New Snow Old tree

Gallery: LandscapePosted March 8, 201812,482 views12 comments

Early this week we had one of the nicest snowfalls of our winter season so far. I headed into the river bottoms to see if I could come up with a picture I might like. It was wonderful but as always a hard area for finding a nice composition. There are so many downed trees and clutter that it can make it quite difficult, but also a challenge that I seem to enjoy. Lots of ice that was easy to break through so it was kind of tough going but so beautiful as well. I saw a couple of Bald Eagles setting in the trees watching me and also listened to the sounds of the Sandhill Cranes that have returned for spring. I really enjoy hearing the sound of those cranes. Thanks for any thoughts.
Canon 5DMK4, 24-105L @32mm, ISO 100, F/16 and 1/20 sec.

Comments

12 comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on March 8, 2018 at 6:27 PM

I feel the bleakness of the snowfall in this one. Possibly due to the monochrome processing and the downward sweep of the branch. Well done. Might crop or clone at the bottom to remove the small twig area.

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on March 8, 2018 at 8:21 PM

This is superb, Nick - pure art. Your composition is so well crafted here, and your processing spot-on. This is what nature photography is all about - the quest for the perfect shot.

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

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on March 9, 2018 at 7:09 AM

I am on the fence about this one, Nick. I am not sure exactly what is throwing me off. I think it is the nice trunk on the right, the branches on the left, leaving a sizable void in the middle. I find myself looking at the middle quite a bit. I will ponder it a bit more.

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

Comment posted by Ed McGuirk on March 9, 2018 at 7:49 AM

Nick, this tree has a wonderful graphic shape, its a nice moody winter scene. As you said, finding good comps in place like this can be difficult, but I think you did pretty well here. My suggestion would be to try to emphasize the shape of the tree even more. Very slight crops from the bottom, and possibly from the top, would make the tree appear larger in the frame. I also think adding a vignette (especially to the sky) would place more emphasis on the tree.

Registered on November 29, 2017, 19 Posts, 260 Comments

Comment posted by Michael Lowe on March 9, 2018 at 12:57 PM

Love the gentle arch of the tree framed between the vertical trunks.

Registered on February 11, 2004, 777 Posts, 5252 Comments

Comment posted by Igor Doncov on March 9, 2018 at 4:09 PM

I find this to be a sad image. It's about aging, decrepitude, or illness. Life is tough.

Registered on November 22, 2014, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 9, 2018 at 7:40 PM

Thank you for giving me your thoughts on this. They are pretty interesting to read and I appreciate getting them. Kind of a mix of feelings on this one and I'm not really surprised. One of those images that one can take in different ways. Igor mentioned that his feelings were sad and I never even thought about that when I was making the image. Now I can see how one could get that feeling so it is all very interesting with the end result. Thanks guys for your input on this. cool

Nick

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

Comment posted by Genny K. on March 10, 2018 at 4:22 PM

I like this a lot. Fantastic job of controlling the exposure and your processing to bring out all those details in the branches and snow. Good job of finding this scene, too.
Probably because I come from snow country, I do not find this bleak at all. To me it's just beautiful stillness. Love it. devil

I am so jealous. We got a bunch of snow on Thursday, but I had to spend most of Friday (yesterday) plowing snow around our place, and by the time I was finished, the wind had blown all the snow out of the trees. It had warmed up and all the cool scenes like this were gone. Bummer

Registered on June 5, 2006, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on March 10, 2018 at 6:48 PM

You have done an excellent job extracting a sense or order from chaos. While I like the high key of the snow, I wish there was a little more detail in the foreground. I really like the textures in the snow on the right hand tree. Niely done, Nick.
--P

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

Comment posted by Ed Lowe on March 12, 2018 at 2:48 PM

This is a very captivating image, Nick. I love the graceful curve of the limb on the center tree and the high key effect here reminds me of a drawing. If I had anything to suggest it would be to tone down the upper corners just a tad, but this certainly works as is. Sounds like you had a wonderful time and were in your element.

Ed

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

Comment posted by Ed Williams on March 13, 2018 at 8:14 PM

Nick, I really love the delicate etching effect this has with the snow plastered against the trunks and the branches. Very artful.

Registered on December 28, 2010, 636 Posts, 3499 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on March 14, 2018 at 9:24 AM

Thanks to all of you for your thoughtful comments and suggestions. Very much appreciated!! Nick

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