This image is actually the upper part of a larger one that never quite made it. The original was an ‘almost good enough’ image made 5 years ago. Every so often I would pull it out of the mothballs and give it another chance. But the answer was always the same - not good enough. “Sorry Charlie. Not good enough for Sunkist”. So last night I decided to go radical. And I was intrigued by the result. It may have to do with rereading Weston’s Daybooks. What say yee? Thumbs up or thumbs down?
Canon 6D, 24-105mm
BTW, this image was always meant to be b&w . I can provide the original for comparison if interested.
The tree is a very striking subject and I like the depth and tonality you have presented. My first thought is the twisted cactus on the right does not help, it takes away from the main subject. I need to look at this a bit more, for now thumbs half way up.
Definitely like this in soft B&W, Igor. A nice compelling spread of young branches that seem to beckon the viewer. I like the dying yucca/cacti on the right side too. Is that the Unloved and Unwanted; or is that because you set the image aside for a few years?
I like the low contrast, subdued B&W processing processing style here Igor. The tones in the tree trunks and branches have a nice luminous quality. Here’s another vote in favor of the dead cactus. It’s twisted shapes create a minor echo of the twisted shapes within the tree itself.
In terms of composition, I think it is well balanced horizontally. I like how you have a less chaotic/energetic background in the LLC, it creates an interesting, calm counterpoint to the dynamic shapes in the rest of the image. However, I’m not as keen on the vertical balance of the composition, there’s more going on at the top than I would prefer to see. Part of that is the darkness of some of the trunks up there, and some of it is the trunks get too chaotic the further up you go. I think a crop from the top reduces this issue, and it places more emphasis on the cactus, by making it relatively larger in the image. Pardon my frame, I was too lazy to duplicate yours in my rework, I prefer the look of your frame.
Thank you for your suggestion. I placed it at the top for easier comparison. It’s an interesting one in that to me it improves the image in some aspects and hurts it in others. I have to be with it and give it more thought. What I like is that it simplifies the forms of the tree making the composition purer. What I don’t like is that the ‘supporting cast’ (the two non-tree wedges on either side) are becoming more prominent. The swirling top never bothered me and I thought it was part of the ‘message’ (from order to chaos). It’s a hard decision as I like both compositions.
The original version was considerably more contrasty as i tried to move the black and white points to their respective corners (as you’re supposed to do). I’m always fearful of that ‘muddy’ look in b&w and this approaches that. I tried to add texture to compensate for it. Thank you for your comments.
Really like the composition as it looks well balanced. The tonal range is really broad and I think helps this image a lot. I do think the cactus on the right is distracting however.
I actually like how the two wedges play against the complexity of the tree. In terms of the top it was the very dark bits, and the gray branch in the URC that runs along the top edge that bothered me the most, those elements just look so different visually than the rest of tree. That’s what bothers me more than the additional chaos at the top. Totally subjective of course…
I feel it’s definitely a thumbs-up, but needs a little additional work. I prefer Ed’s composition, and while everyone seems to like the lower contrast, I think I would prefer to boost it a little, and perhaps even dodge the limbs a little bit to separate them from the BG more.
Thank you for all your comments. In this particular case I prefer the original image as is over the rework and suggestions that have been offered. I feel that the upper part of the image is an integral part of the message and chopping it off for the sake of a simpler composition doesn’t work for me at this time. The proof of the pudding is in the printing so who knows what modifications are still to come. Overall, at this time I am satisfied with this rework.
