This old Lodgepole Pine is near Blue Canyon in the Sonora Pass country of the Sierra. I had seen this tree many, many times over the years, but the light wasn't right. On a summer evening in July of 2006, the light cooperated for a couple of exposures.
Tachihara 4x5
180mm Fujinon
Astia 100f
f45 @ 8s
TK's Masks
Please see the large version. Thanks!
Your thoughts are always appreciated. 
--P
Comments
11 commentsWow we're getting some deep tracks from your archives lately, Preston. Super comp with very natural color rendition. The waterfall looks less blown out on the large version.
I've been up that canyon a couple of times... it's great country.
I'm glad you made an image of this tree before it fell victim to the elements. I waited too long to photograph a tree here in Moab and when I finally did head out to it I discovered it lying on the ground. Beautiful photo, Preston. I love that the color of the tree is so different from everything else in the frame.
Preston, no doubt a tough exposure here at f45 and 8secs. I have a few of those in my LF files too. I really like the juxtaposition between the waterfall in the BG and the FG tree, works perfectly in the comp overall. The white water in the fall is strong, but with the exposure time it does a good job of holding up here. This really looks like a neat canyon to work in. A really nice find from the archives......
I think the composition is excellent and very well balanced, with the creek flowing through the image and guiding the viewer's eyes. The tree stands out both in color and shape, and its jagged shape and apparent death contrast sharply with the otherwise peaceful view. Like a lone warrior after fighting his last battle.
Great find, and you did justice to the old tree. The flow and balance with the falls and stream make a beautiful composition, and it's wonderful to see all the details in the spiral growth pattern of the tree. Thanks for sharing.
Nice to see actual water in a California stream. I reckon you have to go back to 2006 to find it. Really nice, Preston. Love the flow of the stream through the frame and the addition of the old lodgepole is very nice..
Nice comp from the archives. Sweet little scene. I think I have seen that tree from the road? I would be tempted to throw a warming filter on this one.
Thanks for all your comments!
I agree with Harley that the image needed warming up a bit, so I fixed that. I used a Photo Filter layer, and painted the mask to achieve a only a 50% change to the warmth of the water.
After looking at the OP, There are two things that bothered me a little. First, the water in the lower portion of the image was too blue, so I pulled the blue and cyan saturation back a bit. Second, the white water lacked some detail, especially in the waterfall, and in a couple of spots were too bright , so I used a TK Bright Lights mask to fix it.
I am interested in your thoughts on this reworked image.
Thanks!
--P
Not enough differentiation in tones for me in this one Preston. The distant falls are a hotspot with all of that white water. The tree - well - is a little lacking in personality for me. Just not one of my favorites of your. So, I guess it is more of the compositon I have issues with rather than processing or the technicals.
Preston, both looks work for me. I lean toward the warmer look, but might boost the sat a bit on it.......
I like the scene, but instead of shifting the color balance, maybe selective enhancement of the greens and yellows would separate things a little better.