Nikon D7100, F16@1/250, ISO-400, Nikkor Lens 16-85 @85mm
Two mature Coulter Pines set atop a small ridge along a wooded slope overlooking a montane meadow in the Santa Ana Mountains of Southern California. Looked as if these two were swapping stories and pointing out their observations to each other using their long lower branches.
This was shot in the late afternoon sun when the light favored the scraggly gray bark and long sweeping dark branches. I liked the natural hillside foreground and was glad to have a small patch of wildflowers at the top of the slope. Also liked the blue sky under the lower branches. No pine-cones in the image but these Pines produce the heaviest and largest. Do you think the second tree on the right might be too dark? Thanks for looking and commenting.
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I do feel the trunk could be dodged a little. My more immediate concern is the dark stump on the left. I wasn’t there so don’t know the limitations you were presented with but I would have tried a comp without it. The subdued colors and textures are nice.
Thanks for the comments, Mike. Good point on the stump. I did not give it a great consideration during the shot and maybe thought it would be an interesting element. But it does get in the way of a few lower branches, and the branches are the main subject matter. I think I might go back to see what options and angles I have with that light.
Stephen, I like the feeling of this image a lot, the light is nice. Also, I like the cooler white balance you used here, it results in some interesting green colors in the trees. For me the trees are the star of the show. Thus I would agree with @Michael_Lowe about wishing this had been composed to exclude the rock. The rock does not work as a framing element, and is a minor distraction. My other suggestion would be to show slightly less of the grass at the bottom. I think the grass helps balance the composition, but since it is so bright, i might crop away the bottom third of the grass. Or maybe try burning it down slightly. I think either of these tweaks would put more emphasis on the trees.
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Thanks for your input on this image @Ed_McGuirk I liked these Pines and especially the light on them at this time of day so I most likely will try a re-shoot and see if I can find an angle that eliminates the stump.
You had a keen eye to see the embrace of the branches of these two trees, I am used to Coulter pines in the more northern limit of their range where (absent cones) they do not resemble Ponderosa so much as these,
Nice detail throughout gives a lot to work with. I think the challenge is to convey the embrace in spite of all the detailed needles, grasses, etc.
The heavily blue needles of the right tree do a useful job of distinguishing it from the left tree, but seems unnaturally blue.
The grass and annuals in the foreground are quite atonal. You might consider burning some areas roughly horizontally, leaving weed tops unburned, to give some interest and depth to that area.
In the attachment, I ended up burning and desaturating a lot in an attempt to accentuate the embrace of the branches, but it is not highly successful, in my eyes,
Also incorporated others’ suggestions.
Appreciate your input and comments, @Dick_Knudson. I like the rework. It is a bit “scratchy” but the foreground seems to work better for me. I also wondered about the blue tones in the second tree. I intend to rework the image. It was the low light on the bark that drew me to the trees and then their long sweeping branches.
