comments and suggestions !

[Juan Carlos Vindas]

Very nice set of colors here. I find the BG interesting. Some green moss could improve this one even more.

[Mike Moats]

Hey Desmond, I like the various shades and colors. The pavers don't bother me and the leaves overpower the BG. I would add more saturation to make those colors pop.

[Desmond Chan]

I would add more saturation to make those colors pop.

I did enhance the colors some but was concerned that a bit more saturation could make the leaves look not that natural. Guess have to re-think :)

Thanks, Mike !