I just happened upon this spot as I was driving along the road to Point Reyes on the California coast north of San Francisco. I just knew that I had to stop here and explore the area for some interesting compositions. Besides waiting for some other people to leave the scene, there was some distracting harsh sunlight shining through the trees. I finally settled on this one spot where the light was pleasing and the symmetry of the trees made for an effective image.
Specific Feedback Requested
Just some general feedback on what does or doesn’t work on this image.
I was just there last Wednesday! myself, @Diane_Miller and @Tony_Siciliano spent quite a bit of time walking in and back out. I know for sure I didn’t get anything as good as this! You were fortunate too having some green grass at the base of the trees. It was just plain, dusty dirt for us.
This is just great and a fabulous entry for this week’s challenge. Kudos!
Hi, Ted. What a beautiful and classic rendition of a natural tunnel: the arching branches, the light at the end, etc. I’ve seen other photos from this location, but I must say that your composition and colors are truly outstanding. I really like the bark tones and how well they contrast with the green grass. The light is very uniform throughout the photo. Your deliberate search to avoid any harsh light paid off. The only thing I can see that might make this photo even better would be two very minor points regarding light. In the size posted here, that is really not a problem. However, if I click to open the image at a larger size, then I find my eyes moving constantly away from the tunnel and to the bright light on the LLC between the two trees. The same thing happens with that piece of sky above in the center. Again, in the small-size version, those things don’t distract me. It’s only when I open the image by itself in a larger format.
It must be such an amazing feeling to be under those trees and experience the scene. I feel calm and serene just looking at the photo.
You got an excellent composition and unusually lovely light here. The trees are not as evenly spaced as we would hope for and you found the best spot and focal length. I think you could crop a bit from the left to eliminate that small gap in the trees. If this is a raw file, it should be possible (maybe with a layer processed differently and masked) to reduce the white in the building. It is weathered and there is a little detail there.
Todd, your framing with the trees and centered walkway look great. The trees look ancient but well cared for. The gently glowing greens are very nice. I too could see some burning in of the house and some of the brighter sky bits. There are two “funky” spots that look like cloned areas at the end of the walkway/base of the house that I’m guessing were people.
This is an often shot scene but I have to say that this is one of the better images I’ve seen from that area. You got fantastic conditions for sure. I particularly like the trees on the right hand side bending over the road in the foreground. I actually think the sky poking through in the upper center of the frame makes this better. This has a painterly quality to it.
I took this photo a few years back and forgot that I indeed cloned out some people in the scene. A bit of a careless cloning I must admit. Thanks for pointing that out to me. I’ll have to revisit this photo and re-edit it.
Thanks for your kind comments Egidio. It is a wonderful spot, and I’m so glad I discovered it purely by chance. I thought it was a perfect fit for this week’s challenge.
