Vålberget is a small nature reserve near the Swedish border in central Southern Norway. It was protected just a few years ago, to preserve the dying and old trees in the area and the host of fungi, insects and birds that follows. Last weekend I was introduced to the area along with 10 more photographers, and we spent a few hours getting ourselves lost between the trees.
It was great to be out with fellow photographers for a change. In the forest we didn't see much to each other, but the evenings were spent discussing pictures and photography in general. Very inspiring.
The picture below is very much a work in progress. It's a HDR tonemapped rendering from five exposures. I am both fascinated and disappointed by the result, and write it all down to being a complete novice at tonemapping. In this shot I had problems reigning the greens, and as you can see they ended up running wild.
In defence of the greens, I can say that this rendering is closer to my subjective experience than anything I could wring out of a single exposure. The green mosses were iridiscent. The soil and bark was damp, and the contrast range pretty tough. The tonemapping certainly helps bring the shadow details out.
