While trekking across the desert floor I am constantly scanning for patterns and interesting objects. My eye was drawn to this tree like pattern in the dried mud. The juxtaposition of an ancient symbol of life etched into the Death Valley landscape was a reminder of the struggle of all living things in such a harsh and inhospitable environment. Perhaps a symbol of hope.
Specific Feedback and Self-Critique
Conceptual: Feedback on the message and story conveyed by the image.
Technical Details
Canon 5DIV with EF 24-105/4L
Handheld
1/500 sec., f/6.3, ISO 400
B+W conversion in Lightroom
Wow, Paul! What a beautiful image you created. When I first saw the thumbnail and image caption, I thought it was a macro shot of a leaf. Upon opening the large photo and reading the story, I was pleasantly surprised. The concept of life being vividly present in what appears dead is a potent reminder of the struggles we face and the victories we accomplish. That photo conveys that to my eyes clearly. I also like the darker and larger spots on the bottom of the frame anchoring the lighter top section. This is a superb first photo (not counting the one you used in your introduction). Very well done.
I hope you will share more images and also use your 50+ years of photography to comment on other users’ photos in NPN.
You have a superb eye, Paul. This is a really cool pattern and I can see how you interpret it, though my first impression was just a single leaf, it has essentially the same meaning. I like the black and white presentation that helps make the visual metaphor work.
Very well spotted!
The pattern is gorgeous on it self, and the darker area on the bottom gives it even a more tree look, as it was the dirt holding this gorgeous tree.
Beautiful image and intriguing contrast between the dry environment and the symbolic pattern created by the mud cracks… The meaning is in the eye of the observer of course, but this is all what we can have - the eye of the observer. Very well seen and expressed!
Antonello, I do not usually like to influence the viewers interpretation of an image, but they asked for a title. “Tree of Life” sounded better than “Dendritic Patterns in Dried Mud No. 1”.
Wonderful take on a much photographed subject. I love the organic nature of the pattern that looks like a plant emerging from the soil. Great textures and patterns.
Wow, Paul. Just wow. This is awesome on so many levels. For me without having seen the original file, this had to be monochrome as color might have been distracting. Shape and texture is what counts here and you have worked this image nicely to show just that. The pattern literally jumps off the image towards the viewer and I really like the inclusion of the broken surface at the bottom which gives me ven more to contemplate. This photograph is like those of clouds, trees and other geometry of nature which we can’t start to understand but just enjoy. Very well done indeed.
