Better days… well at least for these trees; douglas fir, maybe incense cedar… either way, fell pray to the bark beetle, drought and perhaps other factors… and what we can’t see here is how many of these trees have been cleared out by the park service over the past couple of seasons. This area has seen a great clearing of trees really changing the landscape of the valley, in parts. During this transition, there are stands of trees - and I’ve photographed them before. There’s a stark and bold beauty that I see - even in dead trees that will likely soon be cut down - and then who knows what purpose they may serve somewhere down the line…
Anyway, that’s El Cap as the back drop - and this was about 8:30 in the morning - the sun quite hot on scene. So this was processed to try and mitigate that bold harsh light and so processed a bit on the underexposed side. Also posting a b&w version which I thought might work given the graphics, lines and contrasts - but not sure if there’s enough separation between the granite wall and the trees.
Your comments, critiques and suggestions are always welcome! This is in sharp contrast to some of the images I’ll be posting coming up.
This is a fine pair of images Lon, as usual you have a good eye for seeing these kind of graphics. And I like how you pushed thee boundaries here with two interesting processing techniques. The composition is right on the money to my taste, your arrangement / placement of the trees creates a very powerful and bold statement. And I love the use of rich blacks on the spindly branches, they make the images work for me. At first I didn’t like the broken tree, but it grew on me because it creates open space, which helps break up the pattern a little.
At first glance I actually assumed both of these were B&W treatments, the first one just being sepia toned. But from reading your description of the image, it sounds like the first one is actually a color image. It sort of looks like a toned B&W to me, but it doesn’t matter either way I like it. I really like the color used here it creates a nice mood in the image.
The “true” B&W image has surprisingly less impact than I might have expected from it’s graphic shapes. The only reason that I can think of is that the luminosity of the tree trunks and the rock cliff are so close together that you get less separation/contrast. Maybe someone else will have a better insight on this.
And since I’m in kind of a “Photo Art” mood today, I’ll offer up a third permutation as food for thought. This creates some separation, but it may be too over the top for your taste. My rework is sort of “out there”, but it’s got me thinking about applying some split toning to your B&W version.
Thank you @Ed_McGuirk! I love it - way to step out of the box. I wanted to ask what you did, but upon close inspection, I’m pretty sure you just did a simple mask and hand painted the trees back in to color (or vice versa with the bg rock.) After seeing this I tried the reverse, but I think the trees in color works best - and certainly works to separate from the bg. Great idea, thanks!
I’m enjoying this comp and it’s a refreshing concept having a granite wall behind a group of fir’s instead of a forest.
I prefer the colour version as the earthy colours which you’ve created in processing work well for me.
I also think @Ed_McGuirk version has potential. I’d like to see a version a slightly desaturated background but perhaps not a totally grey scale background.
This looks excellent. I am torn between the B&W version and @Ed_McGuirk 's version. I love both but they convey very different moods. Luckily, I have no need to pick a favorite.
Lon, no contest here for me. The first image is my only choice. It has a feel that I cannot describe beyond it put me right there among the starkness of it all…Excellent image
Lon I just love the first image. The colors, lines and comp are wonderful. The image has a painterly feel and I like the warmth of it compared to the other versions.
Aren’t trees amazing? I love the grouping that you chose with two groups of three trees with interesting spacing and smaller trees interspersed. I like both the color and B&W versions but ask how you like the green at lower left and bottom right corner in the color version? Is the green a distraction to you or an asset. In the B&W this is not an issue. The image makes me think of Charlotte Gibb and her trees, perhaps because of her day on NPN this week. Wonderful image, no complaints.
I love the image, Lon. The b/w to me lacks separation from the background. If you could make that separation, it works perfectly. I love the broken tree. Nature is imperfect.
Thank you all for your comments. Yeah, I think I much prefer the color version and agree the b&w version needs more separation. I think the best way to do that is separating the colors like @Ed_McGuirk did. I’ve tried a number of times now to do differently and like Ed’s idea/results best. Thanks again Ed!
Larry, I wondered if anyone was going to mention the greenery. I definitely considered removing/cropping, but in the end left it since, while it was noticeable, I didn’t think was a big eye magnet. But clearly an element not necessarily a positive influence in the image.
Thanks so much mentioning Charlotte. I too admire her work. And of course we have something in common - our love for Yosemite!
Lon, if I had to pick from your two images I would pick the color version. Both are excellent, but I think there’s a little more separation between FG and BG elements. I also like @Ed_McGuirk’ treatment.
Lon,
I love the stark graphic beauty of these dead trees against the backdrop of El Cap. My favorite is your first version as the earth tones in both the trees and the granite wall just seem to resonate better with me. Of course the side lighting is gorgeous and does an amazing job of showcasing the lovely textures in the bare trees and that of the rock wall. My only suggestion; and it must be just me because no one else mentioned it; would be to clone out the intruding limb on the right side of the frame almost at the top. The horizontal format works perfectly here.
Beautiful work, Lon. I like the color version all the way. The graphic quality of this image combined with a color cast is what works for me. I might desaturate the small green at the bottom left for consistency, although it works very well with the color scheme. If there was more of it it would enhance the image actually. I might burn in the highlights of the center left tree a bit. Marvelous image. I have a similar image that I can’t make it work. This shows me how.
It’s tragic to read what these beetles have done to the trees in the valley. I’ve never witnessed it with this problem in Yosemite and am having a hard time imagining it. The pine forests in British Columbia have been devastated by these varmints. Entire forests - dead.
