Last Tuesday in the Mojave it rained lightly all day. I found the gloomy weather fit the mood of this scene really well.
D850, 70-200mm
Repost
Original
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Harley, needless to say this poor old devil has seen better days. After seeing several open desert thunderstorms with accompanying lightning strikes this guy might have fallen pray to one of those type events… 
I love when the desert turns to cooler and moodier weather such as this. A fine image for this old derelict tree carcass… 
Only change for another look might be to crop very slightly in on both sides. Left for the hilltop bush on the extreme edge there and right to trim the taller boulder out. Just a thought. … 
Hi Harley, it is really clear why the tree and its story or mystery captivated you. The dappled lighting of the tree branches is a nice touch, and the fallen tree or branch is nicely placed in the composition.
The foreground is quite bright, as is the sky, and I wondered if darkening both would allow some cloudy moodiness to emerge. Like @Paul_Breitkreuz I felt the need for a crop, and I rotated it a tiny bit.
The graphics of the scene come out nicely in monochrome, as well.
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Thanks, @Paul_Breitkreuz and @Dick_Knudson for the comments and the ideas. I kind of did a hybrid of the ideas. I darkened the foreground, straightened it a bit and rather do a full crop as suggested, did some edge cleanup. I find I like the wider view for its sense of space in the desert. Great thoughts on this, which are much appreciated.
Harley, the modified versions by you & Dick, including the B&W, work better for me over the original post. The cleanup of the edges on the updated versions cuts down the eye wander from the main subject of the tree… 
Very evocative. The rework, with those subtle changes, is wonderful.
Hi Harley,
Your repost is wonderful–moody yet colorful in a very subtle way. The branch on the ground adds an additional bit of tragedy to the image. …Jim
Wonderful and evocative image. I have to wonder how there can be enough vegetation in the desert to sustain a fire. From lightning?
Your repost is the winner for me Harley. I like the horizontal because it helps to showcase the harsh surroundings of the desert landscape that this tree was trying to survive in. The downed limb in the FG is perfectly placed and helps support the story. I also like that bit of delicate soft light on the top of the tree. Very evocative image!