Guana River Trees

Gallery: LandscapePosted June 5, 2011204 views16 comments

Canon EOS REBEL T2i
EF-S55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS
6/4/2011 – 7:25:34 PM
1/80 sec
Manual
f/9
ISO 400
Focal length 55 mm
Handheld
Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve, St. Johns County, Florida
Raw file minimally processed in Photoshop Elements 9 (see below), a few visible bits of wires cloned out; if possible, please view the larger version, but also please note that the compression quality of the larger version is only medium.

I love the look of these trees. I like the light and shadows as they are, so the only things I did were the very lightest noise removal and some sharpening. Feedback on whether you think the shadows should be lightened and on anything else would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Comments

16 comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on June 5, 2011 at 12:01 PM

Another nice comp! In fact, better than the last one. These last comps have been very well put together with nice balance, structure and visual aesthetics. Aside from nice light, this is the next/equally most important thing, imo. And the light is niced here too. Interesting shapes and lines as well. This one has almost everything one would want in an artistic rendition of nature. Whatever apptoach, or state of mind you were in with these, keep it there, it's working!

Oh, by the way, I think the shadows look fine.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on June 5, 2011 at 12:22 PM

This is a nice comp, Barbara. And very nice light

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Richard Ditch on June 5, 2011 at 12:38 PM

I like this subject and composition a lot. A very interesting mix of shapes and textures. Tones are ok but a bit more contrast (darker shadows rather than lighter) might help.

I'd like more detail. This looks like a shot that would have benefitted from a lower ISO and a tripod.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1031 Posts, 12705 Comments

Comment posted by Dietrich Gloger on June 5, 2011 at 12:38 PM

A very good composition! The warm light on the branches works very well. Shadows look nice - I would keep them as they are, but maybe you can increase saturation of the warm tones a bit more.

Registered on January 26, 2007, 360 Posts, 9876 Comments

Comment posted by Mohammad Hosseini on June 5, 2011 at 1:28 PM

Very good Barbara, I like it with the great light on the branches. Shadows look good to me.

Registered on May 16, 2011, 15 Posts, 301 Comments

Comment posted by Robert Stough on June 5, 2011 at 1:29 PM

This is quite a fine shot Barbara. The composition really draws you into the scene and makes good use of that soft evening light. I think you could try a bit more contrast and perhaps as Dietrich suggested a little more saturation but this is very nice just as it is.

Registered on November 20, 2010, 26 Posts, 273 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on June 5, 2011 at 1:30 PM

Barbara, I was just looking at the large version of this...very nice! I love the shape of these trees and you put together a nice comp. The light and shadow on the trees really makes this look good. I like this!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by Floris van Breugel on June 5, 2011 at 1:53 PM

What fantastic twisty trees! I think this is your best post yet that I've seen. I would boost the contrast a little, which will also give you a slight bump in color saturation (which I think you could use).

Registered on December 19, 2008, 306 Posts, 4840 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on June 5, 2011 at 4:35 PM

What a great find, Barbara. Love those twisted branches in that fabulous light.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on June 5, 2011 at 4:43 PM

Sweet light and compostion. Love the trees. with all their winding trunks. I would tend to agree with the suggestion for a tripod. It is pretty good, but it could stand to be a bit sharper. That aside, very fine image.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Cross on June 5, 2011 at 5:30 PM

Boy, Barbara, your photos just keep getting better! I really like this one for the shapes displayed by the trunks and branches. Lighting is very nice with the background sky under control. I also like for FG palmettos (or whatever they are). Seems a little unbalanced to the left but that's a minor issue. My first thought was another spectacular image from her backyard. It gives you such a haul of interesting subjects that you'd never need to leave. So nice to see you out and about. Great shot.

Peter.

Registered on April 3, 2010, 271 Posts, 1342 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on June 5, 2011 at 6:43 PM

Very nice Barbara! I like the comp a lot, and the light draws me in.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Tom Haxby on June 6, 2011 at 1:56 PM

I agree with the others that this is your best yet. There are also some good suggestions on tripod, ISO, saturation and contrast. You've got a real winner of a scene here and with a little work your image could be really unique.

Registered on July 6, 2006, 126 Posts, 647 Comments

Comment posted by Bruce King on June 7, 2011 at 12:54 AM

Wow! The larger version Rocks Barbara. The comp is great and the light on the trees is perfectly captured IMO. The fg is a nice anchor that fits in with the rest of the scene very well. Normally I avoid a gray, featureless sky like the plague but in this case I don't think it hurts the image. This is my new favorite from your portfolio. Well done.

Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments

Comment posted by John Tobias on June 7, 2011 at 5:25 PM

Nicely done composition. I like the bits of light that are reaching the branches. Thanks for sharing.

Registered on September 12, 2009, 2120 Posts, 6455 Comments

Comment posted by Barbara Graham on June 8, 2011 at 8:04 AM

Thank you all very much for your comments and suggestions and especially for the time spent in viewing and evaluating this image. The fact that so many of you considered this image worth evaluating and commenting on means a great deal to me.

Registered on July 27, 2010, 1310 Posts, 5035 Comments