Firewood Revisited + Another Repost :)

The black & white version.  An additional levels step was used to pull the range of tones from black to white........................Jim

Jim,

Most certainly a fascinating piece of wood. I like the balanced mix between the raw wood and the charred bark.  For me, the interest isn't the wider view, but the details, color and patterns of a more intimate.  If mine, I would crop left and right to eliminate the light blue patches; I don't think they add to this intimate view.

The only other suggestion would be a gentle burn of the bottom section of the image to even out the tonality/exposure a bit.

I think with some tweaks this could be an excellent intimate and nature abstract - heck, can't really tell it's wood either.

The b&w isn't doing much for me.  What I like about the color version (color, detail texture difference between the wood and char is lost in the b&w.  I think you'd have to go to some more extreme processing.  Just my .02.

Lon

I would agree with Lon on all points. The light gray areas throw me off a bit and I think it would tighten up nicely without them. The image really works with the rich colors and loses impact for me in B&W. 

Thank you Lon and Harley. I cropped the original  image to remove the blue areas, and burned in  the bottom of the image slightly with a 90% opacity layer.  Hard to say if it improved the image, but will wait for the verdict. 

Jim, you've got a fine sense of movement here, with the curving lines of texture.  The colors in the original also add a lot of interest and especially warmth.  That makes it a big improvement over the b&w version in my book.  Well seen.  Interesting that I don't get nearly as strong a sense of movement in the latest repost...

It's very interesting to read the comments here, Jim.  Lon and Harley had the same reaction I did to the greys in the original.  I also think the b/w has potential,  The histogram just needs stretched quite a bit.  Just too much middle grey.  A black point adjustment might also work very will.  As Mark pointed out, some of the perceived movement in the wood is lost in the tighter crop, but I do like it better without the grey.

I like the final color and cropped version the best, Jim. You lose a little of feeling that the wood is stretched that is conveyed in the original, but I like the edge to edge rich color and detail that becomes the focus in the cropped/color version.  

I like the original, but have to go with the reposted color image. It is more dynamis, and the processing is a nice improvement.

I think the B&W version would work better with more contrast--deepening the blacks and raining the lights, as Gary mentioned.

It is always interesting to find things, literally in the backyard, that can make compelling images.
--P

Hi Jim,

The final repost works for me too. The processing looks better, and I like the cropped view as I stay in the presented image exploring the shapes, textures, and colors. 

I think I prefer the color version - the colors are soft, pleasing and realistic.

For my money (all $0.02 of it), put me down for the cropped color repost. I agree you could pull a lot more out of the B&W, but I like the color version and its nice warm tones.