Photo of the Month 9/14

Gallery: LandscapePosted September 24, 2014692 views26 comments

Monkeypod Lightning

Monkeypods are one of my favorite trees. They are just so different than anything we have around Chicago. This was captured on the Big Island of Hawaii during a workshop in March with Aaron Feinberg and Kory Lidstrom. We were all roaming an area when I came across Aaron shooting the foliage below these monkeypods. I looked up and saw the lightning look of the trees with an overcast sky and made a few images. This one best captured that lightning look.

I've been working on this image on and off since then. I wanted the branches to stand out but still show the texture of the bark. The branches are the show. The leaves are a backdrop. I finally came at it from a new direction and got the branches to pop more. Lightroom except for dodge and burn of the branches in PS.

I'm planning to head back to the islands over the winter so I'm starting to gather my thoughts for how I want to spend my time reworking images while there. Never enough time...

A7r w/ 24-70 FE @ 63mm - ISO 200 - 1/30sec

Thanks for your thoughts,
Jeff

Comments

26 comments

Comment posted by Ronald Murphy on September 24, 2014 at 1:10 PM

Black lightning. Amazing how the trees seem to avoid each other to produce the white alleys between. An arresting image.

Registered on March 13, 2012, 279 Posts, 975 Comments

Comment posted by Thomas Haney on September 24, 2014 at 2:54 PM

Fascinating shot Jeff, and one that not many people would have noticed. I'd love to see this blown up.

Registered on April 7, 2013, 138 Posts, 537 Comments

Comment posted by Mike Ramy on September 24, 2014 at 3:22 PM

Well seen and presented Jeff,
A very interesting image indeed . . .

Registered on June 16, 2012, 567 Posts, 2809 Comments

Comment posted by Aaron Feinberg on September 24, 2014 at 4:53 PM

Came out sick. Love it!

aF

Registered on October 26, 2009, 399 Posts, 2789 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Leggett on September 24, 2014 at 5:42 PM

Often these upward framings can get cliche, but this is certainly an exception. I really dig all the detail in the branches and leaves. Very good eye, Jeff.

Registered on July 21, 2004, 706 Posts, 3233 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on September 24, 2014 at 5:57 PM

Really well done! I like this a lot. So many patterns at so many levels. Very creative.

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

Comment posted by Dan Kearl on September 24, 2014 at 8:36 PM

Excellent and very well seen......

Registered on September 2, 2013, 209 Posts, 1514 Comments

Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on September 24, 2014 at 11:51 PM

Oh, I forgot about this one! Great processing and I dig the lines going to the corners. The "white" lines of the sky really compliment the black ones of the limbs.

Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Stuart Williams on September 25, 2014 at 2:07 AM

gorgeous, detailed lattice. the form of the tree in the upper right adds tension because it isn't perfectly formed like the other. nice work.

Registered on December 7, 2007, 247 Posts, 4792 Comments

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on September 25, 2014 at 8:26 AM

Very cool. The large version is a must to really appreciate the lines and details in this image. Beautifully done, Jeff.

Ed

Registered on February 7, 2004, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on September 25, 2014 at 9:54 AM

Striking patterns and presentation. I like the layers and the alternating subject/ground emphasis. Beautiful work.

pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Metternich on September 25, 2014 at 6:26 PM

Powerful effect!!!

Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on September 25, 2014 at 7:29 PM

Jeff, the patterns in this are very striking and going b&w really lets the patterns and textures dominate. It took some thinking, but I also think your title shows some fine creative thinking. Very well seen and presented.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by gary phillips on September 25, 2014 at 10:11 PM

Jeff, this is really wild. Perhaps the best canopy shot I have seen. Great title, great photograph.

Registered on October 24, 2013, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Martyka on September 26, 2014 at 2:05 PM

Thanks for the comments! I'll have to keep looking up and see if I can find more scenes like this.

Registered on June 20, 2014, 30 Posts, 155 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on September 26, 2014 at 7:27 PM

Jeff, This looks fantastic! Your large version is so cool to look at and a must see.. I love what you did here and these patters are really interesting to look at. Great b&w image!

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

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on September 26, 2014 at 7:33 PM

This is superb! I like everything about it, Jeff.

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Navin Sarma on September 29, 2014 at 11:18 AM

WHOA. What an amazing graphic image. The pockets to the sky look amazing, like a medium of its own. Great creative use of rough light

Registered on July 17, 2011, 233 Posts, 1373 Comments

Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on October 2, 2014 at 9:01 PM

Just wonderful.

Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on October 4, 2014 at 6:24 PM

Love the crazy pattern? Artfully done. Congrats on the Pick.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Martyka on October 5, 2014 at 1:07 PM

Thank you for the pick. I'm both surprised and elated. Lots of lessons here for me. I don't know that I would have kept at this one without the encouragement and discussion from Aaron and Kory back in March. Certainly took me quite a few attempts to move it in the right direction. Thanks again!

Registered on June 20, 2014, 30 Posts, 155 Comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on October 9, 2014 at 6:49 PM

Congrats on the EP Jeff. I like the image a lot.

pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Max Waugh on October 11, 2014 at 3:49 PM

Congrats on the monthly pick. I really dig the mix of light and dark lines throughout.

Max

Registered on September 26, 2008, 428 Posts, 2329 Comments

Comment posted by Kory Lidstrom on October 11, 2014 at 7:23 PM

Well well, look at you garnering the Photo of the Month! Nice! #allgrowsup

Registered on November 19, 2008, 49 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Jim Zablotny on October 11, 2014 at 9:22 PM

Hi Jeff,

Congrats

. Reminds me of a stone lithograph................................Jim

Registered on January 17, 2004, 705 Posts, 3594 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on October 13, 2014 at 1:07 PM

There you go! Again, congratulations on the POTM! I love shots of "tree-scapes" like this, and this one is a real winner.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments