Can't decide

[MiniChris]

if this is a little over the top or just right...you'd think by now...but no, I still have trouble seeing the forest for all the dang trees...this is a picture of Spanish Moss, a parasitic plant which grows on oaks all throughout the south.

When I shot it, everything was in great, hi-def color and the moss, though backlit, didn't stand off the background nearly well enough to become a focal point. So, I made a duplicate copy, desaturated the stew out of the base layer, then went back to the top layer and painted out most of the background...different places in varying degrees of opacity, applied a few screen levels, one multiply and a few other tweaks before coming to this conclusion.

Any ideas, comment, criticism would be greeatly appreciated.

[jeeperman]

Well Chris take this with a grain of salt, but for me....maybe because I am used to seeing moss similar.....but to me it seems to be in the way of those interesting branches behind it. Though it is bright I still find myself wanting to look around or beyond the moss.

[Radu Dinu Cordeanu]

Hi,
In such situation is hard to believe that someone has clear feelings.So many shots must do to expand the vision(many exposures,many angles,many positions and so on).Of course a "normal" image should ask Photomatix(HDR).Now when this shot is available to decompose(dissolve) should be a solution.

[MiniChris]

Unfortunately, the moss isn't that thin and to show that much of a tree limb in the background would immediately make anyone in my area look askance.. Years ago, they'd steam this stuff (to kill the little red bugs that live in it - little red bugs that will make you itch incessantly) and use it to stuff matteresses...it's pretty substantial in thickness and density.

On top of that, I am not much of an HDR fan. However, I do appreciate your efforts.

[Jan de Vries]

Hi Chris I was somehow impressed by this picture. You have done a lot of work to get it so. Over the top? I don’t think so. I have tried to do some editing to express more the feeling I get from this picture when I saw it. I hope you are not angry to me that I have done some post-processing without permission and if you like I can post the result here in this topic.
Jan

[MiniChris]

Hi Chris I was somehow impressed by this picture. You have done a lot of work to get it so. Over the top? I don’t think so. I have tried to do some editing to express more the feeling I get from this picture when I saw it. I hope you are not angry to me that I have done some post-processing without permission and if you like I can post the result here in this topic.
Jan

I will be quite impressed when you post the image...

No one on this forum should ever get angry at another's attempt to either teach, improve, practice a technique or in some other way enhance another member's ability to move forward in their work.

Otherwise, why are you here? Even the best members of this forum put out peices on occasion which can be improved on and they'de be the very first to admit this.

[Jan de Vries]

Thank you Chris,
Here is my result. My software allows me only to play with the light. (Nikon Capture NX2 and Nik Efex Pro filters)
The main things I did are:
-Orton effect to get a more mystic surrounding
- Little tonal contrast to get the green stronger.
- A sunlight filter to get more the Rembrandt light (left upper corner)
- Pushed some bright spots down
- Finally a crop to get all out left upper corner and let the moss pointed to the right lower corner.
It is totally different now. Maybe not what you wanted to do with your picture but this is what I saw in the first place.
Jan