I was attracted to the image because of the contorted beauty of this tree. Title comes from the fact that it is growing straight out of granite, is bowed by wind and snow, and wears its dead and broken limbs like a badge of honor. The photo was taken at dawn with temperatures in the 20’s.
Specific Feedback Requested
Would like feedback on composition: foreground, unable to eliminate boulder to left, general aspect ratio. Way eye moves through the frame? Leading line crack too cheezy coming exactly from the left corner? Appreciate any further comments you have. I have a great respect for your body of work.
Hey Bob! I’m not David Thompson, but I do wanna just pop in and say I love this photo it is so cool! I’ve seen plenty of photos of trees like this, but never one composed like you did.
Hey thanks for the kind words! Much appreciated! Thank you!
I like this scene Bob. The tree is very interesting. Makes me wonder how the heck did the tree get like that! I don’t mind the crack coming from the left corner. I like the soft pastels here, as I think its fitting for the scene and light that was present at the time of capture. I don’t have much to add here, but the one thing that I would do is cool off the shadowed areas. Mainly for the color separation. It gives you that subtle color contrast from the granite rocks. I will attach an image to show you the areas I am referring to. I did color balance adjustment layer in PS, added some cyan + blue in the mid tones, added a black mask, then painted in the adjustment in those areas. I also brightened the tree up some to give it some more separation from the background.
David. Thank you for your insights and taking the time to specify the actual adjustments. Although subtle they really improved the image which is exactly the feedback I am looking for. Hope to meet you one day.
What an amazing and wonderful tree!! It would be nice if the rock on the left wasn’t there but since it is, I wonder about cropping a but more into it, to possibly minimize its visual weight. I love the detail in the tree and the subtle lighting that makes some of the green branches brighter. But in the enlargement there are some strange artifacts in the sky behind the lower branches…
Thanks for the kind words Diane. The artifacts are probably due to removing distractions I hadn’t noticed and can see them now. I will try out the suggestion on the boulder to the left. I too am concerned about it.
