Ghost Tree on the 17 Mile Drive at Pebble Beach, CA. This was taken on my recent trip to the California coast and wine country. Despite the wildfire in Sonoma we had clear weather (no smoke) and no power outages. All comments and critiques welcome.
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What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques: Canon EOS R, RF 24-105mm at 76mm, ISO 200, f/11, 1/200 sec
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Great looking tree. A few suggestions come to mind. Not sure how you feel about cloning, but I would be tempted to remove the rocks in the water, the long rock on the right edge and the rock LLC and then burn the bright green plant on the ground LRC. I find they pull my eye away from the excellent tree. I find this to be a good candidate for a conversion to B&W, not necessarily making it better, but just conveying a whole different, starker feel to the image. Both work well for me.
I agree this is one awesome tree! I love the expressive character in this old Monterey cypress - I love these trees. So many different characteristics one could draw from this tree including a ballet dancer - and that top branch reminds me of the tree characters in Lord of the Rings… Very cool.
Would also agree with Harley on some minor tweaks - namely the partial rock both in the LL and along the right edge. Also, the brighter greens in the LRC. Crop or otherwise clone or something to remove those minor distractions, allowing the tree even more presence.
Personal preference of course, but I could see warming the highlights a smidge - but then again, being familiar with the foggy light along the Monterey coast… this looks pretty darn accurate in terms of color, processing, etc.
I prefer the b&w as well. I think the fg tree hurts this image somewhat, particularly in the colored version where it’s the only strong color and yet it’s not the main subject.
Wonderful looking tree, Eva. I love the gnarly character. The B&W repost is the winner for me as it makes the tree even more graphic. My only suggestion would be to clone out the rock intruding along the right edge almost half way up. Nicely done.
Don’t trees have amazing character? I see the top tree as a person reaching out and the bottom one pointing directions. I agree with Harley and think you did a great job in your re-postings. Its tough to choose a preference, color vs B&W. Yet I wonder if more distinction in grays could be achieved between the foreground tree and the rocks behind it. I generally use Nik Software’s efexpro2 (may not have the name correct) to do conversions because of the tremendous range of B&W options and the chance to make specific adjustments to suit one’s taste. Wonderful image.
Eva this tree is amazing, what a find. You have got a lot of good suggestions, and I think the rework is a nice improvement. I strongly prefer the color image to the B&W. To me, the color image tells more of a story of the sun breaking through the mist and fog. I love the subtle blue tones in the sky and water, they create a nice contrast against the warmer tones of the tree and sunlit rocks. If anything, I would consider reworking it further to add some warmth to the highlights in the trees and rocks, to accentuate that color contrast even further. Outstanding work on this one.
I’m late here so I won’t repeat everybody else’s comments. Wonderful potential here. Great eye to see this. Looks like something from Acadia. All the cloning suggestions are spot on and I also agree with @Ed_McGuirk about liking the color version better.
