This is one among a number of photos I have processed and stored for a while, giving it some time before publishing… This is a pine tree trunk. It’s located right next to my house, on a busy path leading to a forest I am fortunate to have nearby. I have been always strolling by this tree, be it on heat waves, rain, or snow. I hadn’t much to notice about it, until one day when I was purposefully looking around, and saw how textured it’s surface is. The shot worked on more than one levels for me, I’ll refrain to say how to avoid influencing your point of view.
Specific Feedback Requested
And feedback is welcome. Beyond technical feedback, I am particularly interested on your interpretation and any emotions evoked by this scene.
I just love the texture and details of this old tree. The luminosity of the main trunk is wonderful and I like how the light/tone fades a little as you fall away from the central area. I also think it’s a big asset to have the sister trunk as part of the composition. It’s light and position balances well with the primary subject. And while there’s not a lot of color, I do like having the earthy, muted browns at the bottom and for that reason I think this works just as well as color and not b&w.
My biggest nitpick is the brigh area in the bg. Good job on the selective focus and dof throwing those elements out of focus, but the bright area really draws the eye. To a lesser extent, the darker tree on the left. I suppose you could do a clone-fill of that bright area and crop out the tree? But I have a sneaky suspicion given your description that the area might have some meaning or significance?
And to that question, I’m a pretty literal person and most times don’t draw any emotional response. There are exceptions and Igor’s recent “untitled” post drew a ton of emotional responses. Other than the concepts of time, longevity, etc., I’m just enjoying this for the texture and intimate portrait of this aging tree.
thank you @Lon_Overacker for you critique here… I agree on the bright spot on the left being a distraction, but it’s blown up and can’t save much there, I’ve reduced highlights and brightness to some degree already. On the dark tree on the left, I also agree that it would be interesting to look at a version of the image without it. That being said, I generally keep main elements of my composition intact, and avoid cloning out things especially when they take a significant portion of my image. It’s part of my philosophy that I got to live with what ever I chose to include, or leave out, of the scene when I was there. One thing I was not so sure about, was the amount of clutter on the foreground, but on the other hand this conveys the rugged-ness of the landscape where this tree lives in.
… To me, besides longevity and pass of time, these two trunks really took the form of legs of some imaginary creature, as it moves forward. This puts emphasis to the fact that trees are living and breathing entities, kind giants that live in this land and see things that span multiple generations, while we are passers by.
