Trees and Field at Denford, Leek

This photo was taken at 3:35pm on the 3rd October 2022 and developed from a single RAW file using On1 Photo Raw.

The lovely trees featured are typical of those in and around the villages of Denford and Cheddleton, near Leek, in the Staffordshire Peak District.

The photo was taken looking over the foreground hedge on Micklea Lane. The focal length was 45mm APS-C (equivalent to 68mm 35mm format), so just into short telephoto.

Development

The sky was a little plain, so I partly blended in some interest from a similarly toned sky.

There was a distracting tarmac road and some power lines on the left. All were removed using On1’s retouch tools.

The balance of the composition was impaired by a rather ugly foreground bush on the left. This proved more difficult to remove, and I ended up blending in a different part of the same sky from a duplicated layer in order to eliminate the offending shrubbery.

This was one of those shots taken at the end of our walk whilst on our way back to the car. I thought the trees and diagonal field line were quite compelling, so I framed it up from a few different vantage points and eventually took the image.

I took a three-bracket HDR set, but there were alignment issues, so I ended up developing the image from the single middle exposure RAW file.

I sometimes just shoot a bracket set for HDR without considering if the dynamic range of the scene requires it. I think I will weigh up the conditions and only shoot brackets if required next year.

Ironically, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to take this photo if it weren’t for our usual circular walk along the towpaths of the Caldon Canal having been ruined. The towpaths were closed at Hazlehurst Junction due to maintenance work, so we had to divert.

I’m quite pleased with the finished image and certainly glad I took the time to capture it.

Comments welcome below: