Bristlecone Pine Patterns


Second image originally


First image originally
I changed the order of these images so that what appears to be the favorite is on top.

Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

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Image Description

It’s been about 8 or 9 months since I’ve uploaded an image in Landscape here so I thought I’d go back to my trip to the White Mountains in California a year or two ago to do a little catch up work with you all. I was only there for a few hours during my same trip to Death Valley. I had a few extra hours to play with before heading home and I thought about trying to make some interesting images of these unique and strange trees. I spent the whole time trying to find interesting bark compositions. These trees have tremendous texture and colors to play with and so it was my goal to the crazy life that these ancient trees have coped with. Many are a couple of thousand years old and the oldest tree in the world here is almost 5 thousand years old. They have suffered through drought, forest fires, floods, avalanches, extreme winds, cold, heat and the birth of modern civilization. Here are two images. They are of the same tree but at different angles and distances.

Technical Details

Nikon Z9, 24-70 lens, f/13, 1/100th, ISO 640, tripod, 3 focus stacked images

Specific Feedback

I’d like your feedback on the balance of these as well as the colors.


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1 Like

Nice duo, David. I love the colors and textures. I think I much prefer the second, closeup image with it’s greater emphasis on the tree like patterns in the bark. I feel the bright triangle in the URC of the first image is a little distracting IMHO. Looking at these, I get the feeling of time or age with all the cracks and crevices reminding me of an older person’s well worn face.

This brings to mind high-end wood furniture. There is a level of gorgeousness in wood pattern, emphasized when you realize the time it took to develop. It’s a beautiful story of history.

I’m with @Michael_Lowe ; while they are both attractive I prefer the second image.

These are both very nice, David. I am partial to the first one as it feels a little better balanced to me. It’s interesting because at just a quick glance they resemble a long lens extraction of sandstone at Zion. They really come to life in the larger versions as you can see much more of the fine detail and texture. Love these!

Hi David,
Both are winners IMO, but I am really loving the second one. The large version is a must to really appreciate all the details and textures of the weathered bark of the bristlecone pine tree. The colors look spot on and very natural and I love the way you composed this with the graceful sweeping curves of the bark. My only suggestion for this pair of intimate landscapes would be to slightly tone down the URC of the first one. Beautifully done!

David, these both look great, but I do slightly prefer the 2nd one. It “feels” a bit more focused on the sweeping curls and I like how it emphasizes the dark mottled pattern along the left. In the first one, I’d try for a bit more contrast (and maybe overall burning) in the bright segment to the bottom.

I prefer the zoomed in version more. I think it concentrates on more interesting parts of the bark than the other version. I like the tatoo looking thing on the left and the textured wood on the far right. The center section is arguably the weakest for me. Maybe bring down the highlights in that center section to bring out more texture. I don’t know.

David I quite agree with Mark both are pleasing but the lower image is for me best. Its sweeping movement just feels more dynamic than the upper of the two images and I like the hints of cyan creeping in on lower left to offset the warmer hues on the right side of the image.

I’m going to go with the crowd, David as I too prefer the close up. What I love about the image (along with the colour palette, wonderful textures, and the exquisite lighting) is the abstract quality - the ambiguity of both scale and material - wood or stone.

Thanks for your comments @Michael_Lowe, @John_Williams, @Bret_Edge, @Ed_Lowe, @Mark_Seaver, @Igor_Doncov, @Ian_Cameron, @Kerry_Gordon.
I agree that the tighter image has more interesting detail and is a bit more focused on those small details. I also agree about burning the upper right corner on the longer shot and maybe even a bit on the middle of the tighter shot. Great catch to all of you.
It is rather abstract and had I not mentioned in the title what it was, I could have probably posted this in the abstracts category.
These trees have the most amazing tortured, bending, curving, qualities to them and almost all of them have been burned in a fire at one time or another. They have a creamy white colored cork like look to the interior wood and because they are so old, some of the outer wood shows the signs of mother nature wreaking havoc which I think makes them beautiful subjects to shoot. Thanks again for your comments.

1 Like