Enduring Spirit +rp

Hi Lon - I love b+w images like this so this is my cup of tea! I really like the texture of the water and the overall composition. I tend to prefer stronger contrasts when I process my own b+w images, so I might use a bright lights luminosity mask to brighten the lightest tones just a bit more (with the exception of the lightest tone under the branch with looks to be just the right tone to me). Otherwise, I really enjoy this image.

You say higher contrast, but I want more! ;) I would add a bit more black to the pockets of dark in the top so it doesn't have a half and half look so much. I don't mind the blur and love the overall comp.

Black and white suits this image perfectly and the conversion looks pretty good to me. I can see bringing up the brighter tones in the upper 1/2 of the image but otherwise contrast looks about right. I don't mind the blurred branches and I share your view that they add to the dynamic nature of the scene.

I love the stark simplicity of this one Lon. Very subtle and powerful at the same time. I'm wondering if you could dodge through a selection to create just a bit more separation between the branch and water on the lower left side?

Thanks for the comments so far. I'm sure everyone goes through this. You work on an image for so long and pretty soon you can't see the forest for the trees, and in this case I was worried I had already carried the contrast too far. Eventually you just have to step away and let someone else take a look. Here's repost with some increased highlights, darkened shadows and overall contrast boost.

And Sean, good idea - that could be tough, but I might try and do that. Thanks all for the comments.

Oh, here's a larger version too.

Thanks!

You have conveyed the movement of the raging water so well that this is a little unsettling. Evocative, emotional, threatening even. Hmmm, must be art!

Honestly, this really is very cool. I have always wished for an image like this in my portfolio. I have no nits with this, I think you captured and presented it perfectly!

Your repost nails it for me Lon. Fine art indeed! Morris explains my feelings perfectly about this image. It is also metaphorical in a way with all the violent weather and floods across the US.

Second image is much better. The deeper contrast adds the extra spark this image deserved. It's full of drama, energy, and motion. Perfect for b&w. Really well done.

Lon, I prefer the second version, but I think you could pop the whites even a little more. It is an evocative image as Morris mentioned, but it is not up there with my favorite Overackers.

Motion of water mimicking motion of the tree is amazing here, Lon. Great catch! So smooth and beautiful...

If it makes it, then it will be an enduring spirit, bowed but unbroken, assailed but undefeated. However it means futility to me, the river will overwhelm it, so this image could have many titles based just on how the viewer perceives the story. Sorry, no happy ending here for me. Except for you Lon, another keeper. Very powerful image.

Paul

I honestly have mixed feelings about this one Lon. The conversion, exposure, and processing are right on the money to my biased eyes. Not exactly sure but perhaps it is the composition that is throwing me off. I almost feel like having that branch further up the frame might have helped. Maybe a slightly lower perspective to bring the branch up a bit more and free it from the darker area below?

Funny, after writing the above, I almost deleted it and just said awesome work. Because it really is, as it 99 percent of the photography I see on this page. Perhaps as photographers were are getting too nit picky about details those who actually buy prints will probably never even see. On the flip side though, hard critiques push us all to improve our game even more. I definitely feel like I must work harder when someone critiques my images or points out something I completely missed.

Any way Lon, one small thing that I REALLY do like about this image is the movement of the top branches. It almost adds a sense of the branch flowing in the same manner as the water. On the flip side one could say that the movement of the branches takes away from the detail. Hahah...just kidding.

Great work as usual.

When I view and evaluate an image, I always go with my initial reaction. Does it have visual, or emotional impact? If it does then I view it as good. Sometimes it can have some minor flaws that I pick up on after the initial reaction, but that never lessons my opinion of the image. I think we as photogs get way too caught up in the technicals of photography. I understand why, but technical flaws do hinder the non photographer's ability to enjoy, or appreciate an image for it's simple beauty.

I think this is a very artistic interpretation of this scene. The b&w is definately right for the situation as well. I can see the benefits of some dodge/burn and contrast tweaks, but my initial reaction was that this was "good"!

Chris

Very nice, Lon. It looks great the way the tree follows the motion of the water and I love the curves of the waves.

My only nit is the bottom left hand corner looks a little too dark. Otherwise beautiful.


lucy

Lon, I think this is superb. Very artistic,moody and powerful image. B&W works great, I'd like to see more b&w from you. Inspiring stuff!

I can relate to what Chris and Nicolaus said. My initial reactions were: cool, but.... And unfortunatley, minor as they are, it's the 'buts' that form my initial impression and that's what makes it or breaks it for me. I personally find the blur distracting, not becuase its blur per se, but because i dont find it aesthetic here--it looks more like a double-exposure accident rather than something that adds to the dynamics. I also wish there was more of the white surrounding the branch, as in the top of the shot.
So, like i said--cool, but not a showcase shot for you.

Another very fine harvest of your recent trip! The black and white definitely works great here. The tree fits so well to the movement of the water. And I really like the dark bottom of the composition. That bit of blur in the tree's branches is not an issue - it does not distract, but does not "add" either in my opinion. Contrast looks fine too to me - both versions..

Love the simplicity and the remarkable array of tones. Even more though, the sense of tension, the feel of how remarkable it is for this single tree to withstand the flow of the water, yet its bending makes you wonder if it will. Maybe I'm reading more into this than intended but I think this is simply fantastic, Lon.

I like this image a lot, Lon, partly because I tried a very similar shot on my last trip to Girraween NP and found it very difficult to capture a static tree in rushing water, but mostly because of it's beautiful subject contrast. It is a shame about the blurred bits of branch, but the strength of the idea carries above this for me. I like the feeling of R to L motion as the water bends the tree over, indicating a struggle against the elements. The texture and flow of the water is excellent, and the extra contrast in the repost is very nice. I find titles very difficult, but the feeling of hanging on and enduring spirit is there. How about 'Against the Flow' (see, I told you ).

A delightful image, Lon. One which packs a big emotional punch. The simplicity is a nice cover for the deeper meaning that almost anyone can identify with. Very nice, indeed.

Simple. Elegant.B&W is a great choice here.