Please pardon the backstory, but it is important to me to share.
A friend had asked me to come photograph an area he and a group of friends had spent a lot of time in together, 25 years+. The friend was bed ridden in his final days of a cancer battle on the east coast and wanted to see the area one more time. It was spring with abundant wildflowers everywhere taking my obvious focus, and behind me was this scene that I love and so did his friend. We can help share with those that need to see Nature’s Beauty but can’t, and that is a gift!
I wanted to capture SPRING, regeneration, and new possibilities. I love branches and tree symmetry. I intentionally framed the top with the oak tree I was under and not sure if it distracts more than adds. I do like the position of the main oak with only a small portion of green grass and felt right not using the rule of thirds on vertical position, but that is my opinion and I welcome feedback.
What technical feedback would you like if any? Any, I want to learn! I am interested in all especially Color saturation, temperature
What artistic feedback would you like if any? Any
Pertinent technical details or techniques: Single exposure Olympus E-PL7 / Olympus M 14-42 / 35mm / ISO 640 / f18 / 1/320
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
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Very sorry about your friends (friend) - and no apologies necessary. It’s a very fine gesture on your part with deep meaning for all those who were touched by the place and now the images you so thoughtfully captured. My condolences.
To be honest, I was also hoping to see an image with “an abundance of wildflowers…” but I’ll settle for a well conceived and captured spring oak image. Filling the sky with the canopy of one tree while framing another works perfectly here. It’s clear what you’re intending and so there are no distractions here, IMHO. Great job!
A wonderful tribute that I’m sure your friends appreciated. Thanks for sharing and for sharing the back story.
Lon
ps. I had noticed after you posted the image wasn’t coming up. I edited and fixed the link.
It’s a powerful thought that our photography can transcend mere aesthetic beauty and capture something with such personal meaning. I like the idea of regeneration and I think that you have captured that nicely. I think that your composition works well. I like how the two trees seem to be interconnected and it’s hard to tell where one ends and one begins.
As a late comer, I also like this image a lot - even without knowing the story behind, and even more knowing it of course. I think the upper branch balances perfectly with the oak. And the sky in the background adds a nice frame. Splendid.
Without looking at the location tag, I thought, ‘California Oak woodland’. The image speaks to that perfectly. and I agree with the others that the compositional balance is excellent. I also like the color and the sense of light.
I do have two suggestions: Clone out the contrail. It does not fit with the structure of the clouds. Also, clone out the grass stalk in the lower right.
