Is The Background Distracting?

[AndrewMcD]

My thought was to reduce the background, (i.e. darken and blur with various Lightroom tools) to bring attention to the tree. My initial attempts did reduce the detail of the background but had a bit of an unnatural feel to it. While it wasn't drastic it still just didn't seem quite right. I suppose the issue was that it became obvious that the background had been manipulated but it didn't add enough to the image to be satisfying to my eye. I've redone the post processing; adding a bit of clarity on the tree itself and a slight reduction of background exposure,clarity, contrast and shadows just to dim the background a little. Should I have gone further?
C&C solicited and appreciated.
Andrew

[chauncey]

Most all of us have been in the "been there/done that" position of trying to repair things in PP when, with a lot of foresight, can be done while initially working the scene.
However, in this scenario, you have a great subject and a less than ideal background and...LR is your only PP software...right?? Your only way out, IMHO, is using an adjustment brush, first on the background, then on the tree...going back and forth until you find a balance that pleases your eye. Playing with Temperature/tint/ and that little color box at the bottom can make a huge difference.

[IzzieK]

Andrew...I like this shot but the crop is too tight for my taste...btw, I like that character in the middle with the long nose...

[Mike Buckley]

You did a really nice job. You could also try reducing the saturation in the background just a tiny bit.

Despite that you did such a nice job of trying to improve the image, the most important issue that you can't change is the light. It's not the trees in the background that are distracting for me; it's their strong horizontal shadows when combined with the vertical lines of the trees that creates a background that is too busy. Better to wait for a cloudy day that produces soft shadows.

[Shadowman]

Not distracting to me.

[bnnrcn]

Not distracting to me either

[MrB]

I like the subject and the woodland background doesn't bother me. The main distraction for me is just the dazzling light sand(?) behind the subject in the bottom third.

Cheers.
Philip

[AndrewMcD]

Thanks to all for your comments!
As Mike points out it really is all about the light and it can't be changed after the fact. I noticed this tree in the fog as I was walking to the beach pre-dawn in hope of a sunrise. The sunrise didn't happen but the pre-dawn walk was worth it to see surfers in the fog; but that's a different future thread. I forgot about shooting this until later in the morning when the light was full and bright. I'm not unhappy with the image. It was a good lesson for me. This was the fourth and final shot that finally captured what I was seeing. It was satisfying to recognize that the first three weren't quite what I wanted and finally optimized the situation for all I could with the fourth shot. The tree isn't going anywhere and I am sure I'll be visiting Cape Henlopen again on a cloudy day with diffuse light for a reshoot.

Andrew