One Tree Hill (without the hill)

[stevesutt89]

Here is the next in my series of images from my David Fokos inspired expedition. To get this image like this I first converted it to black and white and changed the colour temperature using picasa to give it that sepia look, oh and I put a graduated tint on the top of the image to darken the sky...(not sure why i did it though). After that, i cloned out a lot of trees on the horizon so that it appeared flat and uninteruppted, as i felt that they were distracting from my main subject of the one tree (to rule them all, one tree to find them, one tree to draw them all and in the darkness bind them......wow i'm a brillant poet...oh wait hang on i think tolkein thought of it first...darn!).


1/50th sec, F/3,2 ISO50

What do you guys think?

[Palachandra]

You are a "Visual artist"!!! It looks like a painting.

Would like to compare with original shot...

[stevesutt89]

You are too kind! Thankyou indeed

Here is the original from which i created the above image:


Since i posted this pic, i've also created a wide version:


I like this last version better than the original image, but it seems to be a little weighted to the right, which deeply irks me for an image that is supposed to be nearly symetrical. Do other people find it is unevenly weighted? And, how should i best fix it if it is?

[Teewinot]

Steve,

I love what you've done with this shot! Very nice. Great silhouette and sky tones. Perfect amount of grass on the bottom. I like the graduated tint on the top...sort of balances with the grass. It reminds me of Africa for some reason... (not cuz I've been there...I haven't...just reminds me of savanna photos). Anyways, I find myself torn between the 2 crops. I like how the tree has a little more breathing room in the second crop, but then I agree with your point about the right side feeling more 'weighted' (I assume you are referring to the darker color tones here?...sorry I don't know how to fix this). I don't get that weighty feeling as much with the first. My suggestion is this: if you are going for symmetry, pick the first crop. If you aren't, then go with the second. To be honest, the differences are pretty subtle and both images are really great! And who knows if I would have noticed the unevenness if you hadn't pointed it out first....

Great job and thanks for sharing!

[ELAY]

So long as you are going for the stark/isolated mood, did you consider cloning out those leafy things at the base of the tree (mostly camera left, but a couple camera right)? Given that your main subject is this high-contrast striking tree against negative space, I think the leafy things might be competing a bit with the tree.

I'm inclined to slightly prefer the wider crop; to the extent that there is a lack of symmetry, I think it tends to enhance the interest of the photo.

EL

[uvsub]

Nice, and the original shot with the colour gradation is very nice too.

[ellie mac]

This is really lovely. I think I prefer the second crop too - I'd probably like to see even a little bit more breathing space for the tree but that might not be possible. I actually find the first image less symmetrical for some reason, maybe because the close proximity of the branches to the edge of frame emphasises that they are at different heights, something less evident when they have more room. I had a look at David's site & he seems to somehow give his subjects plenty of breathing room, even when things are cropped more tightly.

Thanks for sharing the link to this photographer - really stunning work.

[Wildgarlic]

What a beautiful shot of a tree - I'm another that prefers the second crop and don't find that it looks more weighted in the second crop.

Lovely job.