I could not decide if I went to far or not with the softening of this image. Eventually I decided I preferred the softened version as it has a dreamlike feeling to it that draws me in. I have included the normal version below that I almost posted instead. Which version do you prefer? Click on the thumbnail below of the unsoftened version to make it bigger.
Autumn Dreams
- November 2nd, 2009
- Posted in Fall, Landscape, Trees
- Tagged Autumn, Fall, Leaves, Pentax DA 50-200, Pentax K10d




well you know me, getting accused of over processing, so of course i like the soft one
pretty picture!!!
hmm.. i can’t pick which one i like, i like the appeal of the soft focus and the un-”soft focus”-ed one looks great as well..
Andy, I like both..but I would have soft focused around the center tree drawing your eye to that spot. The way it is now, I don’t quite know where to look. But it is good!
a glowing vision of autumn.
I like the softened one best. Such beautiful yellow leaves!
I can’t decide. I do love the softness of the tree, but I like autumn in all its forms.
The softness really works well as it draws the eye right into the beautiful tree with the yellow leaves. Wonderful post production.
It is a bit of a toss-up since I like both, but the softened version produces the kind of mood you would feel in autumn/winter, blurry, misty, etc. Nonetheless both versions are great Andy!
very nice autumn colors, i guess i’d take somewhere in between the two shots
i like both, they give different feelings
The softened one has a nice misty autumn feel to hit but I think I prefer the other.
The thing is, Andy, each serves it’s own purpose…and that’s the thing about photography. As the photographer, YOU get to make the decision based on what mood YOU’RE in. As my grown daughter often says to me, “It’s your blog, Mom, and you get to do whatever you want!”
Bottom line, I like them both for different reasons.
Great points Ginnie!
beautiful, dreamy scene
The soft one does have a very strong mood and appeal, but i also like the sharp detail in the leaves of the other image.
I’m a fence sitter I guess!
Beautiful ethereal mood.
I like them both :-). What a gorgeous tree.
Your treatment to the shot has made it so beautifully romantic place.
I prefer the softened one, but I would have cropped a little off the top - the harshness of the light is a bit of a contrast to the softness of the image. The sharp shot I like as is. Both versions are great.
Un tratamiento muy bueno.
Saludos
Hmmm…pretty but I think maybe toned down a little. Somewhere between the two.
Que bonita, me gusta el efecto que has aplicado, le sienta de maravilla. saludos!!
very nice soft autumn tones, great treatment!
They are both good shots. The soft version is great and gives a hazy autumn type mood, but the sharp shot is great too. I think for this photography blog though, that the muted version is good, as it shows a photography technique.
very nice
Très belle composition d’automne
Olivier from Belgium
Love the soft dreamy effect. Beautiful autumn and golden colors. A serene and wonderful composition.
i like the softened version better, although maybe you overdid it just a little bit. I looks like there was condensation on your lense!
Fantastic and autumn photo Bravo. Yours
I like them both, but I think the softened one gets the nod. Nice work!
Great scenery and very beautiful processing, congratulations!
Gorgeous dream-like effect. Love the color!!!
Me gusta mucho el ambiente glamour que has creado en esta fotografia, gran composicion.
Saludos.
Very lovely, dreamlike as others have said. When I first saw it I wondered if it was with a canon soft focus lens. Compositionally, I very much like how the benches and rock draw my eye from foreground to background. One to be proud of!
Love the soft version of this. Very good creation of a certain mood. Well done!
good choise with the bluring .. it works better
A beautiful photograph with good detail, a very good contrast, yet bravo for this beautiful snapshot.